Maldives Post issued a miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps on 2 December 2015 in a special folder on the subject of the Baa UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The designs of the 4 stamps feature a Whale shark, a Lesser frigate bird, a Manta ray and Maldivian lacquer work. Illustrated below are the individual stamps and the inside covers of the containing folder. Rating:- *****.
28 January - Irish Heart Foundation (1 stamp)
11 February - "Love and Marriage" (1 stamp)
25 February - St. Patrick's Day (1 stamp)
10 March - Dogs (4 stamps)
7 April - Birth bicentenary of Charles Gavan Duffy, Irish nationalist and founder of the nationalist newspaper, The Nation. He became Member of Parliament for New Ross in 1852 but emigrated to Australia in I856 where he settled in the newly founded colony of Victoria. He was immediately elected to the colony's Legislative Assembly and became Premier of Victoria from 1871 to 1872 and later, in 1877, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. He was knighted in 1873 and died in 1903 (1stamp). I wonder if this is an opportunity for a joint issue with Australia Post?
12 May - Europa (2 stamps)
16 June - Wild Atlantic Way (4 stamps)
7 July - Battle of The Somme (1 stamp)
18 August - Irish shop fronts (4 stamps)
15 September - Cycling in Ireland (4 stamps)
6 October - Commissioner of the Irish Lights (4 stamps)
3 November - Christmas (3 stamps).
I have recently obtained 2 Royal Mail definitives of 2015 from Norvic Philatelics which had either been very difficult to find being offered for sale or had been issued right at the end of 2015.
The first of these is the 2nd Class blue from coils with code M15L MRIL and the second is the 2nd Class blue with code M15L MBIL from "Business sheets" printed on backing paper with its own security inscription, "...ROYALMAILROYALMAIL...". This is the first time that the backing paper has received a security inscription and the Norvic Philatelics Blog mentions that a printing of this particular item took place on 1 December 2015 but points out that there may have been earlier printings. Rating:- *****.
The first issues of 2016 from India Post will be:-
24 January - Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (sounds fascinating!)
25 January - "Vibrant India"
6 February - 3rd International Fleet Review.
Back to Maldives, a large range of items has been released in the name of the Maldives postal administration by Stamperija which depict the Green humphead parrotfish as a WWF stamp issue. The date of issue is stated to have been 18 January 2016. The basic issue is made up of 4 x 22MVR stamps printed in sheets of 16. There are also sheetlets of 8 stamps which contain 2 of each design, a 70 MVR miniature sheet (all exist in perforate and imperforate format) and an 88 MVR miniature sheet (containing all 4 stamps) in the shape of a parrotfish and 4 miniature sheets each containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.
The Maldives Biosphere sheet has a strange face value: 90L = 0.90 Rufiyaa = 4p!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately it's a Stamperija issue. They sell it for €5.00 +21% VAT = €6.05 >:(
Edit: Maybe it's an error in the design? 'L' instead of 'Rufiyaa' or 'MVR'?
DeleteThank you. You make a very good point - I hadn't really thought about the face values of the "Biosphere" sheet till you pointed it out.
DeleteThe sheet is interesting because, though it's being sold through Stamperija, it does not look very much like a typical Stamperija product. With its strictly local interest and type of design and format, the item looks to me much more like a locally commissioned item, as we see from Maldives Post from time to time, and it may be that that is why the face values are very odd - you might even be right in thinking that the values are inscribed in L rather than MVR due to a local error.
Perhaps the sale price at a substantial amount over face value could be put down to the miniature sheet being sold in a special pack.