Friday 31 July 2015

610. Namibia's Charming New Issue Features Young Animals.

  Namibia Post issued 5 charming stamps on 6 July 2015 which depict baby animals of the 5 species of Namibia's "Big Five" - the 5 large mammals which tourists on safari in the country want to see. The featured creatures are leopard, lion, African buffalo, elephant and black rhinoceros and the stamps were designed by Helge Denker. 
  It's distressing to think that the lion cub pictured on the Non-standard registered mail rate stamp could grow up to be shot by a dentist with a crossbow or that the elephant calf depicted on the N$5.70 value could be killed so that its tusks could be sold on the illegal ivory market. Philately may be out of fashion but we stamp collectors never killed a beautiful creature in pursuance of our hobby. Rating:- *****






  The Bangladesh postal administration issued 1 colourful stamp on 29 July 2015 to commemorate Stamp Day. Rating:-***




  Mauritius Post has issued a single stamp to commemorate the Indian Ocean Games which will be held in France (actually on the island of Reunion which is part of France) from 1 to 8 August 2015. I do not yet know the precise date of issue. Rating:- **


  The latest delights with a Commonwealth country's name printed on them, Maldives, to emanate from Stamperija have a stated day of issue of 1 July 2015 and, as usual, take the form of 10 sheetlets, each containing 4 different "stamps", with 10 accompanying "miniature sheets" all of which are on subjects which have no relevance to The Maldive Islands .... so no change there then. 
   For the record the latest list of subjects encompasses a broad range which is likely to appeal to many people who know no better. The subjects are:- Vasco Da Gama, Space, Centenary of the Endurance expedition (to the Antarctic!), 105th Birth anniversary of Jacques Yves Cousteau (well, I suppose a sub-aqua diver could be relevant to Maldives), Trains,"Space Pioneers", Centenary of The First World War, the Wright brothers (American aviation pioneers), Porsche motor cars and Louis Pasteur. Rating:- 0.










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Tuesday 28 July 2015

609. Spectacular New Issues From Papua New Guinea Feature Headgear And Sports.



  Post PNG, the postal administration of Papua New Guinea, has released the following new stamp issues:-
  A set of 4 stamps, 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps and 1 single value miniature sheet on the subject of Traditional local headdresses. The date of issue is given as 22 June 2015. Rating:- *****.






  A second set (again 4 stamps and 2 miniature sheets) was also issued on 22 June 2015 and commemorated the 15th Pacific Games which was held in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, from 4 to 18 July 2015. The interesting designs depict sports of the Games including, unusually, "bodybuilding" and the K10 miniature sheet depicts Tura the Kokomo, a bird which is the Games' mascot. Rating:-*****.







  The 2 latest issues from the Bangladesh postal administration are both single stamp issues. I do not yet know the dates of issue. The first commemorates the 150th anniversary of the International Telecommunications Union and the second commemorates the 2015 National Day and Day of Independence. Rating:- **



  In Blog 605  I illustrated the Singapore Post single stamp to be issued on 8 August 2015 as a joint issue with the other 9 members of ASEAN and below I depict the issues from the postal administrations of the other 2 countries which are members of both The Commonwealth and ASEAN - Pos Malaysia and the Brunei Darussalam Post Office. The date of issue will also be 8 August 2015 for both countries - the date is the 48th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN. Rating:- ****



  After a few happy weeks of absence of new issues of Royal Mail's "Post And Go" labels the pleasant peace is shattered by the release on 28 July 2015 of a new series produced by kiosk A004 which has been installed at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum at Gosport. Intelligent A R announced that the labels would be dispensed in "Collectors' Strips"in both the Union Jack design and Machin Head designs with the additional inscription "The RNSM" as shown below. Rating:- 0

Union Jack Complete Collectors Strip

Top half of strip.

Bottom half of strip.

Machin Head Complete Collectors Strip

Top half of strip.

Bottom half of strip.


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Monday 27 July 2015

608. Kiribati's Butterflies, Canada's Lost Expedition And Bermuda's Blooms.


  The previously mentioned (see Blog 604), very attractive 2 stamp miniature sheet which was issued by the Kiribati postal administation on 27 May 2015 on the subject of Butterflies of Kiribati is now illustrated above. The equally attractive and colourful first day cover is shown below. Rating:- *****


  On 6 August 2015 Canada Post will issue a set of 5 new stamps [a gummed se-tenant pair of "P' values from "panes" of 16 (cost of "pane" $13.60c), a self-adhesive se-tenant pair of "P" values from an $8.50c booklet, a self-adhesive gummed $2.50c stamp from booklets of six (cost of booklet $15)] and a gummed $2.50c miniature sheet to commemorate The Franklin Expedition of 1845. The issue is timed now because the long lost wreck of the expedition's ship, HMS Erebus, was discovered in early September 2014 and much has been salvaged and learnt from this important find.
  Sir John Franklin and his expedition sailed into arctic waters in 1845 hoping to discover the Northwest Passage which would open up the trade route from north America to the Far east. the expedition was made up of 2 ships - HMS Terror and HMS Erebus - but both ships became trapped ice by the autumn of 1846 and by 1848, in terrible conditions, the ships were abandoned and the entire expedition died.
  This issue was designed by John White of Subplot Design and 1 of the "P" values depicts a map, written in Inuktut, of the area where the expedition was lost. The issue was printed in lithography by Lowe-Martin. Rating:- *****


Special $13.60c pane.
2 x $2.50 c from booklet of 6.

Booklet of 6 self-adhesive $2.50c stamps

$2.50c miniature sheet.

  The Bermuda Post Office has released the second part of its "Bermuda in Bloom" definitive series - the 50c, $1, $1.15, $1.20, $1.35 and $1.55 values. Once more these are colourful and pleasing stamps as we would normally expect from the Bermuda Post Office. The date of issue was 16 July 2015 and regretfully the quality of the illustrations is poor at present but I again rate this lovely issue as *****.








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