Greenland: Qaqortoq - Cruise w/ MS Hamburg from Hamburg via Iceland to Greenland (**1000th Cover**)

Worldwide Covers Blog

1000

Covers

This post marks a historic milestone. It's the 1000th Cover I posted here since I started this Blog in May 2015. Thank you for being part of it.

1000 covers documented  ·  100+ countries  ·  10+ years of collecting

This cover arrived as part of the cruise "Von Hamburg über Island nach Grönland" (From Hamburg via Iceland to Greenland), a voyage running from 16 July to 2 August 2025 aboard the MS Hamburg. The cover was posted in Qaqortoq (pop. ~3,000). It is the largest town in South Greenland and the administrative centre of the Kujalleq municipality. Its name means "the white place" in Greenlandic. The town's natural harbour makes it a regular call for expedition cruise ships traversing the West Greenland coast. Besides the regular postmark, the cover shows four cachets applied on board the MS Hamburg, all in blue ink.

 

Stamps on this Cover

left Kofoed´s School Nuuk (+Additional Value) Issued: 18-10-2017

right SEPAC 2023 - "Traditional markets" Issued: 30-05-2023

Many thanks to Volker! 

 

 

 

Picture of the Ship:

 

(c) https://www.plantours-kreuzfahrten.de

 

 

Pakistan: Skardu G.P.O

This cover I received from Skardu, Pakistan back in 2025. Skardu is a regional town in northern Pakistan and the administrative center of the Skardu District in Gilgit-Baltistan. It lies at an altitude of roughly 2,200 meters and is situated along the Indus River, surrounded by the mountains of the Karakoram range. The cover was cancelled in the Skardu General Post Office, the back side of the cover shows two transit postmarks from Islamabad, indicating that the cover was routed through the country’s main postal hub before onward transmission. 

Backside:

Stamps on this Cover

4× Definitive - Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948) Issued: 14-09-2024

Many thanks to Alex!

Germany: "Stolpersteine" and Margot Friedländer (1921–2025)

Two stamps frank this cover, both from the 2025 German commemorative stamp programme and each valued at 0.95 €. The upper stamp is the "Stolpersteine" issue, the design reproduces one of Gunter Demnig's brass cobblestones. His "Stolpersteine"-project, now comprising well over 100.000 individual memorial stones embedded in pavements across Europe, commemorates Holocaust victims at the very places they last lived or worked. The lower stamp honours Margot Friedländer (1921–2025). Friedländer was a well-known Holocaust survivors and a tireless advocate for remembrance until her death at the age of 103 in May 2025. 

Stamps on this Cover

top-right Stolpersteine Issued: 04-12-2025

bottom-left Margot Friedländer (1921–2025) Issued: 04-12-2025

USA: Ship Mail from the RV Thomas G. Thompson – University of Washington

This cover was mailed aboard the RV Thomas G. Thompson, the oceanographic research vessel operated by the University of Washington School of Oceanography in Seattle. The circular ship cachet shows a scenic landscape illustration and prominently features both the vessel's name and the School of Oceanography.

Adding a further official touch, the cover also bears the embossed seal of the University of Washington (founded 1861) in the lower left — a blind emboss used on formal university correspondence, and a nice philatelic bonus for this piece.

Stamps:

Trident Maple Bonsai (Forever, 45¢) - Issued: 23-01-2012

"Freedom Forever" Flag - Issued: 22-02-2012

School Bus (Additional Ounce) - 05-01-2023

Many thanks to John!

 

 

 

Picture of the Ship:

 

By University of Washington - https://www.dvidshub.net/image/4352847/r-v-thomas-g-thompson, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=93242359

 

Bulgaria: Bulgaria in the Eurozone

On 1st January 2026, Bulgaria officially adopted the euro, becoming the latest member of the eurozone. To mark this historic moment, Bulgarian Post issued its first stamp of 2026, titled "Bulgaria in the Eurozone" – carrying a face value of 1 euro and designed by Nenko Atanasov. The stamp was officially issued on January 14th 2026.

Stamp:

Bulgaria: Bulgaria in the Eurozone - Issued: 14-01-2026

Many thanks to Emil!

Liechtenstein: SEPAC 2025 - "Architecture"

As reminder, every year, the members of SEPAC – the Small European Postal Administrations' Cooperation – join forces to release a stamp on a shared theme. For 2025, the chosen theme is "Architecture". Liechtenstein's contribution is a single stamp with a face value of CHF 1.90, issued on 2 June 2025. The motif is the Hagenhaus – a 19th-century farmstead located in the small hamlet of Nendeln. The building complex has been a listed monument since 1988 and is considered the best-preserved early 19th-century farm complex in the entire Principality.

Stamp:

SEPAC 2025 - "Architecture" - Issued: 02-06-2025

Luxembourg: The Accession of Grand Duke Guillaume

On 3 October 2025, Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg abdicated after nearly twenty-five years on the throne, passing the crown to his eldest son, Guillaume V, Grand Duke of Luxembourg. The change of throne was formalised at the Grand Ducal Palace in Luxembourg City and followed by Guillaume’s oath before the Chamber of Deputies, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the world’s only remaining grand duchy. 

Stamp:

The Accession of Grand Duke Guillaume - Issued: 03-10-2025

South Africa: German frigate "Baden-Württemberg" (F 222) - Mission: "Indo-Pacific Deployment 2024" (May - December 2024)

This is another cover of german frigate "Baden-Württemberg" on its 2024 "Indo-Pacific Deployment"-Mission. After I got a cover from its port call to Tokyo in August 2024, this comes from the port call to Cape Town, South Africa in late November 2024. As a reminder, the Indo-Pacific Deployment marked a strategic effort by European and allied navies to reinforce maritime security, uphold freedom of navigation, and strengthen partnerships across the Indo-Pacific region. 

The cover was posted in Cape Town but was actually postmarked about 1,500 kilometers to the north, near the capital, Pretoria in Tshwane.

 

Stamp:

Birds - Woodpeckers (from a set of 10) - Issued: 12-03-2020

Picture of the Ship during the port call to Cape Town:

(c) Bundeswehr/ Julia Kelm