Sunday 10 July 2016

785. Birds From Pitcairn And Fruit From Malawi.


  Bounty Post, the postal service of Pitcairn Islands, issued a set of 4 stamps printed in sheets of 16 stamps as four se-tenant strips and in miniature sheets made up of 8 stamps on 6 July 2016 on the subject of the Phoenix petrel as a WWF (Worldwide Fund For Nature) issue. The very attractive issue was designed by Sue Wickison and lithographed by Southern Colour Print and perforated 13.5. Rating:- *****.



  India Post issued a single stamp on 9 July 2016 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Bombay Stock Exchange - yet another dull issue in a long line of unimaginative stamp designs from India Post. Rating:- *.


  The postal administration of Malawi issued 6 stamps contained in a miniature sheet and 6 single stamp miniature sheets on 6 July 2016 on the subject of Wild fruits of Malawi. A colourful set if nothing else. Rating:- ***.









  I don't know why Prince George's 3rd birthday is of such particular importance that it requires a set of stamps to commemorate it but if ever any postal administration was going to find such a need it would have to have been the prolific Jersey Post. And of course Jersey Post has indeed found such a need. "Collectors strips" of 6 "Post and Go" stamps commemorating the royal child's birthday will be dispensed by kiosk JE02 from 22July to 22 August 2016 in the form of the "Jersey flag" stamps with the additional inscription "Prince George/3rd Birthday". Worry not, the strip costs a mere £4.48p (plus tax) so collectors will no doubt be rushing out to buy the stuff. Rating:- 0.




  In Blog 275 I discussed the stamp issues of the independent republic of Timor Leste which has been talked about as being a possible future member of The Commonwealth - previous Australian governments seem to have been particularly keen on this. Stamp issues from Timor Leste are few and far between and getting information about new issues is not easy. The excellent Joint Stamp Issues website has reported a new pair of stamps as being released by the territory's Post Office on 28 November 2015 as a joint issue with the Portuguese postal service to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the first Portuguese contact with Timor. This is a very interesting and attractive issue. Rating:- *****.

 

  As a follow-up to Blog 784, and recalling the recently published Chilcott Report into the Iraq war, it's worth reminding ourselves of the rather awful miniature sheet issued by the US-based philatelic agency, IGPC, which has labeled itself "the World's most trusted philatelic agents", with the name of Grenada printed on it (see Blog 601). Given Chilcott's findings and the terrifyingly jingoistic nature of the miniature sheet this is quite an interesting, if vaguely unpleasant, item and makes a very definite point that stamps should be issued by revenue-hungry postal administrations with caution because events still to happen may make their stamp issues something they may wish they had never released. 
  At least Blair is depicted as looking rather serious on the item rather than grinning smugly and self-regardingly as was his wont.


  It's difficult to know which is the worst - the painful Blair sheet or the misplaced triumphalism of the Bush sheet which was put out by IGPC in the name of St. Vincent And The Grenadines:-

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