...British Postage Stamps

Postage stamps from Great Britain.

 

 

...Turkiye - Postage Stamps

Postage stamps from Turkiye

 

 

 

 

 

...Great Britain - Postage Stamps

Envelope with postage stamps from the Great Britain.

 

...Slovakia - Postage Stamp Miniature Sheet of €4 (Used)

Slovakia - Miniature sheet of €4.

Theme - Personalities of the Slovak National Theatre 

Release Date - 24.06.2025 

 

In February 2026, a good friend of mine in Slovakia posted me the Czech Republic 100 kurona commemorative banknote celebrating the country's 100th year of the establishment of the National Bank of Czechoslovakia  commemorative. In his letter, he affixed a miniature sheet postage stamp of €4 on the back of the envelope. This is a very large miniature sheet and I have now posted here to share this beautiful stamp with you all.

I used to be a postage stamp collector many years ago but had stopped collecting and since then concentrating solely on just banknotes. Back in those collecting years, I would be over the moon to get this kind of miniature sheet for my collection. 

 

Four Euro (Used) 

Sizes - 175mm x 120mm

Below are the themes/descriptions of this issue, courtesy of Slovakia Post. (Unedited)

The professional era of Slovak theatre culture began with the opening of the Slovak National Theatre in March 1920. Even though we do not have a long tradition we can be proud of in comparison to our neighbouring countries, Slovak theatre caught up and was able to achieve major milestones and international successes in a little over a hundred years. A lot of the credit for this goes to the actors: in every historical period, there were distinctive personalities whose art made the young Slovak theatres noticeably more visible. One of the strongest generations was the group of actors and actresses who acted in plays at the Slovak National Theatre at the turn of the 1930s and 40s as graduates of the Academy of Music and Drama for Slovakia (State Conservatory from 1941). At that time, it was the only Slovak school where acting was taught. František Dibarbora (1916–1987) had a unique comedic talent that naturally moved along the rich spectrum of this genre, from coarse slapstick to conversational salon humour. However, in his later years, he also showcased the tragic face of his acting. Karol L. Zachar (1918–2003) was perceived as a performer who played elderly roles thanks to his dry raspy voice and mature appearance. From the mid-forties, he was established as a visual artist but mainly as a specific director. For the next three decades, he fundamentally shaped the profile of post-war Slovak theatre. Mikuláš Huba (1919–1986) had a melodic voice and graceful expression which destined him to play positive heroic roles in classical verse dramas, those of characters who would not hesitate to lay down their lives for their ideals. Likewise, Viliam Záborský’s (1920–1982) voice was his dominant means of expression. He personified men with strong gestures, charismatic commentators, intellectuals or aristocrats, but in later years also their opposites, animalistic people. The talent of František Zvarík (1921–2008) provided him with a prominent place in both plays, where directors mainly saw him in the role of a bon vivant, enjoying the gifts of life, and opera where he was involved in major productions of the classical repertoire with his dramatic bass. The earthy nature of Július Pántik (1922–2002) meant that he particularly tended to play the role of a good-hearted altruist, an authoritarian rebel or a folk wise-man within Slovak and international classics. Six artists, six talents, six shades of richly coloured Slovak acting.

Karol Mišovič

...Shell Motorsport Collection - Bluetooth Remote Control Cars 2025 Series

Shell Motorsport Collection 2025 Series

Well, they are back again. 

In October 2022, Shell Australia released seven Bluetooth remote control cars as toys or collectibles. In addition to the seven individual cars, Shell also released full sets in a presentation box at a price of A$124.95 per set. The presentation box also came with two rechargeable battery packs to power the cars.

Fast forward 3 years, and in October 2025. Shell Australia again released another set of 8 Bluetooth remote control cars as toys/collectibles. This time, it is one car more than the 2022 series. The eight cars released for this second series are not the same as those released in 2022.

The sale of the 2025 Shell Motorsport Collection is promoted by Viva Energy Retail Pty Ltd, a company based in Docklands (Melbourne) in the state of Victoria, Australia.  

Like those released in 2022, this 2025 series is also released in a presentation box with all the 8 cars, similar packaging design as before but the box is made of metal (tin box) this time. All individual cars were released on a Wednesday, which is also traditional (in my opinion) when the pump price at the service station is usually the cheapest of the week. 

The eight cars for this 2025 series are: -

01.10.2025 - Scuderia Ferrari F1-F75 car;

08.10.2025 - Shell V-Power Racing Team Ford Mustang GT car;

15.10.2025 - Nissan Formula E Team Gen 3 car;

22.10.2025 - Forze IX Hydrogen car;

29.10.2025 - Team Penske Ford Mustang GT car;

05.11.2025 - Hyundai i20N Rally 1 Hybrid car;

12.11.2025 - BMW M Hybrid V8 car; and

19.11.2025 - Team Penske Indy car.

The full set in a tin presentation box was released on 05.11.2025.

The condition of sale for the 2025 series has changed this time as compared to the 2022 series. In 2022, you can buy the cars without purchasing anything from Shell Service stations, and many collectors were not happy with this as many were missed out due to either lack of stock or people just buy the cars out right without purchasing anything from Shell Service stations. I read somewhere that one of the service stations in the countryside only received two cars for one particular model. Obviously two cars is definitely not enough for a service station.

The condition of sales for the 2025 series is that you have to purchase a minimum fuel of $20 (Qualifying Spend) at Shell Reddy Express and Shell OTR sites (Shell Service Stations), or for the same amount in the store (milk, coffee, chips, soft drinks etc) in order to buy one car and if you need two, you will have to purchase $40* worth of fuel or other items in the service station to meet the Qualifying Spend condition. The good thing is that this condition only applies to the car and not the battery, as you can get the battery to top up your minimum requirement if you cannot top up your car with fuel. Due to this condition, the sale of these cars are fairer to everyone as it should only be benefiting their customers and not others. No doubt you can fill up your tank with at least $20 worth of fuel every week, and for some larger cars, you can top up your tank even more. Back in 2022, you can get the cars for $10 with fuel purchase or $15 without any purchases.

Note* - According to the terms and conditions, it says that regardless of how much fuel or purchase made, you can only purchase one car at a time provided you meet the Qualifying Spend condition. The Qualifying Spend condition only applied to the cars but not the accessories.

Provided you meet the Qualifying Spend conditions, the car is sold at $18 each, up from $10 in 2022. 

As these are Bluetooth remote cars, batteries are sold separately at $8 each (no change to the 2022 price). This time, the battery comes in red colour, whilst the 2022 version is in white. In addition to the battery, an empty tin presentation box is also available for $20 each. This allows you to buy the car individually and remove them from the presentation packaging and place them in the tin box for display.

The full set for this 2025 series is sold at $149.00, up from $124.95 per set in 2022. Like the 2022 series, it also comes with two spare batteries. It is cheaper to get the full set in a tin box as it works out to $14.125 per car.

For example, the full sets contain all 8 cars at a price of $149.

The tin box if purchased separately is costing $20

Battery pack is $8 each.

My simple calculation: -

$149 less tin box $20; less two batteries $16 = $113 and divided by 8 = $14.125 each. A saving of $3.875 per car or $31 for a total of 8 cars

This would be the cheapest way to get the full sets. According to a website, it stated that you also have to make the minimum purchase requirement in order to get this full set in a tin box. The Shell Service station that I got this from did not impose this condition on me, as he knew that I have been getting all the cars from them from day one. To get the full sets individually, it would cost you: $18 cars x 8 + $16 (two batteries) + empty tin box $20 = $180. I can tell you this is not a cheap hobby to get into.

I have not tested all the cars yet. I only bought them as a collector and may sell them one day for financial gains or let the next generation to inherit them. It is up to them if they too want to keep them or offload to someone who might appreciate this hobby more, just like my banknote collections. 

If you are also a collector, please feel free to share your comments here. 

I understand that the sale of these cars ended on 02.12.2025, but there are still cars and batteries available at Shell Service Stations. I visited one today and noticed that they have now reduced the price from $18 to $15, but I forgot to ask if the qualifying spend condition still apply or you can just buy it outright with no fuel purchase required. If no fuel purchase is required, then I believe this is a nice toy to buy for kids for their Christmas presents 2025. 

Note: - The above is just my personal opinion. No harm intended.