A set of special stamps featuring jellyfish was issued on 12 June, 2008 by Hong Kong, printed with a glow-in-the-dark effect. The six stamps are Flower Hat Jelly ($1.40); Octopus Jelly ($1.80); Brown Sea Nettle ($2.40); Moon Jelly ($2.50); Lion's Mane Jelly ($3); and Pacific Sea Nettle ($5).
Living images on Alpine Skiing stamps
On January 2008 Finland issued a miniature sheet bearing a total of 11 different 1st class non-value indicator stamps. The miniature sheet dedicated to Alpine skiing has an illusion of movement which is made possible by the imaging and printing technology used. When you turn the sheet in your hands, the picture comes to life. This makes Tanja Poutiainen speed downhill on the slalom stamp. The stamp is in the lower right corner of the miniature sheet. The picture is from the Finnish round of the slalom World Cup in Levi. The 27-year-old skier from Rovaniemi is also shown at speed next to the stamp, on the edge of the stamp sheet. Tanja Poutiainen's achievements also include a silver medal at the Turin Olympics in 2006 and numerous other victories and high placements in world cup championships over a period of years.
The stamp dedicated to snowboarding features a stunning performance by Antti Autti. The upper left of the sheet shows Matti Raty, a 19-year-old exponent of newschool skiing and a student at the University of Kuopio, strutting his stuff. The stamp shows a 'drop'. The stamp on the lower left shows Tapio 'Arska' Saarimaki on powder. Saarimaki now lives year-round in the village of Verbier in the Swiss Alps, where he practises cross-country and downhill biking in addition to Alpine skiing. In freestyle, helicopters are sometimes used to take skiers to virgin slopes, and this explains the chopper on the upper edge of the stamp sheet.
Fabulous pieces of Art
Here is a set of stamps issued by Guernsey in 2008 . The images featured on the stamps are all fabulous pieces of art in their own right, so striking that it is tempting to think they have been digitally enhanced. However, they are simply the result of great skill, diligent research, superb subjects and just a tiny bit of luck in terms of Mother Nature's performance on the day.Guernsey's coastline has been photographed countless times over the years, with amateurs and professionals keen to capture its breathtaking beauty. Many have done so, but few have captured the scenes with the sort of ethereal quality achieved by local photographers Nick Despres and Alex Wallace. These are one of the amazing stamps of 2008.
