The Royal Gibraltar Post Office issued a set of 5 stamps on 10 October 2016 on the subject of pillar boxes In Gibraltar. The issue was designed by Stephen Perera and lithographed by Cartor. I like the issue very much but the set does not seem to be associated with any particular event or anniversary so why the issue has been made at this particular moment is not clear. Rating:- ***.
But that's not all. A further set from the Gibraltar Post Office also issued on 10 October 2016 is titled "Historic streets" and depicts various Gibraltar street signs. Rather like the pillar boxes set, the stamps are interesting but in a year when this tiny territory has already released 10 other sets plus a "My stamp" sheet and "Post and Go" stamps, what is the point of this issue which, incidently, has a total face value of £5.80p? The issue was designed by Stephen Perera and lithographed by Cartor. Rating:- **.
The post office of Nigeria issued a set of 10 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 4 October 2016 to commemorate the centenary of the establishment of Nigeria. A set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet is also expected to be issued on an Anti-corruption theme.
This week's paraphilatelic items released by Stamperija are 9 "sheetlets", each made up of 4 different "stamps", and 9 "miniature sheets" on the following subjects:- Charles Darwin and dinosaurs, Valentina Tereshkova, 510th anniversary of the death of Christopher Columbus, Centenary of Einstein's Theory of Relativity, Rescue vehicles, Fire engines, 85th death anniversary of Thomas Edison, Speed trains and the 500th anniversary of Royal Mail. These items have the name of Maldives printed on them. The stated "date of issue" was 8 September 2016. Rating:- 0.
Stamperija has also put out a number of products with the name of Mozambique printed on them as a World Wide Fund For Nature issue featuring the Cape otter. There are 4 "stamps" printed in se-tenant blocks of 4 as part of a "sheetlet" of 16, a "miniature sheet" of 8 (2 of each design) and 4 single "stamp" " miniature sheets" - all available in perforated or imperforate formats. The stated "date of issue" was 10 September 2016. Rating:- 0.
Hello. I think the pillar boxes series may be connected with a project that philatelist Richard Garcia presented in The London Philatelist last June. One box per reign was placed along Main Street, Gibraltar by the RGPO with the help I suppose of the local philatelic community. But I'm just guessing ; maybe Mr Garcia could answer more definitively. Respectful regards.
ReplyDeleteDear Sebastien, thank you for your information. The description of the issue I have read does not refer to the project which is a pity as it does make the issue much more worthwhile.
DeleteBest wishes.
I was able to reach Richard Garcia through a common association membership and he enquired the Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau. Here is Richard's answer (reproduced here with authorisation):
Delete"I made enquiries of the Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau regarding the Gibraltar issue of stamps featuring pillar boxes. I am informed by the Philatelic Manager at the Bureau, Mr Aaron Enriles, that the issue of stamps was approved in 2015. The concept was to issue a set of five stamps, one each for the reigns of the different British monarchs whose portrait appears on Gibraltar stamps. As is well known, no stamps of Gibraltar were issued during the reign of King Edward VIII. Indeed, at the time that the issue was conceived, the Royal Gibraltar Post Office had not yet acquired the Edward VIII pillar box.
By the time the Edward VIII pillar box was installed on John Mackintosh Square, which shares its east side with Main Street, it was too late to refocus the stamp issue given the lead in time required for royal approval of an intended stamp and the time needed for the printing process, as well as other considerations.
The intention, I am told, is therefore to include a supplement to this stamp issue in 2017 which will consist of an additional stamp/miniature sheet depicting the Edward VIII pillar box."
For the GRPO, there seems to be a connection between the pillar boxes issue and their historic equipment of Main Street. For those who wish the location of the 5 boxes, I created a Google Maps map using the addresses Mr Garcia gave in the article I quoted on Thursday ( http://sebphilatelie.blogspot.fr/2016/06/enquetes-surprise-et-boites-aux-lettres.html ). But his London Philatelist article proposed pictures of boxes and monograms that differ for some reigns with those of the stamp issue.
I hope all these details will enlighten you and your readers.
Sebastien, Thank you for your fascinating information about these stamps. They are certainly an interesting and attractive set but I do wish that the Gibraltar Post Office would reduce the number of stamps and issues they are putting out which would make the sets that they do issue so much more worthwhile.
DeleteBest wishes.
Why get the Otter stamps such a low rating? At least according to Wikipedia the Cape Otter is native to Mozambique, so does the issue not have a local relevance?
ReplyDeleteBecause they are extremely unlikely to actually be sold across ordinary post offices counters to the mail-sending public in Mozambique and because of the large number of products that make up the "issue" and the high total face value. The standard of art used in the design is pretty poor. The only reason to say anything positive about the products is that the featured species is, as you say, local giving the product a relevance to Mozambique though I doubt if many Mozambiquans will ever get to see the "stamps".
DeleteYes, it is really a big issue, but it is not so unlikely that they are used in the country. Some time ago I got private mail from Burundi with a Stamperija stamp on it.
DeleteI visited Mozambique about 10 months ago and visited 3 post offices in different towns - absoloutely NO Stamperija issues were on sale at them - indeed, the offices I visited did not have any postage stamps on sale at all!
DeleteDear White Knight: Not sure if this will ever reach you, as I have otherwise been unable to locate a means to contact you. This is in regard to new insect stamps from PNG in post #2194. At least 2 of the species depicted, the butterfly and grasshopper are from North America; I would bet the remaining species are also not native to PNG, a very sad development indeed.
ReplyDelete- Stephen Sickerman sickerman@comcast.net