1587. 🇻🇺 Vanuatu Chinese New Year Issue.

Upcoming issues:-

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Post will issue a miniature sheet containing 2 different stamps on 25 January 2020 to commemorate the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rat. The printing includes the use of gold foil. Not really a subject of relevance to Vanuatu. Rating:- 0.

🇧🇩 Bangladesh Post - 20 January 2020 - 9th National Cub Camporee - Designed by Tupash Kanti Golder of the Bangladesh Scouts. Lithographed by Security Printing Corporation (Bangladesh), Gazipur. Rating:- ***.

🇮🇳 India Post - 22 January 2020 - Centenary of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) - 1 stamp. I like this stylish issue because the designs of stamps commemorating the ILO are usually very dull and unoriginal. Rating:- ****.

🇬🇧 Royal Mail - 10 March 2020 - London 2020 International Philatelic Exhibition - 1 counter booklet containing 6 x 1st self-adhesive stamps (2 x 1st Penny Black, 2 x 1st Penny Red and 2 x 1st Twopenny Blue).
Rating:- ***.

2020 - London 2020 International Philatelic Exhibition - 1 miniature sheet containing 8 x 1st Class rate stamps. Rating:- ***.

1586. 🇳🇿 Moths Of New Zealand.

Upcoming and recent issues -

🇳🇿 New Zealand Post - 4 February 2020 - Daphne moths - 6 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing all 6 stamps. Designed by Stephen Fuller and lithographed by Southern Colour Print and perforated 14. Rating:- ***.

🇲🇾 Pos Malaysia - 23 January 2020 - Personalised (se temku) greetings stamps, Year of the Rat - 1 sheetlet (10 stamps [7 different designs]). Rating:- *.

🇮🇴 British Indian Ocean Territory postal service - 4 December 2019 - Dragonflies (see illustrations in Blog 1567) - 6 stamps. Designed by Elizabeth Moxham and lithographed by Southern Colour Print and perforated 14.

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands postal service - 13 December 2019 - 50th anniversary of the First manned lunar landing - 4 stamps. Designed by Leanne Sherliker and lithographed by Southern Colour Print and perforated 14. Not really relevant to Cayman Islands and nothing original in the stamp designs. Rating:- **.

1585. 🇬🇾 Guyana Commemorates 50th Anniversary Of The Republic.

Upcoming issues:-

🇬🇾 Guyana Post Office Corporation - 30 December 2019 - Golden Jubilee of The Republic Of Guyana.

🇺🇸 IGPC - Products detailed in Blog 1582 now illustrated:-

🇦🇬 Antigua And Barbuda - 1 November 2019 - ‘Chinese art’ (Terracotta warriors).

🇬🇩 Grenada - ?2019 - Wildlife of Madagascar.

🇬🇾 Guyana - 25 November 2019 - Plants (cacti).

🇰🇳 Nevis - 6 January 2020 - Rabbits.

6 January 2020 - Sea animals.

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea - ?2019 - HH Dorje Chang Buddha III.

🇹🇻 Tuvalu - ?2019 - Centenary of Female Franchise in The United States.

🇰🇳 St Kitts - ?2019 - 150th Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

🇲🇾 The 2020 programme of new issues from Pos Malaysia has been outlined:-

6 February - Malaysian calligraphy part 2
To be announced - Visit Malaysia Year 2020
26 March - Wild flowers part 3
2 April - Dying trades
28 April - APEC Malaysia 2020
5 May - Hidden treasure of Malaysia
6 June - Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong
25 June - Malaysian batik part 3
9 July - Durian fruit
28 July - Malaysian Street art
13 August - Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa, part 2
27 August - The world’s tallest tree in Sabah
16 September - Malaysia Day
9 October - World Post Day
20 October - Stamp Week
2 November - Historic literature, UNESCO
2 December - Unique architecture

🇹🇿 PAPU (Pan African Postal Union) - commemorating its 40th anniversary in 2020 and holding its meeting in Arusha in Tanzania from 17 to 19 January. Look out for stamps from the postal services and philatelic agencies of various African territories including, I assume, Tanzania.

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Post. 4 February 2020. ‘24 Solar terms - Spring’. 6 semi-circular stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Designed by Arde Lam and lithographed by Cartor (miniature sheet on ‘silk’) and perforated 13.5. An attractive issue but there is no obvious reason for this issue. Rating:- *.

🇸🇬 It seems that Singapore Post is planning to release the following issues during 2020:-

8 January - Year Of The Rat (see Blog 1571)
11 January - Bicentenary of Policing in Singapore (see Blog 1580)
24 January - Chinese new year - Steam boat (family feast on the eve of the Chinese New Year - 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp).

April - Singapore mascots
May - Singapore skyline
June - Joint issue with Mongolia
June - Technology
July - Olympic Games, Tokyo
August - Quirks in the Island city
September - 75th anniversary of the Japanese surrender of Singapore
October - Joint issue with Hungary
November- Pioneer artist.

1584. 🇹🇹🇨🇦 Trinidad Chinese Relations Issue And Canada Chinese New Year Set.

🇹🇹 T & T Post, the postal service of Trinidad And Tobago, has issued a set of 5 circular, self-adhesive stamps in a special pack on 20 June 2019 to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Caribbean islands-state’s establishment of diplomatic relations with The People’s Republic of China. I suspect this pack was a gift from the Chinese government especially as only 1500 were issued, 1000 of which  were retained for use by The Chinese embassy in Port Of Spain while only 500 were made available to members of the public. The pack also included 2 first day covers of the issue and these are dated 20 June 2019. The subject of the stamps is ‘natural legacies’ and the designs depict Chines and Trinidadian flora and fauna.

  The limited availability of this item and, I suspect, premium price, may result in it proving to be too unsatisfactory to be fully listed in the Gibbons Catalogue. Nevertheless it’s an interesting issue though very expensive. Might be worth a punt if asking price is not to high. Rating:- ****.

🇨🇦 Canada Post will issue its Chinese new year stamps on 17 January 2020. The set is made up of a ‘P’ value stamp in gummed (from sheets of 25) and self-adhesive (from booklets of 10) formats and a $2.71 self-adhesive stamp from booklets of 6. There is also a miniature sheet containing the $2.71 value as well as the $2.65 value from the Year of The Pig issue of 2019. The issue was designed by Albert Ng and Seung Jai Paek. This is a cheerful, amusing and charming set, one of the best Chinese new year sets from anywhere this year. Rating:- *****.