East-Timor

For many of us it is unthinkable to stop collecting cards but to some others, for whatever reason, it comes a day when that decision has to be made. That's what happened to Paulo, he decided to stop collecting cards and knowing that I might be interrested in getting some of his "leftovers", he send me 2 big, fat envelopes with hundreds of cards. Most of them are from Portugal and Spain but there are also a few from some rare and hard to get countries. This one from East-Timor has to be the rarest. This is only my 3rd card from this country, one of the newest in he world.

Comprising the eastern half of the island of Timor, just north of Australia, Timor-Leste — then known as East Timor — was under Portuguese control from the 16th century until 1975 when it finally declared its independence. Soon afterward, however, Indonesia claimed the territory and quelled the independence movements, with over 200,000 dying from the violence and famine. In 1999, Indonesia allowed East Timor to vote for its independence, and 78 percent of voters chose sovereignty. East Timor became its own nation in 2002 and is now officially known as Timor-Leste. - in: https://matadornetwork.com