1949. 🇲🇲🇱🇰🇳🇿 Historic Costumes Of Myanmar, Coconut Day From Sri Lanka, Diwali From New Zealand.

 

🇲🇲 In Blog 1947 I mentioned a new issue of 2 stamps from the postal service of Myanmar which depicts historic costumes from the country. It now appears that there are four more stamps which are part of the issue although they may not have been issued on 27 September 2021 but may be due to be released soon (the announcement is in untranslated Burmese so I have difficulty fully understanding it’s contents). The costumes are from the Bagan and Innwa eras. A very attractive and interesting issue. Rating:- *****.

🇱🇰 The postal service of Sri Lanka issued a sheetlet containing 10 different stamps on 2 September 2021 to commemorate World Coconut Day. The stamps were designed by Jagat Kosmodara and were lithographed by the Department of Government Printing. Rating:- ****.

🇳🇿 New Zealand Post will issue a set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing all 4 stamps on 7 October 2021 to commemorate the Hindu festival of Diwali. The issue was designed by John Morris and lithographed by Southern Colour Print and the stamps are perforated 14.5 x 14. Rating:- **.

1948. 🇨🇾 Cyprus Commemorates Links With China.

 

  🇨🇾 Cyprus Post issued 2 stamps on 17 September 2021 to commemorate two anniversaries of local interest. The first commemorates the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cyprus and The People’s Republic of China and the design depicts the philosophers, Confucius and Zenon of Citium. The second stamp commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Theatrical Organisation of Cyprus. Both stamps were lithographed by Baltic Banknote High Security Printing. Rating:- ****.

🇵🇰 Pakistan Post, continuing its highly conservative 2021 new issue programme, released a single stamp on 25 Seems 2021 to commemorate National Newspaper Readership Day. The interesting stamp was designed by Mughiz Khan and lithographed by National Security Printing Corporation and is perforated 13. Rating:- ****.

🇧🇩 Two previously unreported new issues from the Bangladesh postal service:-

22 February 2021 - 60th anniversary of the First people’s theatrical dramatisation of the Liberation War, Ek Nodi Rokto. - 1 stamp. Rating:- ***.

29 July 2021 - Stamp Day, 60th anniversary of the “Publication” of the first postage stamps of Bangladesh. - 1 stamp. Rating:- ****.

An illustration of one of the stamps from the Jersey Post Post and Go strip of 6 which commemorates the 21st anniversary of the visit to Jersey of the world’s largest tall ship, SV Tenacious is now shown on Jersey Post’s Stamps and Collectables internet site. See Blog 1942).

  With September in its final days it’s time to update the list of Commonwealth philatelic entities which so far in 2021 are not known to have issued, or had issued in their names, any new stamps. The list is little changed from that of  August save that the postal service of Mauritius has now issued a single stamp (see Blog 1942) and there are therefore now 25 Commonwealth philatelic entities still not known to have released any new stamps. For the sake of the mildly obsessional need to list things, here is the latest roll call of stampless philatelic entities which interestingly includes 4 of the 5 British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean (Anguilla, Cayman Islands, Montserrat and Turks And Caicos Islands) with only British Virgin Islands, served so well by the trusty Creative Direction and Pobjoy Stamps, having issued stamps this year. Who, too, would have thought that we would not have seen the dead hand of Stamporrhoea at play and Sierra Leone and Maldives having had released in their names 100s of philatelic products by now? There are still three months to go so anything could yet happen in the rest of 2021.

Anguilla 

Belize

Cameroon 

Cayman Islands 

Dominica 

eSwatini

Ghana

Jamaica 

Lesotho 

Maldives 

Montserrat 

Nauru 

Pitcairn Islands 

Rarotonga Cook Islands

Rwanda 

St Kitts

Saint Lucia 

Samoa

Sierra Leone 

Solomon Islands

Tanzania

Tokelau

Turks And Caicos Islands 

Uganda 

Zambia 

1947 🇧🇧 Barbados Commemorates UNESCO Heritage Site.

 

🇧🇧 The postal service of Barbados issued a set of 4 stamps on 23 August 2021 to commemorate the completion of a 30 year-long project to restore the Barbados Synagogue Block which was declared in 2011 to be a UNESCO protected property within the World Heritage site of Old Bridgetown and its Garrison. An interesting set made up of straightforward designs. Rating:- ****.

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Post will issue a miniature sheet containing 5 different $10 stamps on 28 October 2021 to commemorate Hong Kong’s five medal winners at the recent Tokyo Olympic Games. The medals won by the territory’s athletes included one gold medal. Rating:- ***.

🇲🇲 The postal service of Myanmar, which has not issued any stamps since January 2021 (whether that was due to the pandemic or the political crisis there or both I do not know), will issue 2 stamps on 27 September 2021 on the subject of costumes of the Pyu era. An interesting and attractive pair of stamps. Rating:- *****.

1946. 🇨🇾 New Cyprus Issue Features Domestic Cats.

🇨🇾 Cyprus Post issued a set of 4 stamps on the subject of Domestic cats on 17 September 2021. The issue was lithographed by Baltic Banknote High Security Printing. An attractive thematic set especially for cat lovers. Rating:- ****.

🇨🇦 On 20 September 2021 Canada Post issued a single self-adhesive stamp produced in booklets of 10 on the subject of the Canada Post Community Foundation. The issue was designed by Kim Smith and Subplot Design Inc. Rating:- ***.

🇬🇮 On 14 September 2021 Royal Gibraltar Post Office issued a single new Post and Go stamp sold in strips containing 6 different values depicting the photograph used of the Barbary Ape on the £3.16p value of the 2021 EUROPA issue. The issue was designed by Stephen Perera and lithographed by Cartor. Rating:- ***.

I was interested to see on the Pobjoy Mint Facebook page that coins have been issued in Sierra Leone to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the country’s achievement of Independence.  I have so far seen no news that the Sierra Leone postal service has issued a postage stamp to commemorate this notable national anniversary. Of course up until the latter part of last year the notorious Stamperija was under contract to produce philatelic items with the name of Sierra Leone printed on them but it does seem that the days of that particular Sierra Leonean national embarrassment are now over. Whether Sierra Leone stamps might appear in the near future from another source remains to be seen but if not the nation’s 60th anniversary as an independent state will go unmarked on a postage stamp at least.

🇮🇳 India Post issued a single stamp on 17 September 2021 to commemorate the 515th Birth anniversary of Rao Jaimal Rathore, a Rajput general who resisted the huge Mughal army which besieged the city of Chittorgarh in 1567-68. An interesting issue. Rating:- ***.

1945. 🇯🇪 Brewing In Jersey Commemorated.

 

  🇯🇪 It’s hard not to like the new issue to be released by Jersey Post on 5 October 2021 which will commemorate the 150th anniversary of brewing in Jersey despite it only being one issue among a very large number which have appeared from that island’s postal service during 2021. The issue commemorates  the founding of the Ann Street Brewery in St Helier which was founded by JS Palmer in 1871 and it is now known as the Liberation Brewery. This delightful issue with local relevance was designed by Chris Wormell and was printed in lithography. Its rating is lowered because it is released against the background of persistent excessive issuing. Rating:- **.

  🇮🇲 I’m afraid that I do not have any enthusiasm for the issue planned by Isle Of Man Post Office for release on 20 September 2021 which is titled ‘Stay Connected” and which is produced in cooperation with the Greeting Card Association. The issue marks Thinking of You Week 2021 and the publicity about this issue points out that 1 October will be World Postcard Day. The issue takes the form of a sheetlet of 6 x 1st Class (62p, I think) Triskillion stamps (total face value £3.72p) with 6 attached non-postally valid labels and is said to be in a limited edition of 1750. The sheetlet is sold, it appears, only in a pack which also contains 5 postcards and the pack price is a hefty £8, way above the face value of the stamps.

  I think this is a good subject for which to issue stamps but it is quite unreasonable to expect stamp collectors to pay above double face value for an issue if they do not collect postcards as well. Presumably the lure is the 1750 ‘limited edition’ nature of this item. Isle Of Man Post Office already issues far too many stamps and limited editions are not going to tempt me to buy stamps which are being sold at way above face value whether or not they are accompanied by postcards which I do not want. A pity, in some ways the sheet is a nice little issue.

The stamps were designed by EJC Design and lithographed by Lowe Martin and are perforated 14. Rating:- *.

1944. 🇮🇴 New Australia-UK-US Alliance Should Ensure Continuation Of BIOT Stamps.

 🇦🇺🇬🇧🇺🇸🇮🇴 Recently stamp collectors have been quite exercised about the rather worthless pronouncement by the Universal Postal Union that stamps inscribed British Indian Ocean Territory should not be used on mail from the Chagos Islands and only stamps inscribed Mauritius which claims the islands should be used on mail from the territory even though there is no Mauritian post office in the Chagos.

  Well the announcement of the establishment of the new alliance between Australia, United Kingdom and United States called AUKUS whereby Australia will not buy French diesel-powered submarines but instead have nuclear-powered submarines produced by the members of the new alliance must surely ensure that there is not a snow ball’s chance in hell of The United States with its huge and vital military base on Diego Garcia giving up the base nor allowing the British to hand the territory over to Mauritius. If there were any chance of BIOT stamps coming to an end before, this new military development should ensure that BIOT stamps will continue to appear for use by civilian workers in the territory.

  A splendid link to this story of course is the miniature sheet of 6 different stamps which was issued by BIOT in 2001 which depicts Royal Navy submarines:-

🇬🇧 Illustrations of the Royal Mail Christmas stamps due for release on 2 November 2021 have been sent to me by an anonymous source whom I thank. The set is made up of 8 stamps and there will also be an accompanying miniature sheet and a ‘generic sheet’ and 2 booklets containing 12 x 2nd Class stamps and 12 x 1st Class stamps. No other details are currently available. The 2nd Class (66p) and 1st Class (85p) clearly come in two types - with and without a barcode. The other values are 2nd Large (96p) and Ist Large (£1.29p), £1.70p and £2.55p. The miniature sheet will cost £9.52p and the cost of the booklets will be £7.92p and £10.20p and the Generic sheet price will sell at £21.75p. These are attractive stamps even when seen in rather blurred illustrations and I am pleased to see the religious theme as the subject of the 2021 stamps. Despite all this, it’s not easy to ignore the fact that even stamp issues as basic as those for use on Christmas mail now cost the one-of-everything collector a small fortune. Pity. Rating:- ****.