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Blue Pansy (Precis Orithya)
Three cards from 1986 are available, mailed in Malaysia, each with a stamp and illegible postmark. One card has a small ink smudge on the front (Grade: 3, $3) and the others are clean on the front (Grades: 2, $4).
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Blumei Peacock (Papilio blumei)
Unused card, from Malaysia. Grade: 1
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Graphium Bathycles
Three cards mailed in 1986 are available. Each has one stamp. On one, the postmark is fully legible. Card is actually in perfect condition for its age (Grade: 1, $4). The others are just a shade less good (Grades: 2, $4). What awesome butterflies there are in Malaysia–they fly up fearlessly and compete with the flowers for beauty.
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Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus)
Mailed in 1986 with Selangor stamp and nearly complete postmark. Grade: 2
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Precis Lemonias
One of a series of butterfly cards from Malaysia, this was mailed in 1991 and has intact stamp but only a bit of postmark. Grade: 2
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Royal Assyrian
Mailed in 1986 in Malaysia, this card has stamp intact but postmark is illegible. Very minor corner abrasion. Grade: 2
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Striped Albatross (Appias libythea)
This specimen graces a card posted in Malaysia in 1986, with intact stamp and heavy but legible postmark. Grade: 1
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Striped Ringlet (Ragadia makuta)
Mailed in 1986 with Selangor (Malaysia) stamp and full postmark. Grade: 1
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In Bermuda
Unused, contemporary card. Grade: 1
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Polyura eudamippus formosana (Taiwan)
Mailed from Taiwan (and with Chinese-language caption) in 2011, with two stamps, trilingual airmail sticker affixed, and full Taipei postmark. Grade: 1
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Bali, Butterfly Park Wanasari, Tabanan
Unused 4-1/2″ x 6-1/2″ card. Grade: 1
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Saluti da Riviera del Conero (Italy)
Mailed in 2011, the upper half of this novelty postcard is cut to the contours of a butterfly. There are three stamps (two cancelled with postmarks, one uncancelled at all), and blue postaprioritaria and address labels affixed. Grade: 3
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Griekse bergpage (Netherlands)
Mailed from Holland in 2011 with three different stamps and Priority label. Grade: 1
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Tiigerpage butterfly
A charity card from the Netherlands, mailed in 2012 with two stamps, Priority, and postmark. Address label affixed. Grade: 3
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Aşk, bır ömrü paylaşmaktır
Mailed in 2012 with stamp and heavy postmark. The card was issued by PTT (Turkish Post) and the caption translates as something like “Love to share a lifetime of.” Grade: 1
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Field of flowers — and butterflies (3D)
This is indeed a postcard, unused, lenticular printing, rounded corners … but apart from lines to denote where the address should go, there is no other attribution or identification. We can tell you we got this card from Holland, but it could have come from anywhere. Grade: 1
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Butter Pussy Fly (USA)
The art of David Choe. Two of these cards are available. One was mailed in 2012 with $1.05 stamp and other labels (Grade: 4, $1). The other is unused (Grade: 1, $3). As for putting this in the “Butterflies” category, yes, we did consider the alternatives.
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Schöne Grüße aus Deutschland
Mailed in 2012 with edge abrasions, two different stamps (one of Arngast Lighthouse), and blue trilingual Priority label affixed. Grade: 2
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Greetings from Kuala Lumpur – Light Railway Transit System (Malaysia)
No, we didn’t make a mistake by placing this card in the “Butterflies” category. Unaccountably, on the reverse upper left corner, there is a drawing of a butterfly and a reference to the Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park. That’s not referenced in the main caption, though. Mailed in 2012 with two stamps and full postmark. Grade: 1
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Natural Charms – Butterflies (set) (Hong Kong)
Sold by Hongkong Post, and produced by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department as well as Friends of the Country Parks, this is a set of cards still in the original shrink wrap, unopened. The photo you see here probably (we stress: probably) represents some of the cards inside. The back of the cover has 11 more, different butterfly photos. This suggests there could be something like 23 butterfly postcards inside but we don’t know. That looks about right. Two sets are available. Grades: 1
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Martha Tilaar, rama rama and rempah rempah (Indonesia)
Wow, confusing. The unused cards (we have three) are 4-1/2″ x 6-1/2″. The Martha Tilaar Group is commercial, “The total natural beauty inspired by eastern value and culture”. The cards bear the logo of Soroptomist International of Indonesia. And the caption (as in the title) translates as “butterflies and spices”. Maybe these are ad cards, maybe not–definitely it’s not obvious. Grades: 3
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Martha Tilaar, Sulawesi Selatan, Bantimurung, Rama-rama (Indonesia)
As with 37200022, unused 4-1/2″ x 6-1/2″ card. Grade: 3
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Martha Tilaar, Toraja, Rama rama and rumah adat (Sulawesi, Indonesia)
Similar style to 37200022. “Rumah adat” just means traditional Indonesian architecture, while “rama rama” is butterfly. Unused, somewhat faded card. Grade: 3
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Ala-Satakunnan Ympäristöseura ry.
The title is not the name of the butterfly, or moth, but Finland’s Lower Satakunta Environmental Society. It’s possible the name of the butterfly, or moth, is in the caption at bottom reverse, but Finnish is a daunting language for us. Card mailed in 2013 with stamp, two postmarks, and Priority label. Grade: 2
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Iloa, valoa, onnea! (Finland)
Translating this was easier: Joy, light, good luck! Mailed from Finland in 2013 with stamp, postmark, and Priority label. Grade: 1
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Silver-spotted Skipper (England)
Mailed in 2013 with four stamps, two postmarks, and address and airmail labels affixed. Grade: 4
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Iphiclides feisthamelii (Dup.)
It doesn’t always make for easy reading, but we really like it when postcards give the Latin or scientific names of the subjects. And so this does, a card from Portugal’s National Parks system, mailed from Portugal in 2013 with se-tenant stamp and postmark. Grade: 2
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Home & Garden (Netherlands)
No identifying caption, just what you see in the title, on the back of the card. Mailed from Holland in 2013, stamp and postmark. Grade: 2
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Romantic Moments
From a German postcard book, mailed with a stamp that would like you to think it is from Romania but is actually German; and postmark, and address label taped on. Grade: 4
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вітаю (Congratulations) (Ukraine)
Mailed from Ukraine in 2013 with five stamps (three of them cancelled), partial postmark, and slight smudging. Grade: 2
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3D
As one of our previous entries, this card comes from The Netherlands; but unlike that one, this one was mailed, with stamp and postmark. There’s no attribution, and no motion effect. Grade: 1
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Amanda’s Blue (Maximum Card) (Finland)
Unused Maximum Card no. 11, issued on 6 April 1990, of Agrodiaetus amandus. If, like many folks, you collect stamps or postcards of butterflies … well, here it is. Grade: 1
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Ancien bagnard (French Guiana)
Bagnard = Convict, on this unused P. Dubois card No. 535, somewhat aging (like the bagnard). Grade: 1
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2009 China World Stamp Expo (set of two) (DPR Korea)
Two unused cards with large, colourful, and matching pre-printed postage. Captions are only in Korean; the one on the card with flowers says “모란” (Moran, like the hill in Pyongyang) but the other (백마사) does not help us. Grades: 1
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Butterfly (나비) (DPR Korea)
Unused card with Korean (나비) and English caption. Pre-printed postage of a different butterfly. Grade: 1
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Golden kaiser-e-hind (Maximum Card) (PR China)
Unused Maximum Card from 2000, of Teinopalpus aureus, whose Western name is also spelled Golden kaiser-i-hind. The butterfly is mostly in southern China and possibly Vietnam. Grade: 1
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Collectors’ Butterflies
Nouvelles Images card mailed from Finland with Priority label and a large, uncancelled stamp. If you’re from Finland, you can mail it back to me again? Maybe second time lucky. Grade: 4
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Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Kansas, USA)
Unused card of Pterourus glaucus. Grade: 1
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Wang Pleiadian happiness (set of 32) – front cover
We are totally at a loss to describe the Wang Pleiadian business. It revolves around cartoons, and things. Never mind, here’s a set of 32 unused cards of dogs and, once in awhile, other animals like this butterfly. See scan 37200040B for those. Sorry but in this case if you want the butterfly/dog card you need to get the whole set. Grade: 1
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Wang Pleiadian happiness (set of 32) – back cover
See 37200040A.