1989. 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates Commemorates 50 Years Of Independence.

 

🇦🇪 The postal service of The United Arab Emirates, Emirates Post, issued a se-tenant pair of 1 AED face value stamps  (=2 x 21p in pounds Sterling) and 8 miniature sheets each with a face value of 7 AED (=£1.44p) on 2 December 2021 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the granting of independence by The United Kingdom, after the expiration of the treaty between the various parties, to the seven Gulf emirates which had previously been known as The Trucial States over which it had held protectorates and the combination of six of the territories (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain) to form The United Arab Emirates (Ras al-Khaimah joined on 10 January 1972). United Arab Emirates (UAE) was admitted to membership of The United Nations on 9 December 1971 but, like Britain’s other Gulf state former protectorates (Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar), it did not seek membership of The Commonwealth.

  The miniature sheets show all the rulers of each emirate together with individual portraits of each ruler on a miniature sheet of their own. The total face value of the issue is AED58 (=£11.92p).

   If all that were not enough, rather alarmingly Emirates Post also released another issue to commemorate its golden jubilee in the form of 4 stamp cards which are physical postage stamps which have a “digital twin that can be collected in a digital crypto wallet”. Emirates Post also states that the highest value (AED 2021 face value = £415.81p which, without looking back on old blogs, makes it, I think, the postage stamp with the highest ever face value) depicts the “UAE desert landscape and invokes the journey of the founding fathers, starting from meetings in the desert to forming the country of the future”. The publicity for the issue goes on to say, “The stamp contains a one gram gold bar minted with the “Spirit of the Union” Year of the 50th logo”. 

  The publicity also tells us that “the NFT stamp card is a high quality credit card-sized plastic card comprised of 5 PVC layers and the gold bar is laminated into the card itself. The golden NFT stamp pack also includes a physical stamp of the same design without the gold bar. There are 2021 NFT stamps issued in this design”. By which I presume it means the other three ‘stamps’ in the set which all have a face value of AED250 (=£51.44p) - one depicts the ‘Spirit of the Union’ logo, the second depicts the ‘Year of the 50th’ logo and the third depicts the ‘Projects of the 50’ in the form of a space theme. The set therefore has a total face value of £570.13p. Probably not something for my collection then, I should think.

  🇧🇲 Depicted below are the two previously reported stamps (see Blog 1969) from the postal service of Bermuda issued on 18 October 2021 which commemorate Bermuda’s first Olympic Games gold medallist,  Flora Duffy.

1988. 🇮🇪 Peace Agreed Between British Government And Irish Rebels.

 

🇮🇪 An Post, the national postal service of the Republic Of Ireland issued a pair of stamps on 2 December 2021 to commemorate the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty on 6 December 1921 between the British government and Irish rebels which saw the formal end of the Anglo-Irish War and was to lead to the Irish civil war and one year later, to the establishment of the Irish Free State which saw an independent Southern Ireland take on the status of a Dominion within The British Empire. In terms of the significance of subjects depicted on postage stamps this issue is one of the most notable of the year.

  The agreement was signed in London with the British government delegation being led by the prime minister Lloyd George and including Austin Chamberlain (winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, son of the great former mayor of Birmingham, Joseph Chamberlain, and brother of the future prime minister, Neville Chamberlain), Winston Churchill (the future prime minister) and Lord Birkenhead. The signatures of the Irish rebel delegation included those of Arthur Griffith (founder of Sinn Féin) and Michael Collins, a rebel military leader who himself was assassinated in an ambush by Irish anti-Treaty forces in mid-1922. The signatures on the Treaty are depicted on one of the stamps.

  The second stamp depicts part of a message written by Arthur Griffith soon after the signing of the Treaty.

 This fascinating issue was designed by Ger Garland and the self-adhesive stamps were lithographed by Enschedé. Rating:- *****.

🇯🇪 On 6 December 2021 Jersey Post will issue its 6 Jersey Crest Post and Go stamps its an additional inscription, ‘Celebrating Our Finance Industry’ to commemorate the 60th anniversary of that particular important contributor to the Jesey economy. The stamps will be dispensed from kiosk JE02 at the Broad Street post office in St Helier until 16 December 2021.

🇮🇳 India Post issued a single stamp on 1 December 2021 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Mahindra Group, described as ‘an Indian multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai … It has operations in one hundred countries … considered to be one of the most reputable Indian industrial houses with market leadership in utility vehicles as well as tractors in India.” Rating:- **.

1987. 🇫🇰 Boaty MacBoatface - Er, Sorry, RRS Sir Richard Attenborough Depicted On New Falklands Miniature Sheet.

 

 🇫🇰 The postal service of the Falkland Islands has announced the issue of a miniature sheet containing a single stamp on 11 December 2021 to commemorate the first visit of Boaty MacBoatface, more properly known as the RRS Sir David Attenborough, to Port Stanley. The issue was designed by Bee Design from a photograph of the British Antarctic Survey and was lithographed by Cartor and the stamp is perforated 13.5. A legendary and worthwhile issue even if the official name of the ship was not the people’s choice. Rating:- *****.

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

🇧🇼 Botswana Post issued a set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing the four stamps on 30 November 2021 on the subject of Cheetahs in Botswana. The designs by Joseph Ebulu-Otim use the lovely artwork of Sarah Glendinning and the issue was lithographed by Southern Colour Print. Rating:- *****.

  Ian Billings in his Norvic Stamps Blog, the essential guide to modern British issues, draws our attention to the latest edition of Philatelic Bulletin from Royal Mail which announces to an expectant world the news that the first ‘Great Britain’ issue of 2022 will be released on 20 January on the subject of the popular music group The Rolling Stones, old men who were famous 50 to 60 years ago. This is the sixth part of the increasingly tiresome Music Giants series which seems to have gone on for ever but no doubt there are equally old stamp collectors who will remember these elderly performers when they were young and scandalous and nostalgic feelings for a long lost youth may encourage them to buy these philatelic products. Ian estimates that the one-of-everything collector may be faced with a bill of £1000 given that there are so many paraphilatelic products being released as part of this issue. 

  I myself have not read the article as I have not renewed my subscription for the Bulletin which I find to be packed with drivel relating to the banal subjects now featured on Royal Mail stamps. Really there are better things on which to spend one’s money. The same goes for most Royal Mail new issues as well.

1986. 🇧🇧 Barbados Becomes A Republic.

 

  🇧🇧 The Prince of Wales represented Queen Elizabeth II at the midnight ceremony in Bridgetown which marked the declaration of Republic status by the Caribbean country of Barbados. Prince Charles, who would have succeeded The Queen as the country’s next Head of State, watched as the royal banner was lowered marking the assumption of the role of the country’s first president by Dame Sandra Mason, the country’s Governor-General. The Republic of Barbados remains a member of The Commonwealth. The Barbados Post Office has previously indicated that there are to be no special stamps to commemorate the achievement of Republic status which is surprising given what an important event it is in the country’s history.

;

  Canada Post issued a single self-adhesive stamp sold in booklets of 10 on 25 November 2021 to commemorate the novelist Margaret Atwood. The author is depicted on the stamp in a striking photographic black and white portrait. Rating:- *****.

🇮🇳 India Post issued a single stamp on 27 November 2021 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. Rating:- **.

)

  

  🇱🇰 Sri Lanka Post issued a single stamp on 24 November 2021 to commemorate the Centenary of the Faculty of Science of t(e University of Colombo. Rating:- **.

  As November draws to a close here is the ongoing list of Commonwealth philatelic entities which are not known to  have  yet issued stamps or had stamps released in their names during 2021:- 

Anguilla

Cameroon

Dominica 

eSwatini

Ghana

Lesotho

Montserrat

Nauru

Rarotonga Cook Islands

Rwanda

St Kitts

Saint Lucia

Samoa

Sierra Leone 

Solomon Islands

Tanzania

Tokelau

Turks And Caicos Islands

Uganda

Zambia

Thus only 20 Commonwealth philatelic entities are not yet known to have issued any stamps during 2022.

Entities with just one issue during 2021:-

Belize

Brunei Darussalam

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Jamaica

Kiribati

Malawi

Niue

Ross Dependency

St Helena

Seychelles

South Africa

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:- ***.