2888. 🇮🇴 New Stamps For The Chagos Islands.

 

New issues -

🇮🇴 British Indian Ocean Territory - 

1 April 2026 - ‘Our home, Chagos’ - 2 stamps, previously issued commemorative stamps with overprints and surcharges applied. The overprints include the addition of ‘CIIIR’ under the cameo of Queen Elizabeth II and the items thus become the first stamps of the reign of King Charles III to be issued for the BIOT. The issue coincides with the recent resettlement of the Chagos Islands by a number of former residents and descendents of residents in the face of resistance from the Starmer government in the United Kingdom which wants to hand over the islands to Mauritius along with over £30 billion to enable it to rent back the United States airbase on Diego Garcia. On 13 March 2026 the Supreme Court of the BIOT ruled that the Chagossians could not be lawfully removed from their settlement on Île du Coin. The resettlers are led by their interim Head of Government, Misley Mandarin.  

Rating:- *****.

2887. 🇯🇪 Jersey New Issue Features Local Art.

 

New issues -

🇦🇪 Emirates Post, postal service of the United Arab Emirates -

4 February 2026 - Sharjah Heritage Days - 1 miniature sheet containing 6 different stamps. Lithographed. Rating:- *****.

🇯🇪 Jersey Post -

2 April 2026 - ‘Art under the arches’, local art - 8 stamps costing £19.87 and 1 miniature sheet containing all 8 stamps also costing £19.87. Designed by local artists, schools and community groups and lithographed by bpost. Raiting:- *.

2886. 🇭🇰 Hong Kong Issues Children’s Stamps.

 

New issues -

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Post -

30 April 2026 - Children’s stamps, Animals in Chinese idioms - 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing all 4 stamps. Designed by Paul Lam & lithographed. Rating:- *.

🇲🇲 Myanmar Post -

27 March 2026 - Myanmar coffee - 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp. Lithographed by Security Printing Works, Myanmar and designed by Myanmar Post and perforated 14. Rating:- ****.

Commonwealth countries not known to have issued, or had issued on their behalf, any legitimate postage stamps during 2026 up until the end of March- 

Anguilla 

Antigua and Barbuda 

Australia Cocos (Keeling) Islands 

Australia Norfolk Island 

Australian Antarctic Territory 

Bahamas 

Barbados 

Belize 

Bermuda 

Botswana 

British Antarctic Territory 

British Indian Ocean Territory 

British Virgin Islands 

Cameroon

Cook Islands including Rarotonga 

Cook Islands Aitutaki 

Cook Islands Penrhyn 

Dominica 

Gabon 

Grenada

Grenada Carriacou and Petite Martinique 

Guernsey Sark

Guyana 

Jamaica 

Kenya

Kingdom of eSwatini 

Kiribati 

Lesotho 

Malawi 

Maldives 

Mauritius

Montserrat 

Mozambique 

Namibia

Nevis 

New Zealand Ross Dependency 

Niue

Papua New Guinea 

Pitcairn Islands 

Rwanda

St Helena 

St Kitts/St Kitts Nevis

St Vincent and the Grenadines 

Samoa

Seychelles 

Solomon Islands 

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 

Tokelau 

Tonga

Tonga Niuafo’ou

Trinidad and Tobago 

Turks and Caicos Islands 

Tuvalu 

Uganda 

United Republic of Tanzania 

Vanuatu 

Zambia 

Therefore, at the end of March, 57 out of 88 Commonwealth philatelic entities (64.8%) have not issued, or had issued on their behalf, during 2026. This compares with 73.9% at the end of February and 76.1% at the end of March 2026.

2885. 🇨🇾 Cyprus Commemorates Event Of The Greek War Of Independence.

 

New issues -

🇨🇾 Cyprus Post -

26 March 2026 - 75th anniversary of the Cyprus Red Cross - 1 stamp. Lithographed by Baltic Banknote High Security. Rating:-**.

26 March 2026 - Centenary of the Insurance Association of Cyprus  - 1 stamp. Lithographed by Baltic Banknote High Security. Rating:- **..

26 March 2026 - Bicentenary of the exodus of the free besieged of Messolonghi - 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp. Designed by Dimos Morfou. Lithographed by Baltic Banknote High Security. Rating:- *****.

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka Post -

26 March 2026 - Jathika Namal Uyana - 1 stamp. Lithographed. Rating:- ****.

New issue programmes-

Spectre of Stamps has published the following new issue programmes for various Commonwealth postal authorities - 

Postal service of Kiribati -

Date not specified - Anniversaries - 250th anniversary of the third voyage of Captain Cook, 250th anniversary of the rebellion in the American colonies, 150th anniversary of Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone and Birth centenary of the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Postal service of Barbados -

Date not specified -

Rum shops

60th anniversary of Independence 

Connections between Barbados and Carolina

Postal service of St Helena -

Date not specified - New definitive series (endemic invertebrates).

2884. 🇬🇮 Gibraltar £10 Stamp To Commemorate Late Queen Elizabeth II.

 

New issues -

🇬🇮 Royal Gibraltar Post Office -

30 March 2026 - High value definitive, Birth centenary of the late Queen Elizabeth II - 1 x £10 stamp (in addition to the previously reported 6 stamps and 1 miniature sheet- see Blog 2881). Designed by Stephen Perera and lithographed by Cartor. Rating:- *.

🇰🇾 Cayman Islands Postal Service -

2 March 2026 - International Women’s Month, Female national heroes - 4 stamps. Lithographed. Rating:- *****.

🇮🇳 India Post -

13 February 2026 - Puppets in India (see Blog 2880) - in addition to the previously reported set of 8 stamps, 4 miniature sheets were also issued, each containing 2 different stamps from the set. Rating:- *****.

🇳🇿 New Zealand Post -

1 April 2026 - Definitives, New Zealand scenery - 5 gummed stamps & 1 self-adhesive stamp from booklets containing 5 x $4.90 values. Designed by New Zealand Post and lithographed by Brebner Prints and perforated 13.5. Rating:- ***.

1 April 2026 - ANZAC traditions - 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing all 4 stamps. Designed by Neil Jarvie and lithographed by Brebner Print and perforated 13.5. Rating:- ***.

2883. 🇸🇬 Singapore Promotes Health.

 

New issues -

🇸🇬 Singapore Post -

1 April 2026 - 25th anniversary of the Health Promotion Board - 5 stamps. Lithographed. Rating:- ***.

🇮🇲 Isle Of Man Post Office -

7 April 2026 - Commemoration of the late Trevor Hemmings CVO, racing horse trainer - 6 stamps (cost £12.97) 1 Prestige booklet containing 2 panes each of the 6 stamps) (cost ££25.94) and 1 pane of 6 self-adhesive stamps (one of each) costing £12.97. Total cost - £51.88. Designed by Grossick Photography and lithographed by bpost and perforated 11.5. Rating:- *. This issue does not appear to be related to any particular anniversary associated with Trevor Hemmings & its total cost is quite obviously excessive.