Commonwealth Stamps Opinion: 173. Commonwealth New Issues.

Saturday, 3 November 2012

173. Commonwealth New Issues.

Recent Commonwealth new issues include an interesting item from Ghana which features the late President of the country, John Atta-Mills, meeting the President of the USA when the latter visited Ghana on 11 July 2011. The miniature sheet was issued on 1 October 2012. President Atta-Mills died in office on 12 July 2012 from a stroke whilst suffering from throat cancer at the age of 68. He had been President of Ghana since 7 January 2009, succeeding John Agyekum Kufuor, having won a presidential election as the candidate of the National Democratic Congress party. Prior to his life in politics, he had been a law professor. He was succeeded by the former Vice President, John Dramani Mahama.

Ghana's sheetlet of 5 stamps depicting primates was issued on 13 September 2012:-

St. Kitts recently issued a number of sets on 1 October 2012:- Caribbean game fish (6 stamps and 1 miniature sheet), "Elvis Presley - That's The Way It Is" (2 min. sheets), 15th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess Of Wales (1 stamp and 1 m.s.), Caribbean parrots (4 stamps and 1 m.s.), Abraham Lincoln commemoration (3 stamps and 1 m.s.) and Shells (4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet). I shall not include any of these in my collection since they have no direct local relevance to St. Kitts (one or two, admittedly, may have a tangental relevance but that is not good enough in these days of excessive issuing). I shall, however, add the set of 5, sheetlet of 4 and 1 miniature sheet (previously illustrated) which was also issued on 1 October 2012 to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen of St. Kitts-Nevis, Elizabeth II:-

Nevis has also now issued a sheetlet of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee but I do not yet know its date of issue. There is also a sheetlet of 4 identical stamps and 1 m.s. to commemorate the birth bicentenary of Charles Dickens and a sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet which commemorate the writer JM Barrie and his character Peter Pan.

Guyana recent issues are :- 23 October 2012:- South American wildlife (3 stamps and 1 m.s.), shells of the Caribbean (10 stamps and 2 m.s.), the evolution of dogs (8 stamps and 1 m.s.), dolphins (6 stamps and 2 m.s.), whales (3 stamps and 1 m.s.); 29 October 2012:- orchids of South America (4 stamps and 1 m.s.), birth quincentenary of the artist Michelangelo 3 stamps and 1 m.s.), 15th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess Of Wales (8 stamps); date not yet known:- Chinese zodiac calendar (2 stamps).

Grenada:- issue date not yet known:- Papal visit to Cuba (4 stamps and 1 m.s.), Chinese zodiac calendar (2 stamps).

Antigua And Barbuda:- 24 September 2012:- Caribbean sea horses (sheetlet of 5 stamps), issue date not yet known:- Christmas (6 stamps), the War of 1812 (6 stamps and 1 m.s.).

The Gambia:- 2 February 2012:- consecration of Rt. Rev. Hannah Faal-Heim, first Gambian Methodist Bishop and first woman bishop in West Africa (4 m.s.) (this issue has previously been mentioned but date of issue is now given); date not yet known:- Christmas (5 stamps and 1 m.s.).

Sierra Leone:- date of issue not yet known:- Chinese zodiac calendar (2 stamps).

Guernsey:- 27 September 2012:- 20th anniversary of Floral Guernsey (6 stamps and 1 m.s.):-