🇦🇺🇨🇨 Australia Post has announced another parade of new issues for the upcoming 2 months - sadly. These, then, are the latest philatelic gems:-
7 May 2019 - Flightless birds - 3 gummed stamps and 1 self-adhesive $2.30c stamp (from a ‘sheetlet’ of 5). Designed by Sharon Rodziewicz and lithographed by RA Printing and perforated 14.5 x 14 or 14 x 14.5. The $1 values seem to be described as ‘definitives’ while the $2.30c is a ‘commemorative’ which all seems rather strange to me. Rating:- *.
14 May 2019 - Bees - 4 gummed stamps and 4 self-adhesive stamps from booklets of 10 (one for each design) - designed by Kevin Stead and lithographed by RA Printing and perforated 14 x 14.5. Rating:- 0.
4 June 2019 - Issue inscribed ‘Cocos (Keeling) Islands’, Water sports - 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet - designed by Jo Muré and lithographed by Egotrade and perforated 14 x 14.5. Rating:- ***.
4 June 2019 - Australian sports stadiums - 4 gummed stamps and 4 self-adhesive stamps sold in 4 booklets of 10 (one for each design). Designed by Andrew Hogg Design and lithographed by RA Printing and perforated 14 x 14.5. Rating:- 0.
17 June 2019 - China 2019 World Stamp Exhibition - 6 different miniature sheets, one released on each day of the exhibition and the set sold for a total of $20. Rating:- 0.
18 June 2019 - 50th anniversary of the establishment of equal pay for men and women - 1 gummed stamp - designed by Australia Post Design Studio and lithographed by RA Printing and perforated 14 x 14.5. Rating:- ***.
13 June 2019 - Sydney Stamp & Coin Expo (13 - 16 June 2019) - 1 miniature sheet containing 4 identical $1 stamps. Rating:- *.
May/June 2019 - ‘Marvel Avengers Endgame’ - 1 sheetlet containing 20 x $1 ‘Map of Australia’ stamps with attached labels sold for $23. Rating:- 0.
May/June 2019 - ‘The Secret Life of Pets 2’ - 1 sheetlet containing 20 x $1 ‘Balloons’ stamps with attached labels sold for $23. Rating:- 0.
May/June 2019 ‘Toy Story 4’- 1 sheetlet containing 20 x $1 ‘Fireworks’ stamps with attached labels sold for $23. Rating:- 0.
May/June 2019 - Centenary of ‘Felix The Cat’ - 1 sheetlet containing 20 x $1 stamps with attached labels sold for $23. Rating:- 0.
May/June 2019 - 115th anniversary of Dr Seuss - 1 pack containing 20 x $1 ‘Balloons’ stamps with attached labels sold for $23. Rating:- 0.
?May/June 2019 - Victory of Adelaide Crows in 2019 NAS AFL Women’s Competition - 1 sheetlet of 8 ‘Map of Australia’ stamps sold for $15.95 (total face value being $8). Rating:- 0.
While I agree with you about the plethora of new issues (and the fact many of them don't commemorate any particular event), I do have to correct you on a few matters.
ReplyDeleteThe use of the term definitive with the Flightless Birds issue is to describe the size. These are 'double definitive' sized stamps i.e. 30 x 50 mm, whereas nearly all commemoratives are 37.5 x 26 mm or 35 x 35 mm.
Also, I feel the Bee issue deserves at least a higher rating than 0. This is the first time native bees have been displayed on Australian stamps, and they are vital to the survival of Australia's unique flora.
Dear Chris, thank you for clarifying the description of the Birds stamps.
DeleteAs regarding the Bees issue, with Australia I tend to rate everything as 0 because of the huge numbers of issues unless the stamps commemorate an event or anniversary of Australian national significance or are definitives. I appreciate that the bees stamps may be viewed as significant and are nicely designed and produced but they are lost in a sea of countless thematic issues released just to make money and therefore line up with all the excessive issues. If there were 8 or even, say, up to 12 issues per year the significance of the Bees stamps would be more easily recognisable. Greed has its consequences.
Sports Stadiums!!!
ReplyDeleteStadia is the correct word.
Thanks Ian. I myself do like the correct plurals as we find them in Latin but I did actually think about this before writing ‘-ums’ since so many people in these regrettable times of the use of more casual English tend to add an ‘s’ to a word rather than use ‘-ia’ And whether correct or not sometimes one feels that one should go along with such trends whether one agrees with them or not. Please forgive me and I’ll go away and write 100 lines, ‘I must not use sloppy language’.
DeleteOr if you like, ’Uti fas est lingua sermone’
Delete