Timor-Leste – Global Postcard Sales

Total: 16 postcards

Tebe-Tebe
Tebe-Tebe, a traditional dance in East Timor and not the community council in Lesotho. Timor-Leste is a new and developing country, and right now, postcards are well down their priority list. But we have some. Five of these are available, sourced from Dili’s Central Post Office. US$1 stamps (the currency of Timor-Leste) had already been placed by the post office staff, so we count these as a legitimate part of the cards. Four of these were not mailed (Grades: 1, $12). One was mailed, with stamp and partly legible postmark (Grade: 1, $14).

Code: 20306001
Price: $12.00
Joao Paulo II statue
Two of these are available, sourced from Dili’s Central Post Office. US$1 stamps (the currency of Timor-Leste) had already been placed by the post office staff, so we count these as a legitimate part of the cards. There is a tourism embossment on the front of the card. Unused. Grades: 1

Code: 20306002
Price: $12.00
Loron Monu, sunset
Two of these are available, sourced from Dili’s Central Post Office. US$1 stamps (the currency of Timor-Leste) had already been placed by the post office staff, so we count these as a legitimate part of the cards. There is a tourism embossment on the front of the card. Unused. Grades: 1

Code: 20306003
Price: $12.00
Areia Branca
One website calls this the most popular and beautiful beach in the country. This East Timor postcard was sourced from Dili’s Central Post Office. US$1 stamp (the currency of Timor-Leste) had already been placed by the post office staff on this and other cards, so we count these as a legitimate part of the cards. There is a tourism embossment on the front of the card. Unused. Grade: 1

Code: 20306004
Price: $12.00
Cristo Rei
An impressively large statue of Christ, donated and installed by Indonesia during their occupation of East Timor, it is one of the “must-do” things for any visitor to Dili. A broad path of steps leads up past Stations of the Cross to a really magnificent viewpoint at the statue, for which you can get the idea clearly from this postcard. Three of these are available, sourced from Dili’s Central Post Office. US$1 stamps (the currency of Timor-Leste) had already been placed by the post office staff, so we count these as a legitimate part of the cards. There is a tourism embossment on the front of the card. Unused. Grades: 1

Code: 20306005
Price: $14.00
Meninas Timor
Three cards are available, sourced from Dili’s Central Post Office. US$1 stamps (the currency of Timor-Leste) had already been placed by the post office staff, so we count these as a legitimate part of the cards. There is a tourism embossment on the front of the card. Unused. Grades: 1

Code: 20306006
Price: $12.00
Bano-Oecusso
Four unused cards are available, sourced from Dili’s Central Post Office. US$1 stamps (the currency of Timor-Leste) had already been placed by the post office staff, so we count these as a legitimate part of the cards. There is a tourism embossment on the front of the card (Grades: 1, $14). Two more of these cards, mailed from Dili in 2012 with stamp and mostly readable postmark, are also available (Grades: 1, $17).

Code: 20306007
Price: $14.00
Dili, aerial view
We visited Dili, and other parts of Timor-Leste, with no real preconceptions. We value the experience. Two cards are available, sourced from Dili’s Central Post Office which by the way is somewhere in this photo. US$1 stamps (the currency of Timor-Leste) had already been placed by the post office staff, so we count these as a legitimate part of the cards. There is a tourism embossment on the front of the card. These are, frankly, hard to find. One card is unused (Grade: 1, $18) and one was mailed, with mostly readable postmark (Grade: 1, $22).

Code: 20306008
Price: $18.00
Multiple black and white views
These and the cards that follow do not come from Dili’s post office and are not stamped. We are not certain what message the designers wanted folks to get from this card, which looks bleak at first glance but which actually is showing vignettes of daily life. Even so, the impression is very “heavy.” Seven unused cards are available. Six are clean (Grades: 1, $11) and one has been heavily handled and therefore shows fingerprints on the reverse (Grade: 2, $10).

Code: 20306009
Price: $11.00
Port area
We assume that this is near Dili, but no guarantees. Five unused cards are available. Grades: 1

Code: 20306010
Price: $11.00
Cultural activity, drum and gong
A few unused cards are available. Most are clean (Grades: 1, $12) and one has a bit of fingerprinting on the reverse (Grade: 2, $9).

Code: 20306011
Price: $14.00
River scene
In months or years to come, the postcard supply might get better, but for now, this is it. Five unused cards are available. Grades: 1

Code: 20306012
Price: $14.00
Island
The view is off the northern coast. These five unused cards are covered in a very fine dust that won’t quite go away, but that is part of the charm. We will not downgrade them because of this, and because we know what we had to go through to get these. Grades: 1

Code: 20306013
Price: $11.00
Coffee berries and outdoor market
Unused. Grade: 1

Code: 20306014
Price: $14.00
Three generations
When you see this card up close, it is hard not to be struck by the expressions. We could never describe them correctly. Six unused cards are available. Four are good enough to be called Grade: 1 ($14) and the other two show signs of handling (Grades: 2, $12).

Code: 20306015
Price: $14.00
Making tais and pots
Unused card. Grade: 1

Code: 20306016
Price: $14.00

Total: 16 postcards