1048. 🇲🇼🇬🇧 New Malawi Surcharges; Should There Be A Royal Mail England Winners Set?

  The Malawi Philatelic Bureau Facebook site has illustrations of sheets or part sheets of new K600 and K900 surcharges on 3 values (30t (K600) 50t (K900) and K2(K600)) of the 1988 Bird definitive series. As far as I am aware these have only recently made their appearance on the site but there are no accompanying details of the stamps and no given date of issue. The previous K520 and K815 definitive surcharges have been easy enough to get hold of so hopefully these new values will prove to be equally easily obtainable. Rating:- ***.

  The K600 value meets the postage rate to Europe and the Middle East as well as covering Registration fees.

  🇬🇧 It will be a serious misjudgement by Royal Mail if it fails to issue a set of stamps to commemorate the England team's victory over India in the final of the Women's Cricket World Cup. There have been plenty of cricket stamps released by the British postal service over the years and they all had something in common - they all featured male cricketers. Now the English women have scored a famous victory in the sport and it will look very bad if we do not have a philatelic commemoration of the event (and I don't mean one of those tiresome "commemorative sheets") especially coming a week or so after the news that Dr. Who is to be played by a woman for the first time and the growing controversy about the huge gender pay gap at the BBC.

   So, Royal Mail - rush out a miniature sheet similar to that which was issued to commemorate Andy Murray's Wimbledon victory in 2013 or the England men's team Ashes victory against Australia in 2005.

  Can it be true that Royal Mail in co-operation with the BBC will issue 3 new stamps in its series of Dr Who stamps which started in 2013 with a set of 11 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of television's longest running television science fiction series?

  The 3 new stamps will mark the end of Peter Capaldi's run as the 12th Doctor and his replacement by Jodie Whitaker as the first ever female Dr. Who (although Joanna Lumley played the role in a Children In Need spoof in the late 1990's). A third stamp will feature the late John Hurt, one of the greatest British actors of recent times, who played a previously unknown incarnation of Dr. Who in the 50th anniversary episode and who was positioned between the 8th and 9th Doctors and called "The War Doctor". Dr. Who enthusiasts will be excited to know that they may be able to bring their Dr. Who stamp collection up to date and that they will have all 14 incarnations of the time traveller in their collection.

  It should be a money spinner for Royal Mail and very popular with the general public as were the original 11 stamps plus assorted miniature sheets, booklets, Smilers sheets, Prestige booklets and postcards which appeared with the basic stamps themselves.

  The date of issue should be around 23 November 2017. Well ... perhaps. Rating:- *****.

1047. 🇰🇮 New Issue From Kiribati Commemorates Marine School.

  🇰🇮 The Kiribati postal service is to issue a set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Kiribati Marine Training Centre. The issue was designed by Derek Miller. Rating:- ****.

  🇹🇻 There is also news of issues from Kiribati's neighbour, Tuvalu, where IGPC holds sway over most, if not all, stamp issues.

  A sheetlet of 4 stamps and one miniature sheet was issued on 23 June 2017 to commemorate Astana Expo 2017 in Kazakhstan. This issue has some relevance, surprisingly, to Tuvalu since the exhibition's main theme is "Energy of the Future" and this is a subject of existential importance to Tuvalu which is rapidly disappearing under the waves of the Pacific Ocean due to climate change. Bearing this in mind. I give this issue a rating of *** which is *** more than it  would have received otherwise.

  Less acceptable is the continuing philatelic exploitation of the tragic Diana Princess Of Wales in which IGPC indulges on a regular basis. The 20th anniversary of her death affords the agency a new opportunity to try to squeeze money out of those who had an affection for her and collect Diana memorabilia. So, the Tuvalu postal administration is said to have issued 2 sheetlets, each of 4 stamps, on 26 June 2017. Not an issue for my Tuvalu collection, I'm afraid. Rating:- 0.

   🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea Post has brought its list of planned issues for 2017 up to date. The first is a typical IGPC product - 4 stamps and 2 miniature sheets which mark the Lunar new year, the Year of The Rooster. The designs are dire - gaudy and tasteless. These products were released on 23 June 2017 and were designed by Yang'hueng Yansom and lithographed by Henan Post Printing. Rating:- 0.

  In Blog 1036 I mentioned another IGPC set said to have been released on 28 June 2017 which commemorated the 20th anniversary of the death of Diana Princess Of Wales.

  Subsequent to that Papua New Guinea Post is planning to issue the following:-

  June 2017 - Faces of Papua New Guinea

  August 2017 - Valuable shells

   31 July 2017 - Year of The Dog (another IGPC issue)

  August 2017 - Rare birds of Papua New Guinea

  August 2017 - "Editable plants" (sic) 

  August 2017 - Joint issue with India, national birds

  August 2017 - "100 Years of St. Joseph's"

  September 2017 - "NBPOL 50th anniversary"

  Whether or not these numerous items actually make it to the philatelic market in the next 2 months remains rather a dubious question given Post PNG's performance in the last year or so.

  There is more stuff from IGPC - more Diana exploitation and depiction of the rather vulgar Donald Trump whose face on stamps is something we are going to have to get used to:-

   🇦🇬 Antigua And Barbuda - 1 July 2017 - Centenary of the death of Edgar Degas - see Blog 1039

  - 1 July 2017 - 40th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, an American entertainer - 2 sheetlets (one containing 6 different stamps and 1 containing 4 different stamps). Rating:- 0.

  1 July 2017 - "Peaceful plovers" - see Blog 1039.

  1 July 2017 - 20 th anniversary of the death of Diana Princess Of Wales - 2 miniature sheets (1 containing 6 different stamps and one containing 2 different stamps). Rating:- 0.

  🇬🇭 Ghana - 3 June 2017 - 40th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, an American entertainer - 2 miniature sheets ( one of 6 stamps and 1 of 4 stamps) Rating:- 0.

  🇰🇳 Nevis - Flowering trees - 2 sheetlets each containing 4 different stamps. Rating:- **.

  🇲🇸  Montserrat - 24 May 2017 - Bats - 1 miniature sheet of 4 different stamps and one containing a single stamp. All depicted species are to be found in Montserrat. Rating:- ****.

  - 12 July 2017 - The Soufriere Hills Volcano - 1 miniature sheet containing 6 different stamps Rating:- ****.

  🇬🇩 Grenada - 26 June 2017 - Donald Trump - 3 sheetlets (2 containing 6 different stamps and 1 containing 4 different stamps). Rating:- 0.

   🇬🇾 Guyana - 7 June 2017 - 20th anniversary of the birth of Diana Princess of Wales - 1 miniature sheet containing 11 different stamps. Rating:- 0.

  🇻🇨 St. Vincent And The Grenadines - 29 June 2017 - 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist outrages - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps and 1 single stamp miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

- 3 July 2017 - Donald Trump - 3 miniature sheets (one containing  4 stamps, 1 containing 5 stamps and one containing a single stamp). Rating:- 0.

  🇹🇿 Tanzania - 26 June 2017 - 20th anniversary of the death of Diana Princess of Wales - 2 sheetlets (one of 6 different stamps and 1 of 3 different stamps). Rating:- 0.

 - 26 June 2017 - Birth Centenary of John Kennedy, former US president- 2 sheetlets (one of 6 different stamps and 1 of 4 different stamps) Rating:- 0.

1046. 🇬🇧 Penguins Pop Up On New South Georgia Landscapes Stamps.

  🇬🇧 The postal service of South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands will issue a lovely set of 4 stamps on 15 August 2017 on the subject of Landscapes of the Territory. The designs, by Bee Design, depict some beautiful photographs of South Georgia including, of course, the obligatory penguins. Production was co-ordinated by Creative Direction and the issue was lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13.5. Rating:- ****** (6 stars). Thanks to Juliet Warner of Pobjoy Stamps for supplying the details of the issue.

  🇯🇪 Below are depictions of the "Links with China, Butterflies" set from Jersey Post which are due for issue on 1 September 2017 and which are mentioned in Blog 1039. The issue, made up of 6 stamps and 1 miniature sheet, was designed by Martin Morck and Wang Huming and lithographed by Cartor.

  Also below are depicted the 6 new Post and Go stamps mentioned in Blog 1039 which are to be issued on 13 September 2017 on the subject of "Fruits and Berries". The stamps were designed by Lizzie Harper and printed digitally by Walsall Security Printers.

  🇬🇬 Guernsey Post Philatelic Bureau "tweeted" on 20 July 2017 that on that date Post and Go kiosk GG01 in Smith Street post office had dispensed "Lighthouses" stamps with 2 added inscriptions - one to welcome the passengers of the cruise ship Celebrity Silhouette and the other to welcome the passengers of the cruise ship Azamara Journey into port.

  🇬🇧 In Blog 1023 I mentioned the Post and Go labels which were to be dispensed by kiosk A003 at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton from 19 July to 21 August 2017 in connection with the "Cold War to Kabul" Exhibition at the museum. Examples of the pair are now depicted below. These are particularly disagreeable given that the added inscriptions overlap untidily the motifs on the labels. If Royal Mail wants to continue to extract money from collectors for such items then it's really got to do better. These products are slipshod and catchpenny. In Blog 1042 I gave my own opinion about how these Post and Go products could be improved to make them worthwhile and to give collectors who shell out good money for the stuff some pleasure from them. These latest products are outrageous. Rating:- 0.

  The "Machin Head" label has code MA13.

  🇲🇾 Pos Malaysia will participate in a joint stamp issue with the postal administrations of other ASEAN nations when it releases a single 60 sen stamp and a miniature sheet containing 2 stamps on 8 August 2017 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN. Each issue will depict the national flower of each respective country. To date the other participating postal administrations will be those of Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia. Rating:- ****.

  🇸🇱 Stamperija has produced more paraphilatelic items with the name of Sierra Leone printed on them. The stated "date of issue" is 30 June 2017. The featured subjects are:- Rare birds of Sierra Leone (Birdpex 8 Exhibition to be held in Mondorf-les-Bains from 19 - 21 May 2018 which seems to be quite a long way off to me), Crocodiles, Whales, Extinct animals, Owls, Hornbills, Sunbirds, Big cats, Minerals and Parrots. As is often the case the issue is made up of 10 sheetlets each containing 4 different "stamps" and 10 miniature sheets. Rating:- 0.