Before getting to the main subject of this particular Blog, I illustrate above another new surcharge from the Trinidad And Tobago postal administration although I have no details of the issue at present. This is the 3c value of the 1969 definitive series with a $1 surcharge applied. This single stamp is more worthwhile and more interesting than nearly every other item discussed in the rest of this Blog. See also Blog 749.
The philatelic agency which likes to describe itself as "The world's most respected philatelic agents", otherwise known as IGPC, took a break from releasing information about new stamp issues during July while it moved its office back to New York. The brief respite is now over and IGPC is back in the business of releasing more philatelic products on to the new issue market. I'm sure we all feel a lot better for that news.
And to make up for the dearth of products in July there is a special bumper release of items and a number of lucky Commonwealth countries have their names printed on them. Very few of the items are on subjects relevant to the countries whose names appear on them but since when has that ever mattered? So, without further ado:-
Antigua And Barbuda:-
29 July 2016 - 90th Birthday of Elizabeth II, Queen of Antigua And Barbuda - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps. Presumably news of an additional miniature sheet is to follow. Rating:- ***.
29 July 2016 - 50th anniversary of the death of Sergei Korolev, Soviet rocket engineer and space craft designer - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.
22 July 2016 - Quatercentenary of the death of William Shakespeare - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.
Ghana -
30 May 2016 - African flowers - 1 sheetlet if 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.
15 June 2016 - 130th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.
Grenada:-
30 May 2016 - Quatercentenary of the death of William Shakespeare - 1 sheetlet of 4 identical stamps, 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0
30 June 2016 - 15th anniversary of the terrorist outrages of 11 September 2016 - 1 sheetlet of 6 stamps and 2 miniature sheets. Rating:- 0.
Here words defeat me. Has Grenada become a philatelic colony of China? In Blogs 620 and 697 I mentioned stamps issued by IGPC in the name of Grenada with Chinese themes which have no relevance to Grenada and with a notable amount of Mandarin text printed on them. IGPC's latest information highlights a whole new load of such stuff - I really am not clear why Grenada has been singled out to have its name used on so many of these issues. IGPC illustrates these issues only as complete sheets and prices them as sheets rather than a single sets hence the rather blurry illustrations below.
29 July 2016 - 60th anniversary of China's space industry and China Aerospace Day - 2 stamps issued in sheets of 20 (2 x 10 of each stamp in se-tenant pairs). Rating:- 0.
29 July 2016 - G20 Meeting in China - 2 different stamps issued in sheets of 100 stamps. Rating:- 0.
6 September 2016 - The Long March - 8 stamps issued in sheets of 25 individual to each design. Rating:- 0.
20 January 2016 - "Chinese paintings of characters in Chinese literature", "Dream of Red Chamber" - 4 sheets - (a) 24 different stamps in sheet of 24 (b) 4 different stamps in sheet of 24 stamps (c) 24 different stamps in sheet of 24 (d) 4 different stamps in sheet of 24. This makes a grand total of 56 new stamps produced by this particular issue. Rating:- 0.
15 August 2016 - The Great Wall of China - 2 sheetlets each containing 16 stamps (4 x 4 different designs) resulting in 8 different stamps.
Just what is going on? Anyway, back to more US philatelic imperialistic issues:-
Grenada Carriacou And Petite Martinique:-
30 June 2016 - Commemoration of the late Elvis Presley (US musician) - 4 miniature sheets. Rating:- 0.
30 May 2016 - Quatercentenary of the death of William Shakespeare - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps, 1 miniature sheet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.
7 July 2016 - Olympic Games, Rio De Janeiro - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. The issue features a German fencer but no Grenadan Olympians. Rating:- 0.
Guyana:-
30 June 2016 - Commemoration of the late Elvis Presley (US musician) - 4 miniature sheets. Rating:- 0.
7 July 2016 - Olympic Games, Rio De Janeiro "Remembering 120 years of Olympic Games" - 3 india true sheets - 2 of them each containing 4 different stamps and one contains 2 stamps. Rating:- 0. For some unexplained reason a Japanese gymnast is honoured on one of the stamps but no Guyanan is featured. Rating:- 0.
30 May 2016 - 3 miniature sheets, one contains 6 different stamps and 2 containing 4 different stamps. Rating:- 0.
25 July 2016 - 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.
Nevis:-
1 June 2016 - Quatercentenary of the death of William Shakespeare - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0
St. Kitts:-
26 May 2016 - 15th anniversary of the terrorist outrages of 11 September 2001 - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps, 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating :- 0.
26 May 2016 - Seaplanes - 1 sheetlet containing 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.
26 May 2016 - Flowering plants - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps, 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.
26 May 2016 - Land mammals of foreign countries - 1 miniature sheet containing 6 different stamps, 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.
26 May 2016 - 90th birthday of Elizabeth II, Queen of St. Kitts-Nevis - 1 miniature sheet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- **.
26 May 2016 - "Star Trek", American film - 1 miniature sheet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.
26 May 2016 - "World famous paintings" - 2 sheetlets both containing 3 different stamps and 2 miniature sheets. Rating:- 0.
26 May 2016 - Quatercentenary of the death of William Shakespeare - 1 sheetlet contains 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.
St. Vincent And The Grenadines:-
7 July 2016 - Commemoration of the late Elvis Presley (US musician) - 4 miniature sheets. Rating:- 0.
29 June 2016 - European landmarks - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.
7 July 2016 - Olympic Games, Rio De Janeiro "Remembering 120 years of Olympic Games" - 2 sheetlets each containing 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. The set commemorates a Japanese swimmer but does not commemorate any St. Vincent Olympians. Rating:- 0.
7 June 2016 - 130th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty - 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps, 1 miniature sheet contains 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.
IGPC certainly made up for its missing month with this huge flood of issues. The Grenada "stamps" are very perplexing.
What a waste of paper and ink...
ReplyDeleteBut it appears that someone somewhere buys this stuff.
DeleteBest wishes.
At least most of Grenada's Chinese stamps have a low value of $1.20 (GBP 0.38) each. Local rate? I wonder if there actually is much local mail there...
ReplyDeleteProbably they have low values because large issues like these would otherwise become to expensive for collectors.
I think I have mentioned this before, IGPC's stamps are printed in China at the same printer which also prints the Chinese stamps.
What on earth, I wonder, do Grenadans think of having their postage stamps inscribed with a text which is in a language wholly incomprehensible to them?
DeleteI visited Grenada just about 4 years ago and a lady in a postal outlet who sold me some new issues was resentful about Grenada having stamps foisted on it which had nothing at all to do with the island.
My visit was a few weeks after the London Olympics and the Grenadan government had announced that their gold medallist, Kirani James, was to have some postage stamps issued to commemorate him. The post office lady was quite excited about it and said that people in the island had been asking about buying them but suddenly the order had come to hold back sale of the items which had actually been received on the island and were awaiting issue. I do not know what the problem was and the post office lady promised to let me know when the Kirani James stamps were issued. Well, 4 years later I have not seen those particular stamps being offered for sale and I take it that the Grenadan Post Office never actually issued them. But Grenadan mail senders have had the delights of having hundreds of stamps about China issued in their name (as well as scores of stamps featuring American celebrities) - I wonder if they are still as resentful about such items as they were 4 years ago.
The surchargeded Trinidad stamp was released 25 Feb 2016.
ReplyDeleteDear eyeonwall, thank you for the very helpful information. Best wishes.
Delete