Commonwealth Stamps Opinion: 366. Downton Abbey Features On Stamps Produced By New York Philatelic Agency.

Recent or upcoming new Commonwealth stamp issues:-

Ireland -

23 January 2014 - An interesting start to 2014 for Ireland which planned to issue 1 stamp on this date to commemorate the centenary of the founding of the Irish Citizen Army by James Connolly, James Larkin and Jack White during the Lockout of 1913. According to the Irish Post, the organisation "aimed to protect trade unionists against the violent tactics used by the Dublin Metropolitan Police to break up demonstrations". The stamp design was said to feature Jack White, a former British army captain, who offered to train the workers' militia, but after pre-issue publicity appeared just before the proposed date of issue a number of Irish historians disputed that the portrait featured on the stamp was that of Jack White and the Irish Post Office delayed the issue of the stamp until the dispute had been settled.

13 February 2014 - "Love and Marriage" - 1self-adhesive stamp issued in booklets of 10 or as a "collectors' pair". Designed by Kevin Gillmor and lithographed by Irish Security Printers.:-

New Zealand -

5 March 2014 - "Construction of a Nation" (New Zealand domestic architecture) - 5 stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Designed by Stamps And Collectables, Wellington and lithographed by Southern Colour Print:-

2014 - Pack of Personalised stamps produced during 2013 - 9 gummed stamps, 21 self-adhesive stamps and 1 booklet:-

Singapore.

26 February 2014 - Ferns of Singapore 4 gummed stamps and 1 x $1 self-adhesive stamp from booklets of 10. Designed by Law Pei Time and lithographed by Secura:-

Grenada. -

2014 - Commemoration of Sir Eric Gairey, 1st primeminister of independent Grenada - 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp:-

Royal Mail - 13 May 2014 - British films - 6 stamps (A Matter Of Life And Death, Lawrence Of Arabia, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Chariots Of Fire, Secrets And Lies and Bend It Like Beckham) and 1 m.s. composed of 4 additional all different stamps which depict productions of the GPO Film Unit. Although the basic stamps were printed in lithography by Cartor, the miniature sheet was lithographed by Enschede:-

India.

30 January 2013 - International Year Of Crystallography - 1 stamp:-

11 February 2014 - Central Vigilance Commission - 1 stamp:-

Trinidad And Tobago.

I now include illustrations of the sheetlet of 5 different stamps issued on 4 December 2013 which commemorated World Food Day as mentioned in Blog 342. The set appears to also include a circular self-adhesive $50 value also depicted below. Each stamp has a tiny packet of sorghum seeds attached to it:-

Brunei Darussalam. -

Depicted below is the set of 3 stamps, miniature sheet and booklet which make up the Butterflies Part 3 issue which Brunei released on 12 December 2013:-

Malaysia. -

25 January 2014 - Lunar New Year (Year of the Horse) - 4 stamps and 2 miniature sheets:-

14 February 2014 - Roses, second issue - 3 scented stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing a single heart-shaped stamp (the date of issue was, of course, St.Valentine's Day but it would have been too late for the roses stamps to be used on St. Valentine's Day greetings mail).

Footnote Issues :-

Among the upcoming issues from a large New York-based philatelic agency is what appears to be a multinational series of issues on the theme of the internationally popular British television programme Downton Abbey if the agency's publicity is anything to go by:-

The featured 4 stamp sheetlet and 1 miniature sheet from Antigua And Barbuda shows characters from the programme - Antigua seems to have been awarded Downton Abbey's servants to feature in its designs. Meanwhile Grenada has been awarded the stamps which feature Lord and Lady Grantham and other members of their aristocratic family. Will there be a social elite developing among Downton Abbey omnibus postal administrations with some countries depicting the aristocrats and others featuring the servants? What does it say about your country if you are the postal administration which gets the scullery maid, the kitchen maid and the boy who cleans the boots?

Grenada - 2013 or 14 - 60th anniversary of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II - 1 x $20 "embroidered" stamp:-

20 January 2014 - Blossoms and plants - Sheetlet of 9 stamps and 1 m.s.:-

2014 - "Downton Abbey" - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 m.s.:-

Grenada Grenadines -

2014 - Breeds of domestic dogs - 2 sheetlets each of 4 different stamps and 2 m.s.:-

Grenada -

2013 - U.S. President Barack Obama - 1 stamp in a sheetlet of 4 and 2 single stamp miniature sheets:-

Grenada Grenadines - 20 January 2014 - Butterflies (not necessarily found in Grenada Grenadines) Sheetlet of 4 stamps and 1 m.s.:-

20 January 2014 - Exotic purebred cats - Sheetlet of 4 stamps and 1 m.s.:-

20 January 2014 - "Chess and its origins" - Sheetlet of 4 stamps and 1 m.s.:-

Guyana

2 January 2014 - Lunar New Year (2nd issue) - 1 sheetlet containing 4 x 2 different designs:-

It is worth noting that in his most recent newsletter, Steven Zirinsky points out that Guyana increased its postal rates on 18 November 2013 so that the basic postal rate was raised from 20c to 80c meaning that the Guyana Post Office had no reason to issue any further surcharged stamps which had been necessary due to a shortage of 20c stamps because it has an adequate supply of 80c stamps. Other new postal rates are $130 (basic rate to The Caribbean area), $150 (basic rate to Central, North and South America), $160 (basic rate to Great Britain) and $200 (basic rates to Africa, Asia, Europe and Australasia). It says a lot about how useful to Guyana is the role played by the country's philatelic agents since the face value of the above stamps has no relevance to any of the above postal rates.

St. Vincent And The Grenadines-

14 January 2014 - Trains of the World - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet :-

2 February 2014 - Yosemite National Park (United States Of America) (150th anniversary of the Yosemite grant) 2 sheetlets each of 4 different stamps and 2 m.s.:-