1331. 🇲🇾 Stamp Week In Malaysia.

  🇲🇾 Pos Malaysia issued 5 stamps and a My Stamp sheetlet containing 8 stamps (2 x 4 different stamps) with attached labels on 12 November 2018 to commemorate 'Stamp Week'. This is a cheerful and pleasant issue. Rating:- ***.

  🇺🇸 More philatelic products from IGPC issued in the name of various Commonwealth countries, distressingly:-

🇬🇲 The Gambia - 

  9 November 2018 - The dama gazelle - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 3 different stamps and the other containing 2 different stamps. This species is not found in The Gambia. Rating:- 0.

  9 November 2018 - Zebras - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps (illustrated in Blog 1325) and the other containing a single stamp). Rating:- *.

🇬🇩 Grenada - 

  9 November 2018 - Domestic cats - 6 stamps in a sheetlet and 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

🇬🇩 Grenada Carriacou And Petite Martinique -

  

  9 November 2018 - Wedding of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 5 different diamond-shaped stamps and 1 containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

🇬🇾 Guyana -

   20 November 2018 - 50th anniversary of the First manned lunar landing - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 6 different circular stamps and 1 containing 2 different stamps. Rating:- 0.

  20 November 2018 - South American tapirs - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and the other containing 2 different stamps. This species is found in Guyana. Rating:- ***.

  20 November 2018 - The leaf cutter ant - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and 1 containing 2 different stamps. Rating:- *.

🇲🇸 Montserrat - 

  10 October 2018 - Fishing in Montserrat - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 3 different stamps and 1 containing a single stamp. Rating:- ***.

  24 October 2018 - The Concorde. 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps (see Blog 1325) and 1 containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

🇰🇳 Nevis - 

  22 October 2018 - Donkeys of the West Indies - 1 miniature sheet containing 5 different stamps. Rating:- **.

🇻🇨 St Vincent And The Grenadines:- 

  12 October 2018 - Visit of US President Trump to Canada. See Blog 1325, date of issue now reported here.

  12 October 2018 - 50th anniversary of the First manned Lunar landing - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 3 different circular stamps (illustrated in Blog 1325) and the other containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

  26 October 2018 - Honeybees - 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps. Rating:- 0.

  26 October 2018 - Gemstones - 2 miniature sheets - 1 containing 4 different stamps and the other containing 2 stamps. Rating:- 0.

  26 October 2018 - Tropical eels - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and the other containing a single stamp. Rating:- *.

1330. 🇮🇴🇲🇺 Armistice Day - Indian Ocean Territories Commemorate End Of First World War Centenary.

  🇮🇴 The postal service of British Indian Ocean Territory released a set of 4 stamps on 11 November 2018 to commemorate the Centenary of the First World War. It seems perfectly reasonable for the territory to issue stamps on this subject as it is effectively a large military base. The designs are quite effective. Rating:- ****.

  🇲🇺 Mauritius Post issued an excellent single stamp on 12 November 2018 to commemorate the Centenary of the end of the First World War with the design depicting an impressive local war memorial. Rating:- *****.

  🇸🇧 Stamperija has not so far this year claimed to have released any of its tiresome and expensive paraphilatelic items with the name of Solomon Islands printed on them. The last release is dated on its website as having been 7 December 2017. This does not mean that Stamperija productions for Solomon Islands have ceased - no products were released by Stamperija in the name of Mozambique from 10 February 2017 to 15 February 2018 but then resumed in earnest.

  So we can not be sure that items from Solomon Islands depicting inappropriate subjects such as polar bears are things of the past but it is worth noting that a new government under prime minister Rick Houenipwela came to power in Solomon Islands on 15 November 2017 and one can not help but speculate that this change in administration may have resulted in the contract between Solomon Islands and Stamperija having been terminated. Well time will tell I suppose.

  Other Commonwealth postal administrations/philatelic entities which do not appear to have issued stamps or had stamps issued in their name during 2018 up to early November are those of - Anguilla, Barbados, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Dominica, Ghana, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda, St Kitts, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Seychelles, Turks And Caicos Islands, Uganda and Zambia. It will be some months at least before we know with a reasonable degree of certainty which postal services did not issue stamps during 2018 but it's interesting that as many as 18 Commonwealth philatelic entities are still not known to have issued any stamps so late in the year.

1329. 🇬🇧 Delightful Prince Of Wales Sheet To Be Issued On 14 November.

🇬🇧 Royal Mail is now featuring on its website the miniature sheet of 6 different stamps it will release on 14 November 2018 to commemorate the 70th birthday of HRH The Prince Of Wales. It really is an excellent issue with some charming photographs of the Prince and his family featured in the stamp designs. This issue is a wonderful predecessor set of a King Charles III era stamp collection when the time eventually arrives. It's a great pleasure to see the prince's wife, Camilla Duchess Of Cornwall, featured on one of the stamps - she has had relatively few appearances on stamps since the royal couple were married in 2005.

  The issue was designed by Royal Mail Group Ltd/Davies Maude and and printed in gravure by International Security Printers on self-adhesive paper and perforated 14.5 x 15. Rating:- *****.

1328. 🇨🇾 Cheerful Christmas Stamps From Cyprus.

🇨🇾 Congratulations to Cyprus Post for producing some of the most cheerful Christmas stamps this year. Four stamps, including a se-tenant pair were released on 8 November 2018. The 'religious' design depicts the icon of the birth of Christ in the church of Panagia Odigitria in Galatea. Rating:- *****.

🇮🇳 India Post issued a single stamp on 3 November 2018 to commemorate the Bicentenary of the founding of the 3rd Battalion of the Rajputana Rifles regiment. For once, a colourful and interesting issue. Rating:- ***.

🇰🇾 The postal service of Cayman Islands issued 1 stamp and 1 miniature sheet on 19 October 2018 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the territory's coat of arms. The stamps depict the arms as they are used as a badge on the national flag. Rating:- ****.

🇮🇪 An Post, the postal service of the Irish Republic, issued a pair of stamps on 8 November 2018 to commemorate the Centenary of the Armistice which ended the First World War on 11 November 1918 at 11AM. The designs by Red&Grey feature lines from poems about the war and were lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13.5.

  This is a very significant issue because for many decades those Irish men who had fought for The British Empire against the Central Powers were virtual outcasts in Ireland when they returned there after the end of the war as the establishment of the Irish Free State drew ever closely along with the civil war that followed it. It is really only since the 1990s that the Irish have reevaluated their history to find a place to recognise and salute the sacrifices of these men who fought for freedom in Europe and so this stamp issue has a political significance of the highest order. Rating:- *****.