1323. 🇳🇿 New Zealand Post Commemorates Royal Visit.

  🇳🇿 New Zealand Post issued a miniature sheet containing 6 different stamps on 30 October 2018 to commemorate the latest royal visit to New Zealand - that by the recently married Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The issue was designed by Hannah Fortune and lithographed by Solutions and Collectables Centre in Whanganui and perforated 14 x 14.5. Rating:- ****.

  With a very large number of East Asian immigrants living in New Zealand now, especially in Auckland, it seems perfectly reasonable for New Zealand Post to issue stamps to commemorate Chinese New Year. A set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet commemorating the Year of The Pig will be released on 5 February 2019. I expect a gold foil miniature sheet will be sold prior to that date at a highly inflated price as has happened in previous years. Rating:- ***.

  🇭🇰 Hong Kong Post will issue a miniature sheet on 9 November 2018 to commemorate the Bicentenary of the founding of Ying Wa College, originally based in Malacca and moved to Hong Komg in 1843. The issue was designed by Freeman Lau and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 14.5 x 14.5 x 14 x 14. The sheet contains a single $10 stamp. Rating:- **.

🇬🇧 Although Royal Mail has embargoed the release of the designs of its issue to commemorate the 70th Birthday of The Prince Of Wales until 14 November 2018, the actual date of issue, with its frequent crassness, the company has revealed most of the design with an illustration of it which appears in a promotion of the 2018 Yearpack on Royal Mail's own website. The issue takes the form of a miniature sheet containing 6 different stamps whose designs include some charming photographs of the prince. I especially like the photograph of the Prince with his wife, The Duchess Of Cornwall, and another with his two sons at a polo match. Rating:- ****.

1322. 🇿🇦 South Africa Mandela Joint Issue With PAPU.

  🇿🇦 The South African Post Office issued a single miniature sheet on 18 July 2018 as its contribution to the omnibus series being released this year by the Pan-African Post Union (PAPU) to commemorate the Centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela, the design is similar to those issues released by the postal administrations which appear to have participated so far - Algeria, Burkina Faso, Kenya, The Gambia, Togo, Libya, Tunisia, Liberia and Niger. Given that there are 45 countries which are members of PAPU there are still a lot of these issues to surface if every member participates (which seems unlikely). Only three of the Commonwealth members of PAPU out of a total of 16 (Botswana, Cameron, Eswatini, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia) have so far revealed their participation. Rating:- ****.

  🇮🇲 In Blog 1321 I mentioned the stamps due for release on 29 October 2018 by the Isle Of Man Post Office as its Christmas issue and also to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Beano comic. I now present below much better illustrations of the issue than were included in Blog 1321.

  🇲🇾 Pos Malaysia issued a set of 3 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 9 October 2018 to commemorate the Centenary of Jit Sin School (I wonder what sort of sins they teach there - sounds like a fun place to study). The particularly uninteresting designs are by World Communications Network Resources. Rating:- **.

1321. 🇳🇺 Niue Commemorates New Museum.

  🇳🇺 The postal service of Niue issued a set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 19 October 2018 to commemorate the opening of the new Taoga Niue Museum which replaces the previous island's museum destroyed by Cyclone Heta in 2004. The designs feature various items displayed in the new museum. The exhibits shown on the stamps were photographed by Huga Toke Talagi. The stamps were designed by Saint Andrew Matautia and lithographed by the Collectables and Solutions Centre in Whanganui and perforated 13.5. Rating:- ****.

  🇲🇹 MaltaPost has issued 2 stamps with special attached labels to mark its attendance at philatelic exhibitions recently.

  Firstly a stamp plus label was issued on 7 September 2018 for the exhibition held in Prague and then a similar item was released on 23 October 2018 in relation to Maltex 2018.

  🇨🇦 Canada Post has indicated that its 2019 new issue programme will include stamps which take the form of a new definitive featuring Queen Elizabeth II, more items in the 'Far and Wide' series and a 'Year of The Pig' issue. These will be followed in February by another stamp in its 'Black History' series which will depict Albert Jackson, Canada's first black letter carrier. There will be an issue in the Flowers series, this time depicting Gardenias and then an issue dealing with the Vancouver Asahi baseball team.

  There will be an issue depicting Canadian bears and an issue dealing with the role of Canadians in the development of aviation. An issue will commemorate the Red River rebellion, another will commemorate the founding of Manitoba and a third will depict historic covered bridges.

  There will be the usual charity stamp supporting the Canada Post Community Foundation and then the annual Christmas issue.

  🇲🇼 Below I now depict all 6 single stamp miniature sheets mentioned in Blog 1316 and issued on 5

October 2018 on the subject of Translocation of elephants.

  🇮🇲 This year's Christmas stamps from the Isle Of Man Post Office take the form of 8 gummed stamps, a very large sheet containing all 8 stamps and 8 self-adhesive stamps with the same designs but dispensed from an automatic dispenser. The theme of the issue is tied to the 80th anniversary of the Beano comic and the designs are so contrived as to depict two characters from the comic, Dennis the Menace and his faithful hound Gnasher, enjoying adventures against the backgrounds of different Manx scenes.

  The sheetlet, if that's an appropriate term, takes the form of two pages of the Beano comic and tells a story for the purchaser to enjoy after Christmas lunch whilst they're waiting for The Queen's Christmas speech to start on the television. The issue was designed by EJC Design from art by Nigel Parkinson and lithographed by Lowe Martin and perforated 13. The issue will be released on 29 October 2018.

  I ought to be more pleased with this issue because it's very hard for postal administrations to constantly come up with original subjects for stamp issues especially Christmas issues but it all seems somewhat contrived and a little tiresome. Rating:- ***.

  🇸🇨 Seychelles Post has announced that it will issue a stamp during 2019 to commemorate the 150th Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. There is no news, as far as I know, of any new issue being released during 2018.

  🇯🇪 Jersey Post will issue more Post and Go stamps on 23 November 2018 to coincide with the Fête de Noué which heralds the start of the Christmas season in Jersey. Kiosk JE02 will dispense the Jersey Crest stamps with an additional inscription Complyîments d'la saîson and the Jersey Flag stamp with the inscription Season's Greetings. Both types of stamps will also have an icon representing a sprig of holly. These items will be dispensed until 3 January 2019. Rating:- 0.

  🇬🇧 Royal Mail began to dispense the Poppy design Post and Go stamps from NCR kiosks in ordinary post offices from 23 October 2018. The stamps have new codes - R18YAL. Rating:- ***.

  Last week I visited the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust gift shop in Stratford upon Avon, which I do frequently, and found that Post and Go kiosk A009 was dispensing the Machin Head stamp with the Trust's additional inscription and with code MA14 which I have not previously seen being dispensed. Previously the stamp has been issued with no code and code MA15 (both used on the first day of the kiosk's activity, 1 November 2018) and code MA13 which dates back to March 2017 I believe. Rating:- ***.

1320. 🇬🇧 Excellent Christmas Set To Be Issued By Royal Mail.

🇬🇧 Royal Mail will issue a splendid set of 7 self-adhesive stamps and 1 gummed miniature sheet on 1 November 2018 for use on Christmas mail. The issue works on several levels. The wonderful illustrations by Andrew Davidson give the feeling of Christmases a few decades ago (though the clothing depicted is very much that of 2018) when there was a kinder, gentler Britain, the streets were free of motor cars and families shared their Christmas preparations - men carried the Christmas tree home over their shoulders, brothers walked to the post box to mail their Christmas cards, old ladies and their cocker spaniels posted their cards in 1930s suburbs, choir boys in full costumes ran to catch the last mail of the day and it snowed across the kingdom in time for Christmas Day. Ahhhh......

  I like the issue too because of its postal history subject with the depiction of post boxes from every reign from that of Queen Victoria onwards. I particularly like the 2nd Class stamps which feature an Edward VII post box because I have one such post box just about 50 yards away from where I live.

  The issue was lithographed by International Security Printers and is perforated 14.5 x 15. There will be two booklets of self-adhesive stamps - 12 x 1st Class and 12 x 2nd class.

  An excellent issue - I can't wait to start writing my Christmas cards! Rating:- *****.

  See also Blog 1306.

 🇲🇾 Pos Malaysia issued a set of 3 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 22 October 2018 to commemorate the Installation of the Sultan of Kedah, Salahuddin Sultan. Rating:- ****.

  🇰🇪 The Postal Corporation of Kenya issued a single stamp and an accompanying miniature sheet on 9 October 2018 (World Post Day) to commemorate the Birth Centenary of the former South African President and statesman, Nelson Mandela. The designs are the same as those issued by other member states of the Pan-African Postal Union (see Blogs 1264 ).