1638. No News.

  As everything else in the world grinds to a halt (apart from the vital health and other services pressured as never before) as country after country becomes overwhelmed, or has to adopt measures to prevent itself being overwhelmed, by the Covid-19 pandemic, news of new stamp issues becomes scarcer and scarcer. It seems that the postal services of some of the wealthier (thus far) more developed territories may continue with their new issue programmes but many postal services have put a hold on the issue of new stamps or closed down their postal services completely. While Europe and North America are presently in the eye of the storm as it switches its fatal location from east Asia what is yet to be seen is the probably devastating effect of the countries of sub-Saharan Africa where health services are far less well developed.
  For all of us this means a possibly unrecognisable world politically and economically as we turn into 2021 and survey the devastation of the previous 10 months. Ways of working and communicating may change definitively and as electronic communications become even more normal than they are now, postal services and the need for postage stamps may finally become as redundant as telephone cards, the collecting of which was enormously popular but spectacularly ephemeral, did when mobile telephones became the norm.
  In previous Blogs we have seen how some countries, more often than not, issue no new stamps in any given year (the postal service of Rwanda, where the President has championed the population’s use of electronic communication methods rather than old-fashioned mail communication is about to arrive at the 10th anniversary of its most recent stamp issue) and some issue very few. Some countries allow greedy Philatelic agencies to have contracts to produce stamps with a theoretical postal validity and do so in their many hundreds per year but do not sell these items over their ordinary post office counters to their mail-sending public and therefore in reality issue very few or no postage stamps per year.
  In a comment at the end of Blog 991, which some readers may have missed, the Chief Executive Officer of Samoa Post wrote that servicing international parcels and express mail service (ems) items had become that postal service’s “primary and only focus” and that explained the issue of some exceedingly high face valued stamps. “Letters, associated with printing small denominations is becoming obsolete”. This implies to me that Samoa Post for one is barely operating a mail service apart from international parcels and ems. Collectors may not therefore expect to see Samoa Post issue any more postage stamps except high value items intended to be used on international parcel and ems mail. In short it is the end of ordinary postage stamps in Samoa. I assume that the needs of any ordinary mail senders, if they exist there, are probably met by a large stock of stamps issued in excess of needs some years ago. The statement also implies that Samoa Post has given up issuing stamps with the aim of making money from selling them to collectors. Some time ago a comment on Stamp Boards from Samoa Post indicated that it actually lost a lot of money on issue it produced because the costs were so great and, I assume, the market for them was not large enough.

  So it is just possible that the way postal services, and the governments which licence them, have used stamps as a means of making money, and more recently - in some cases - losing it; issue stamps as a means of obtaining national publicity (no longer necessary as this can be achieved instantaneously via the Internet); commemorate important national events and deliver political messages is all over. There are cheaper, more profitable and more efficient ways of doing these things  so stamps are gradually disappearing. In Blog 1635 I identified that 10 Commonwealth philatelic entities issued no stamps during 2019 and another 10 issued 4 stamps or less during the whole year. I expect these numbers of postal services which have lost interest in releasing new issues will increase during 2020.

  Frankly at the present time there is not any new issue news and I’m getting a little tired searching for it. So for a change I shall step back to see what the Commonwealth new issue scene was like 60 years ago in 1960. New issue releases were about to take off and did so as the sixties progressed. IGPC had come on to the scene in 1958 taking on a contract to produce and sell the stamps of the first newly independent black Commonwealth nation - Ghana - and then moved on to mop up the Maldive Islands. 

  I pick 1960 as it’s a significant anniversary - a diamond anniversary - and there was not any particularly significant royal event or anniversary taking place which would swell the number of new issues. Queen Elizabeth was well established on the throne of her various dominions and Africa was on the verge of wide scale Independence commemorations following a few years behind the Asian Commonwealth territories but some way ahead of most of the Caribbean and Pacific colonies. The British Empire had become The British Commonwealth. The Cold War was about to boil over into near-annihilation and the British and French still liked to needle each other and liked to believe that they were still important world powers although the Suez crisis had occurred 4 years earlier. Harold Macmillan was to speak about the Winds of Change.

  Using the first stamp catalogue I ever bought, the what now seems rather charming 1967 edition of Part 1 of the Stanley Gibbons Postage Stamp Catalogue, I discover that there were 85 Commonwealth philatelic entities in 1960 (in 2019 I identified there to be 87 such entities so little has changed in that respect though the names on the 2019 list are greatly changed from those of 1960). Between them these 85 territories issued only 326 stamps between them during the whole year. What a quiet life it was then! Only 41 of the territories issued any stamps which means that more than half - 44 - did not issue any stamps at all. 

  Below is a list of all the Commonwealth territories which could have issued stamps in 1960 and what actually happened with each one. It is fascinating to see the names on the list and to see that many stamps of the time included portraits of The Queen in their designs. Intaglio printing was still dominant but some photogravure-printed items are also to be seen. This in its turn would eventually give way to lithography. The number of miniature sheets issued could be counted on the fingers of one hand. A hint of what to come is shown by the Ghana and Maldive Islands list - bright, some might say gaudy, brash, more expensive to buy and accompanied by a miniature sheet or two. IGPC was giving notice of its future behaviour.
  So, will we soon return to a state where all the Commonwealth territories combined issue just over 300 stamps per year? Well probably not as long as businesses such as IGPC and Stamperija remain solvent and survive the likely post-Covid-19 financial crisis. But remember that in 2019, 20 Commonwealth Philatelic entities - almost 25% - issued only 26 stamps between them. How many more territories will issue very few stamps during 2020?

Aden - 0 stamps
Aden, Kathiri State of Seiyun - 0 stamps
Aden, Qu’aiti State in Hadhramaut - 0 stamps
Antigua - 1 January - 2 stamps, Introduction of new constitution.

Ascension - 0 stamps
Australia - 5 stamps - 18 August - 1 stamp - Golden Jubilee of the Girl Guide movement
                                    21 September - 1 stamp - Centenary of Northern Territory exploration
                                    12 October - 1 stamp - Centenary of the Melbourne Cup horse race
                                    2 November - 1 stamp - Centenary of the first Queensland postage stamp
                                    9 November -  1 stamp - Christmas
Australian Antarctic Territory - 0 stamps
Bahamas - 0 stamps
Bahrain - 1 July - 11 stamps, new Definitive series depicting Sheikh Sulman bin Hamed al-Khalifa

Barbados - 0 stamps
Basutoland - 0 stamps
Bechuanaland - 21 January - 3 stamps - 75th anniversary as a British Protectorate
Bermuda - 0 stamps
British Guiana - 0 stamps
British Honduras - 1 July - 3 stamps - Centenary of the British Honduras Post Office

British Solomon Islands - 28 January - 1 stamp - Definitive new value (1/3d)
Brunei - 0 stamps
Canada - 2 stamps - 20 April - Golden Jubilee of the Canadian Girl Guides movement - 1 stamp
                                 19 May - 300th anniversary of the Battle of Long Sault - 1 stamp
Cayman Islands - 0 stamps
Ceylon -  7 April - 2 stamps - World Refugee Year
Christmas Island - 0 stamps
Cook Islands - 1 April - 1 stamp - Definitive surcharge 1/6d on 5d ‘Rarotonga Airfield’ stamp
Cyprus - 18 stamps -  16 August - 15 stamps - Establishment of Republic and Independence (overprint on contemporary definitives)

                                    16 August - 3 stamps - Constitution of the Republic
Dominica - 0 stamps
Falkland Islands - 10 February - 15 stamps - Definitives depicting Birds of the territory

Falkland Islands Dependencies - 0 stamps
Fiji  - 0 stamps
Gambia - 0 stamps
Ghana - 21 stamps and 1 miniature sheet - 6 March - 4 stamps - Third anniversary of Independence
                                                                     15 April - 3 stamps - Africa Freedom Day

                                                                     I July - 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet - Republic Day
                                                                     15 August - 4 stamps - Olympic Games, Rome
                                                                     21 September - 3 stamps - Founder’s Day
                                                                     10 December - 3 stamps - Human Rights Day
Gibraltar - 29 October - 14 stamps - Definitives
Gilbert And Ellice Islands - 1 May - 3 stamps - 60th anniversary of the discovery of phosphate on Ocean Island

Grenada - 0 stamps
Hong Kong - 0 stamps
India - 7 stamps - 15 February - 1 stamp - Thiruvalluvar commemoration
                             22 June - 2 stamps - Commemoration of the poet Kalidasa
                             11 September - 1 stamp - Subramania Bharati commemoration
                             15 September - 1 stamp - Birth Centenary of Dr M Visvesvaraya
                             14 November - 1 Stamp - Children’s Day
                             11 December - 1 stamp - UNICEF Day

Jamaica - 4 January - 3 stamps - Centenary of first Jamaican stamp
Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda - 1 October - 16 stamps- Definitive issue

Malayan Federation - 4 stamps - 7 April - 2 stamps -World Refugee Year
                                                     19 September - 2 Stamps - National Rubber Research Conference   and 15th International Runner Study Group meeting held in Kuala Lumpur

Johore - 12 stamps - 10 February - 1 stamp - Coronation of the Sultan of Johore

                                  10 June-9 December - 11 December - Definitives with portrait of Sultan Ismail
Kedah - 0 stamps
Kelantan - 0 stamps
Malacca - 11 stamps - 15 March - Definitives with inset of Malacca badge
Negri Sembilan - 1 stamp - 19 July - 50c definitive with new perforations
Pahang - 0 stamps
Penang - 11 stamps - 15 March - Definitives with inset of Penang arms
Perak - 1 stamp - 24 May - 50c definitive with new perforations
Perlis - 0 stamps
Selangor - 0 stamps
Trengganu- 1 stamp - 26 June - 50c definitive with new perforations

Maldive Islands - 27 stamps - 20 August - 8 stamps - Olympic Games, Rome

                                                 15 October - 11 stamps - Definitives issue
                                                 15 October - 8 Stamps - World Refugee Year
Malta - 9 stamps - 9 February - 6 stamps - 1900th anniversary of St Paul's landing in Malta
                              1 December - 3 stamps - Centenary of first Maltese postage stamps

Mauritius - 0 stamps
Montserrat - 0 stamps
Muscat and East Arabia - June-October - 7 stamps - British ‘Wilding’ definitives surcharged
Nauru - 0 stamps
New Hebrides Condominium (English version) - 0 stamps
New Zealand - 23 stamps and 2 miniature sheets - 6 May - 3 stamps - Centenary of Westland Province
                                                                                11 July-1 September - 17 stamps - Definitives
                                                                                10 August - 2 stamps and 2 miniature sheets - Health (birds)
                                                                                 1 November - 1 stamp - Christmas

Nigeria - 1 October - 4 stamps - Independence
Niue - 0 Stamps
Norfolk Island - 10 stamps - 23 May-20 June - 5 stamps - definitives
                                              29 August-26 September - 3 stamps - provisional surcharges
                                              24 October - 1 stamp - Introduction of local government

North Borneo - 0 stamps
Pakistan - 16 stamps - 10 January - 2 stamps - Armed Forces Day
                                     23 March - 4 stamps - Definitives (map of Pakistan)
                                     7 April - 2 stamps - World Refugee Year
                                     10 October - 2 stamps - 60th anniversary of Punjab Agricultural College
                                     27 October - 2 stamps - Revolution Day
                                     16 November - 2 stamps - Centenary of King Edward Medical College, Lahore
Papua And New Guinea - 0 stamps
Pitcairn Islands - 0 stamps
Qatar - 26 April-28 September - 7 stamps  - British ‘Wilding’ definitives surcharged
Rhodesia And Nyasaland - 17 May - 6 stamps - Opening of Kariba hydroelectric scheme
Ross Dependency - 0 stamps
St Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla - 0 stamps
St. Helena - 0 stamps
St Lucia - 6 stamps - 1 January - 3 stamps- New Constitution
                                  18 December - 3 stamps - Centenary of the first St Lucia postage stamp

St Vincent - 0 stamps
Sarawak - 0 stamps
Seychelles - 0 stamps
Sierra Leone - 0 stamps
Singapore - 3 June - 2 stamps - National Day
Somaliland Protectorate - 5 April - 2 stamps - Establishment of the Legislative Council’s unofficial majority

South Africa - 6 stamps - 2 May - 4 stamps - 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Union Of South Africa
                                         2 May - 1 stamp - Centenary of South African Railways
                                         31 May - 1 stamp - Union Day
South West Africa - ?date - 5 stamps - definitives reprinted with new watermark
Southern Cameroons - 1 October - 12 stamps - Definitives, overprints on Nigerian definitives

Swaziland - 0 stamps
Tokelau - 0 stamps
Tonga - 0 stamps
Trinidad and Tobago - 24 September - 14 stamps - Definitives

Tristan Da Cunha - 1 February - 14 stamps - Definitives, Marine life
Turks And Caicos Islands - 1 November - 1 stamp - £1 definitive

United Kingdom - 16 stamps - 24 February- 1 stamp - 8d definitive
                                                  6 July - 10 stamps - ‘phosphor’ definitives
                                                  7 July - 2 stamps - Tercentenary of the establishment of the General Letter Office

                                                  19 September - 2 stamps - First anniversary of the European Postal and Telecommunications Conference
                                                  10 November - 1 stamp - ‘Wilding’ 2.5d definitive reissued with Multiple Crowns sideways watermark
Virgin Islands - 0 stamps
Western Samoa - 0 stamps
Zanzibar - 0 stamps.