More Diamond Jubilee Stamps And Other New Issues.

Two more countries have released news of the stamps they will issue to commemorate the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II who is the monarch of both Niue and Tokelau which are dependencies of New Zealand. Both issues comprise two reasonably-prices stamps and a miniature sheet. No greedy gimmicks from these two territories, just dignified items which honour their head of state, Jersey Post Office please take note. The Niue issues will be released on 23 May 2012 and each stamp depicts a portrait of the Queen - on the $2.40 is a black and white photograph taken of the Queen during her Commonwealth tour of 1953 and the $3.40 value depicts the official 2012 New Zealand Jubilee portrait of the Queen.

The Tokelau stamps will also be released on 23 May 2102 and will be in a horizontal format in the values $2.00 which shows a portrait of the Queen during her 1963 tour and a $3.00 value which again depicts the 2012 New Zealand portrait. Meanwhile I have just obtained some interesting new issues from The Commonwealth in Africa. Swaziland issued four stamps in the latter part of 2011 which depicted the rather unlikely subject of locusts and grasshoppers. The value of the stamps is expressed in the non-value indicator format which is, I think, the first time that Swaziland stamps have done so. Two of the stamps are depicted below. I am not yet sure of the precise date of issue.

Two new issues of Nigeria have also just arrived, both issued in 2012. The first notes the philatelic exhibition Phila Africa 2012 which was held from 31 January to 3 February 2012 although the stamp does not say where it was held (I should think that it would have been very interesting to visit). The stamp's arrival 4 months after the show is rather poor publicity for it I think. The second stamp commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Nigerian Institute of Management, not the most exciting of subjects but a good honest stamp issue for genuine mail usage, Jersey Post Office please note.

Finally the missing issues from Tanzania which have not really found their way on to the philatelic market since they were issued in 2008 to 2010 continue to gradually turn up in recent weeks and I have now obtained the "Botanical Gardens" set of 4 stamps, 1 miniature sheet of 6 stamps and a single value sheet which was released on 25 November 2008. Two of the stamps issued in ordinary sheets and the multi-value miniature sheet are illustrated below.

One value from the multi-value sheet is of particular interest to collectors of "birds on stamps" depicting as it does, a shoebill:-