1303. 🇲🇸 Montserrat Commemorates St Patrick's Day Celebrations.

🇲🇸 The postal service of Montserrat has issued 2 miniature sheets to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the public celebration of St Patrick's Day on the island which was settled by Irish immigrants. This is a colourful and interesting set. Rating:- *****.

🇬🇾 The Guyana Post Office Corporation will issue a miniature sheet containing a single stamp on 22 October 2018 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Georgetown, the capital of Guyana. Rating- ****.

  A miniature sheet containing 4 identical stamps will also be released to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Guyana and Brazil. Rating:- ****.

🇺🇸  The US-based philatelic agency, IGPC, continues to flood the new issue market with numerous products most of which have little relevance in subject to the country's name which is printed on the items:- 

🇬🇾 Guyana - 8 September 2018 - Chinese new year Year of The Pig - 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

🇦🇬 Antigua And Barbuda - 

  2018 - Chinese new year Year of The Pig - 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

  2018 - The Magnificent Frigate bird - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and the other containing a single stamp. Rating:- *.

  2018 - Bees and pollinating insects - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 5 different stamps and the other containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

🇬🇲 The Gambia - 

  10 October 2018 - 50th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 3 different stamps and the other containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

  3 October 2018 - French victory in FIFA World Cup Finals. For details see Blog 1291.

  October 2018 - Large animals - for more details see Blog 1291.

  October 2018 - The Green monkey - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 3 different stamps and 1 containing a single stamp. Rating:- **.

  October 2018 - Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - 1 miniature sheet containing 5 stamps (2 x 1, 2 x 1 and 1 x 1).

  October 2018 - Chinese new year - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 identical stamps and 1 containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

  10 October 2018 - Dolphins - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and 1 containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

  10 October 2018 - The African wild ass - 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps. Rating:- **.

🇬🇩 Grenada - 

  10 October 2018 - Waterfalls of Grenada - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 3 different stamps and 1 containing a single stamp. Rating:- **.

  10 October 2018 - Tropical fruit - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and 1 containing 2 stamps. Rating:- 0.

  10 October 2018 - Donkeys and horses - 1 miniature sheet containing 3 different stamps. Rating:- 0.

  10 October 2018 - Fish of The Caribbean area - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and 1 containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

  17 October 2018 - Chinese New Year - 2 miniature sheets, one containing 4 different stamps and 1 containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

  17 October 2018 - 50th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing - for details see Blog 1301.

  17 October 2018 - Birth of Prince Louis of Cambridge - 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps. Rating:- 0.

🇬🇩  Grenada Carriacou And Petite Martinique - 17 October 2018 - Chinese new year Year of The Pig - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 identical stamps and 1 containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

1302. 🇫🇰 Falklands Feature Migrant Birds On New Issue.

  🇫🇰 The Falkland Islands postal service will issue a set of 4 stamps on 18 August 2018 on the subject of Migratory species of the islands, the featured birds being the Southern rockhopper penguin and the Sooty shearwater. The set was designed by Andrew Robinson from photography by Alan Henry and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13.5. Rating:- *****.

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

  🇬🇮 Gibraltar Stamps will issue 6 stamps on 21 September 2018 to commemorate the 70th Birthday of The Prince Of Wales. The designs depict portraits of the prince at various stages of his life which is an approach also being taken on the stamps of the British offshore islands to commemorate the royal birthday. Do none of them have anything imaginative to contribute to this omnibus series? The issue was designed by Stephen Perera and lithographed by Lowe Martin. Rating:- **.

  Also to be issued on 21 September 2018 are a miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps and a single stamp miniature sheet to commemorate the Centenary of the end of the First World War. The issue was designed by Stephen Perera and lithographed by Lowe Martin. Rating:- ****.

  🇬🇧 In Blog 1271 I described and illustrated the final part of Royal Mail's series of issues which commemorate the Centenary of the First World War. Other items connected with the issue are depicted below. The first is a self-adhesive retail booklet sold for £4.02p which includes 2 different poppy stamps and there is also a sheetlet of all 30 First World War stamps issued from 2014 to 2018 which is sold for £32.94p. The sheet is an attractive item but far too large to place in a stamp collection so I certainly will not be parting with over £30. 

1301. 🇦🇴 Angola To Seek Commonwealth Membership.

  🇦🇴 From time to time over recent years it has been reported that various countries are considering or actually want to join The Commonwealth. South Sudan has been in negotiations since it became independent in 2011 but a vicious civil war has raged there for several years, though a ceasefire was agreed recently between the warring groups, which has stalled the admission of the country to the organisation. Who can say whether or not South Sudan will eventually become a Commonwealth member.

  Then there is Zimbabwe which left The Commonwealth in 2003 while the tyrant Robert Mugabe was in power but with his overthrow and the successful holding of elections in the country recently the new Zimbabwe government has opened negotiations for it reentry to The Commonwealth.

  Other countries, at various times, are said to have expressed an interest in becoming members of The  Commonwealth - Surinam, Burundi, Gabon (see Blog 195), Timor Leste (see Blog 275), Sudan, Yemen, Algeria, Madagascar (Blog of 29 January 2012) and, as happens from time to time, journalists and commentators write about the possible return of The Republic Of Ireland to Commonwealth membership to ease relations as The United Kingdom leaves The European Union. Well, I suppose anything is possible.

  Now we have news of another country with no previous constitutional links with Britain or the other historic members of its empire which is said to be interested in becoming a Commonwealth member - Angola, a former colony of Portugal as was Mozambique which joined The Commonwealth in 1995 as a 'special case'. Reports in various papers and other news sites in June 2018 claimed that the then British Foreign Secretary, the notorious Boris Johnson, had 'tweeted' the following, "Splendid that Angola wants to join the Commonwealth family. Very much welcome President Lourenço's commitment to long-term reform, tackling corruption and improving human rights ...".

  Of course it's quite reasonable to say that anything uttered by Mr Johnson has to be taken with a large pinch of salt but subsequently a television interview given by the Angolan president revealed that Mr Lourenço had indeed expressed his desire for his country to join the organisation. The reason for the interest in joining The Commonwealth seems to be linked to Angola's geographical situation whereby most of its neighbours are Anglophone countries.

  As regards adding any stamps issued after Angola were to become a Commonwealth member to my collection there would be little bother as Angola has a pleasing, relatively conservative new issue programme with stamps featuring subjects of relevance to it which are usually well designed and produced. This contrasts with the postal service of Mozambique which allows Stamperija to produces hundreds of philatelic items per year in its name, as is very well known

  Collecting the stamps of the Commonwealth countries continues to provide many interesting facets and I suspect that the stamps of Angola could well be very stimulating to collect.

  🇺🇸 In 10 months time the world will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing by Apollo 11. Never slow to cash in early on a subject is the American stamp agency IGPC which has just released or is just about to issue a miniature sheet containing 6 different stamps and a single stamp miniature sheet on that very subject and with the name of Grenada printed on them. Rating:- 0.

  🇬🇬 Guernsey Post will issue 6 stamps on 8 November 2018 to commemorate the Centenary of the end of The First World War. The stamps were designed by Charlotte Barnes and depict various memorials. The issue was lithographed by Cartor and perforated 14 x 14.5. Apart from the importance of the subject matter there is little about this issue that makes want to buy it. Rating:- **.

  Guernsey Post will also release a set of 7 self-adhesive Christmas stamps featuring Ernst Hoffman's novella The Nutcracker and the Mouse King on 8 November 2018. The issue was designed by Andrew Robinson and lithographed by Southern Colour Print with simulated perforations. Illustrations are awaited.

  Christmas stamps will also be issued with the inscription 'Alderney'. Again there are 7 values this time on the subject of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and designs are again by Andrew Robinson  but lithographed by Lowe Martin and perforated 13. Illustrations are awaited.