2549. 🇦🇬🇩🇲🇬🇾🇰🇳🇱🇨🇻🇨 Eastern Caribbean Bank Stamps “Now In Circulation”.

 

New Issues -

🇦🇬🇩🇲🇬🇩🇰🇳🇱🇨🇻🇨 Postal services of Antigua And Barbuda, Commonwealth Of Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts And Nevis, Saint Lucia and St Vincent And The Grenadines - 

2024 - Caribbean news outlets were reporting on 2 August 2024 a statement by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank which indicated that the stamps first reported in Blog 2344 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the ECCB are “now in circulation” with 3 stamps being issued by the postal services of each of the countries named above. Each territory appears to have issued a se-tenant pair of two $5 stamps and a single stamp of $10 or whatever value is the “best selling stamp” in each respective country (whatever that means).

  The reports stated that “two sheets of stamps will be available to each country” which is rather ambiguous in that it might mean that only 2 sheets of the stamps will be sold in post offices of each of the six nations (which seems like a rather inadequate supply) or that sheets of each of the two values will be sold in each country. We will have to see the situation regarding the stamps’ availability to collectors and how accessible they are. I assume that all of them will be sold to collectors via the Intergovernmental Philatelic Corporation - IGPC - as five of the postal administrations have IGPC as their philatelic agent and Saint Lucia has previously been a client of IGPC though it has issued stamps very infrequently in recent years. If IGPC does not handle the Saint Lucia issue then it could well be something of a pain to try to obtain as was the case of the single stamp issued in 2015 to commemorate the centenary of the birth of Sir William Arthur Lewis, the notable Saint Lucian economist. 

  In Blog 2543 I recently highlighted that the most recent official new stamp issues from the postal administrations of Saint Lucia and Dominica date back to 22 February 2019 and 18 November 2020 respectively and so the new stamp issue is of particular interest in the case of those two countries.

  Collectors will also of course take note that the St Kitts and Nevis stamps will bear the inscription St Kitts-Nevis and not take the form of separate issues for the two islands. 

  So there are a lot of interesting features to this miniomnibus making them very worthwhile additions to collectors’ albums. In its press announcement, the ECCB provided illustrations of the stamps without the country names applied to them but illustrations of the Grenada $10 value and the St Kitts-Nevis se-tenant pair are available as shown below. Other illustrations are awaited.

Basic designs -

St Kitts-Nevis se-tenant pair of 2 x $5 -

Grenada $10 value -

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka Post -

12 August 2024 - Inscriptions and sannas of Sri Lanka - 4 stamps. Lithographed by Government Printer Sri Lanka. Rating:- *****.

2527. 🇸🇸 South Sudan Commemorates Independence Anniversary.

 

New issues -

🇸🇸 Postal service of South Sudan -

9 July 2024 - 13th anniversary of Independence - 6 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing all 6 stamps. It is reported by Leo An of the South Sudan Stamp Collectors Facebook Page that these stamps were initially intended to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Independence but with conditions prevailing in the country preventing that, the stamps have now been altered to commemorate the 13th anniversary instead. Rating:- ***.

🇮🇳 India Post -

6 July 2024 - Commemoration of Siddharoodha Swami, Hindu guru of the Savaite tradition - 1 stamp. Rating:-***.

🇧🇳 Brunei Darussalam postal service -

23 February 2024 (revised date of issue, See Blog  ). 40th anniversary of National Day - 5 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing all 5 stamps (better illustrations of 4 of the 5 stamps and now also a poor quality illustration of the miniature sheet.

🇺🇸 Intergovernmental Philatelic Corporation (notorious USA-based producer and purveyor of philatelic products under contract from some Commonwealth and other postal services/governments). 

2024 - Usually at this stage of the year we might expect to have seen numerous products manufactured and marketed by this business but, up to now, this has not been the case. Of course the situation could change in an instant and IGPC may well flood the market with whole loads of its products with the names of several countries printed on them and with very high face values which, one assumes, is its way of dealing with dramatically falling sales figures.

So far we have seen only -

🇬🇾 Guyana -

22 February - Captain Roland da Silva - 1 miniature sheet containing 2 x $500 stamps.

26 February - 50th anniversary of CARICOM - 1 miniature sheet containing a single $300 stamp.

29 February - 30th anniversary of Demerara Rotary Club - a single $500 stamp.

🇹🇨 Turks And Caicos Islands - 

1 March - Bicentenary of St Thomas’ Anglican Church - 1 stamp and 1 single stamp miniature sheet - total face vale $10.50.

🇰🇳 Nevis - 

6 June - High value definitives (coat of arms and old colony seal - 2 stamps with face values of $100 and $150.

🇰🇳 St Kitts - 

11June - Definitives - 4 stamps with face values 10c, 30c, $30 and $100.

We await developments.

2524. 🇰🇳🇰🇳 High Value Definitives From St Kitts And Nevis.

 

New issues -

🇰🇳 St Kitts postal service

11 June 2024 - ‘Local stamps’, presumably definitives on the subject of the 40th anniversary of Independence. Lithographed. A curious selection of values - 10, 30c, $30 and $100. Rating:- ***.

🇰🇳 Nevis postal service - 

6 June 2024 - High value definitives - 2 stamps. Lithographed. Rating:- **.

🇵🇬 Post PNG (postal service of Papua New Guinea) -

2022, 2023 and 2024 issues (see Blogs 2522 and 2533).

Discussion on Stampboards has partly clarified the dates of issue of the more recent issues from Post PNG. However some doubts remain. A comment by dwyoung52 states that the Nadzab Tamadachi International Airport was definitely issued on 2 October 2023. The commentator received the items making up the issue at the time.

  On 1 July 2024  dwyoung52 also reported that, “The stamp sets for 2022 Freshwater fish and the 2023 sets for War shields, Canoe splashboards and Laulau fruit trees have been printed but not released as the sheetlets and souvenir sheets associated with all four issues have still not been printed due to in-house issues. This was the information initially supplied back in January 2024 by PNG Post and was reconfirmed last month as still being the case. PNG Post did receive the freshwater fish back in July 2023 but I have no information about date of issue. The issue date for the Nadzab Tamadachi International Airport was 2 October 2023”..

After I drew dwyoung52’s attention to the K6.90 values of the Freshwater Fish, Canoe splashboards and War shields all being featured used on cover on the internet shop site of Steven Zirinsky he responded, “When I saw those stamps on Zirinsky’s website I contacted PNG Post re. These stamps be used when supposedly they had not been released. Didn’t get an answer but was offered the opportunity to purchase the stamp sets for War shields, Canoe splashboards and Laulau Fruit Trees which have been printed.

It seems therefore that we may summarise the recent release and availability of Post PNG issues thus -

2 October 2023 - Nadzab Tamadachi International Airport - 4 stamps, 1 miniature sheet (‘sheetlet’) containing 4 different stamps, 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp and 1 miniature sheet containing 2 different stamps.

2023 or 2024 - Freshwater fish (intended for release initially in 2022, received by PNG Post in July 2023) - 4 stamps, 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 miniature sheet. The K6.90 value is known to be used on mail dated 17 May 2024.

2024 - War shields - 4 stamps (‘sheetlet’ and miniature sheet not available for release). The K6.90 value is known to be have been used on mail dated 17 May 2024.

2024 - Canoe splashboards - 4 stamps (‘sheetlet’ and miniature sheet not available for release). The K6.90 value is known to have been used on mail dated 17 May 2024.

2024 - Laulau fruit trees - 4 stamps (initially intended for release on 22 November 2023. ‘Sheetlet’ and miniature sheet not available for release. The set of 4 is known to have been offered for sale to a customer on 1 or 2 July 2024. The issue was designed by Banian Masiboda of Art Base Advertising and printed in lithography).

🇴🇲Oman Post -

24 June 2024 - 30th anniversary of Oman LNG - 4 stamps issued in sheetlets of 8 (2 of each stamp) and 1 miniature sheet containing all 4 stamps. Lithographed. Rating:- ****.

2514. 🇬🇬 Guernsey Post To Commemorate Local Arts And Crafts Society.

 

New issues - 

🇬🇬 Guernsey Post -

25 July 2024 - Centenary of the Sarnia Arts and Crafts Club, various works of art by local artists - 4 stamps. Lithographed. Rating:- ***.

The following have been announced by the USA-based Intergovernmental Philatelic Corporation but appear to be likely to be in local use -

🇰🇳 Postal service of Nevis -

6 June 2024 - High face value stamps, Seal and arms of Nevis - 2 stamps. Illustrations not yet available.

🇰🇳 Postal service of St Kitts -

11 June 2024 - Independence Square - 1 stamp

11 June 2024 - National heroes - 1 stamp

11 June 2024- ‘Local issue’ - 4 stamps

11 June 2024 - Sir Robert Bradshaw, former Primeminister of St Kitts - 1 stamp

11 June 2024 - Clock tower - 1 stamp

🇸🇬 Singapore Post -

28 June 2024 - Centenary of The Causeway linking Singapore to Malaysia - 4 stamps. Lithographed. Rating:- ****.

2464. 🇰🇳 St Kitts And Nevis Returns As A Philatelic Entity.

 

New issues.

🇰🇳 Issues inscribed either St Kitts And Nevis or St Kitts.

15 December 2023 (miniature sheets) - 26 December 2023 - 40th anniversary of the Independence of St Kitts and Nevis - 4 stamps (inscribed St Kitts) and 3 single-stamp miniature sheets (inscribed St Kitts And Nevis). Lithographed. The basic set includes a $100 value which is the equivalent of £28.90p. Despite the high value I like this set and therefore the rating is ****.

The four stamps and the $5 miniature sheet emphasise the close links between Taiwan and St Kitts and Nevis in the year of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. As previously reported the 4 stamp designs are by local residents of St Kitts and Nevis who won a design competition sponsored by the Taiwanese Embassy in Basseterre. See also Blogs 2390 and 2396.

🇮🇳 India Post -

My stamps (personalised stamps with attached labels usually printed in sheetlets of 12 and sold at a premium and sold to the public by India Post) -

2024 - Fiftieth anniversary of TAHDCO (Tamil Nadhu Adi Dravadar Housing and Development Corporation Ltd) - 1 stamp.

2024 - 25th anniversary of the Guru Gobind Singh Indrapastha University - 1 stamp.

🇲🇾 Pos Malaysia -

15 January 2024 - Se temku, personalised stamps, 75th anniversary of the Malaysian Red Crescent - 1 sheetlet containing 10 different stamps.