A Gift I Received Yesterday

Yesterday was a rea surprise in the mail.

A friend of mine who lives in Silicon Valley sent me this cover. We used toi chat online some time ago but we keep in touch to this day by email.

Chimo

Bujutsu

That's a lovely cover. I like the pictorial cancels especially.

Japan treats there stamps with respect.

Great to have someone think of you in such a nice way.

Technically and historically, this is not a Japanese stamp. Rather it is from the Ryukyu Islands which includes Okinawa. At the time of both the first stamp in 1948 through 1958, the date of this commemoration, the Ryukyu Islands were somewhat self-governing, in partnership with a U.S. high commissioner. The Ryukyu Islands ultimately reverted back to Japanese control in the late 1970s. The stamps of this period are quite popular with many American service personnel who began collecting them during their tours of duty there. Although I don't collect them, I find them intriguing as there are a finite number of stamp designs that were produced during this occupation period making it possible to have a virtually complete collection since the islands converted to Japanese stamps immediately upon reversion.

Actually, they were reverted back to Japan in 1972. I was looking for Ryukyus in my Scotts Vol. #5 and wondered why I couldn't find it, only to remember it was in Vol. 1 under the US administration after WW II. I have very few Ryukyu stamps and covers, so, this is a nice addition to my collection.

Chimo

Bujutsu

nice cover

Nice cover. I have a renewed appreciation for Japan stamps and recently acquired some Japanese covers from my local stamp club.

Here is the way the original stamp was issued. I originally had a pad of 50 sheetlets, but had to stop selling them, as the size precludes a "letter" postage rate, meaning "parcel" rates, and by the time I added edge protection and padding, they cost more to send than they were worth.