1985. 🇬🇧 Breaking News … BAT’s End Of Year Issues Revealed.

 

🇬🇧 Pobjoy Stamps this morning revealed the end of year issues we have now come to expect from the postal service of British Antarctic Territory with today, 23 November 2021, as the date of issue. They certainly make an excellent collection - interesting, well-designed and relevant - the hallmark of the stamp issues of Creative Direction which coordinates the production of these wonderful philatelic items - long may it continue to do so.

  United Kingdom Overseas Territories Blue Belt Programme (joint issue with South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands, Ascension Island and Tristan Da Cunha (see Blogs 1972 and 1981) - 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing all 4 stamps (but without white border). Designed by Andrew Robinson and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13.5. Rating:- *****.

Thirtieth anniversary of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Territory- 4 stamps. Designed by Bee Design and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 14. Rating:- *****.

Final voyage of the RRS James Ross Clarke - 4 stamps. Designed by Bee Design and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13.5. Rating:- *****.

  Thanks to Juliet Warner of Pobjoy Stamps for information about these issues.

1984. 🇰🇾 Cayman Islands Commemorates International College.

 

🇰🇾 The Cayman Islands postal service issued a single stamp on 8 October 2021 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the International College of The Cayman Islands. Rating:- ***

🇳🇿 New Zealand Post will issue its Chinese New Year products on 1 December 2021. The issue to commemorate the Year of the Tiger will be made up of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet plus a load of nonsense in the form of gold miniature sheets in numbered frames or unnumbered perspex sold at extraordinary exorbitant prices. The gold miniature sheets, as in previous years, take the form of a framed gold sheet with coloured stamps numbered on the frame (sold for £981.38p), gold sheet with coloured stamps in perspex (sold for £149.70p), framed gold sheet with gold stamps numbered on the frame (sold for £291.90p) and gold sheet with gold stamps in perspex (sold for £97.72p).

  The issue was designed by YMC Design and the stamps were lithographed by Southern Colour Print and are perforated 14. Rating:- **.

1983. 🇨🇦 Canada Post Commemorates Buffy Sainte Marie.

 

🇨🇦 Canada Post issued a single self-adhesive stamp on 19 November 2021 to commemorate the notable Canadian singer, Buffy Sainte Marie. The stamp was produced in booklets of ten. Rating:- ****.

 🇧🇧 In preparation for the country becoming a Republic on 30 November 2021, the first President of the Republic of Barbados who will replace Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State was recently elected in the person of Dame Sandra Mason, the present Governor General. The date of the republic’s inauguration was chosen to coincide with the 55th anniversary of the granting of independence to Barbados. Rather surprisingly the country’s postal service has indicated that it will not issue any commemorative stamps to celebrate the declaration of the Republic. It is expected that the next stamp issue from the country will be a definitive series - perhaps that will allude to the island-state’s new status.

Dame Sandra Mason, President-elect of Barbados 

🇧🇩 Bangladesh Post issued a single stamp on 21  November 2021 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Bangladesh’s Armed Forces Day. Rating:- ***.

1982. 🇰🇳 Nevis Commemorates Centenarians.

 

🇺🇸 The US-based producers and sellers of philatelic products, IGPC, has released its latest list of items to be issued with the names of some of its Commonwealth clients printed on them. The notable issue among these is the sheetlet of four different stamps released by the Nevis postal service which had an official televised launch by the Minister of Posts of Nevis and which features four of the Centenarians of the island. These stamps undoubtedly are intended for use on mail in the island unlike so much of the rest of the stuff put out by IGPC in the name of Nevis and therefore are eminently collectable as well as being meaningful and charming. Sadly, as is the case with so many IGPC products, the quality of the printing looks rather poor.

🇬🇾 Guyana - 22 November 2021 - 5 miniature sheets (50th anniversary of the Apollo 15 moon mission, 2 miniature sheets; Wild cats of Guyana, 2 miniature sheets; Elvis Presley (deceased American musician), 1 miniature sheet). Rating:- 0.

🇰🇳 Nevis - 5 November 2021 - ‘Centenarian 2021’ - 1 sheetlet of 4 stamps. Rating:- *****.

St Vincent And The Grenadines - 8 November 2021 - 50th anniversary of the Apollo 15 moon mission - 2 miniature sheets. Rating:- 0.

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Post will issue a miniature sheet containing 3 different stamps on 9 December 2021. The item was designed by Hikoko Ito. Rating:- ****.

  🇮🇳 India Post has issued several My Stamps recently about which I do not have any details except of course that they are sold at a premium in sheets of 12 with attached labels:-

2021 - 50th anniversary of the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu Limited - 1 stamp.

2021 - 60th anniversary of CSIR-NGRI - 1 stamp

14 October 2021 - 50th anniversary of BK Birla College - 1 stamp.

2021 - The Maharashta Pollution Control Board - 1 stamp.

30 September (?) 2021 - Centenary of the Malabar Special Police - 1 stamp.

February 2021 - 50th anniversary of Saravana Stores - 1 stamp.

24 February 2021 - Commemoration of J Eashwari Bai - 1 stamp.

1981. 🇵🇳 And They’re Off …. Tower Mint’s First Pitcairn Stamps Imminent.

 

🇵🇳 After a very long wait, Tower Mint, the new agency handling and producing the stamps of the Pitcairn Islands postal service has finally announced its first efforts on behalf of the territory. They’re not particularly exciting - straightforward pictorial stamps on the subject of the royal family with no particular obvious effort having been put in to make the designs relevant to Pitcairn. Still, atleast we now know that Pitcairn is back on the new issue map:-

20 November 2021 - 95th Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II- 6 stamps (3 se-tenant pairs). Rating:- ***.

4 December 2021 - Commemoration of the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, consort of Queen Elizabeth II - 4 stamps ( 2 se-tenant pairs). Rating:- ***.

  A modest enough start but I think that collectors of Pitcairn stamps will be looking for something a little more exciting in the future.

1981. 🇹🇨 Tristan Da Cunha’s Blue Belt Issue.

 

🇸🇭 The postal service of Tristan Da Cunha will release its set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet (containing the 4 stamps without white edging) which is part of a UK Overseas Territories mini-bus issue on the subject of the Blue Belt Programme (see Blog 1972) on 29 November 2021. The interesting and excellent designs are by Andrew Robinson and the stamps were lithographed by Cartor and are perforated 13.5. Production coordination was by Creative Direction.  Rating:- *****.

  Thanks to Juliet Warner of Pobjoy Stamps for information about this issue.

News of the proposed fourth issue in this series - from British Antarctic Territory - is awaited.

🇬🇬 Guernsey Post has revealed the designs of its Chinese New Year (Year of the Tiger) set of 6 stamps which is due for release on 19 January 2022. Presumably the set, designed by Chrissy Lau, will be accompanied, as usual, by a miniature sheet containing all 6 stamps. Ho hum. Rating:- **.

  The iarroyalmail internet site reports that Guernsey Post also intends to issue 7 new Post and Go stamps - the Aircraft and Flag designs with additional inscriptions applied, ‘Season’s/Greetings 2021’. The stamps are produced in strips of 6 different values and will be dispensed from 2 to 24 December 2021 from the GGO2 and GG03 (Envoy House) and GG05 (Market post office) kiosks.