668. Philatelic Collector's Year Of Monkey Philatelic Products.

  In Blog 666 I depicted a sheetlet of 2 stamps issued by Philatelic Collector Inc. with the name of Samoa printed on them which commemorates the lunar new year - The Year of the Monkey. I now depict other items from this "minibus" which Philatelic Collector Inc. has released with the names of Cook Islands, Aitutaki Cook Islands, Penrhyn Cook Islands, Niuafo'ou Tonga and Tonga printed on them. The date of issue is stated to have been 25 September 2015 and the items were printed in lithography by BDT International. Each sheetlet contains 1 design by Sophia Zhang as well as a work by a distinguished Chinese calligrapher. 

  Of course, there are no native species of monkey on any of these islands.

  Wikipedia states that 550 Chinese people live in Samoa and that there are 30000 in Samoa of mixed Samoan-Chinese descent due to the introduction of Chinese labourers to the islands during the period of German colonial rule. A census of 2001 suggested that Chinese made up 3-4% of the population of Tonga. Chinese people make up less than 0.9% of the population of Cook Islands. You can make up your own minds on the relevance of these philatelic products to these various territories.

      Tonga and Niuafo'ou Tonga - 1 sheetlet for each philatelic entity plus 1 additional sheetlet inscribed "Tonga". Each item contains 2 different stamps. The foldable $27.90 sheetlet has an area in to which a  personalisable label can be inserted and the whole can be folded into the shape of a sedan chair which in the past was the form of transport by which a bride was carried to her new husband's home. Rating:- 0.

                                         

                                         

                                               

  Cook Islands, Aitutaki Cook Islands and Penrhyn Cook Islands - 1 sheetlet for each philatelic entity. Each sheetlet contains 2 different "stamps". Rating:- 0.

                                    

                                              

                                            

IGPC has issued some Battle of Waterloo philatelic items additional to the sheetlet of four produced in the name of Antigua And Barbuda which I mentioned in Blog 667:-

  Antigua and Barbuda - 2015 - Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps (depicted in Blog 667) and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

                                 

  St. Kitts - 3 August 2015 - Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamp and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

                               

                                   

620. IGPC's China Syndrome.

  I now illustrate more recently announced philatelic products released by IGPC, a US-based philatelic agency which also has a Beijing office, and issued in the name of the Commonwealth Queen's Realm of Grenada. 

  The first is an extraordinary set of 15 different stamps which between them depict a huge military parade through the streets of Beijing complete with tanks, marching soldiers, heavy guns mounted on vehicles and rocket launchers. The issue has been released "to honour China". The total face value is EC$ 67.50c (£15.93p). The date of issue is said to have been 3 August 2015.

   If Grenada wishes to honour The People's Republic Of China on its stamps, and it may well wish to for all I know, surely the producers of its stamps could have produced a more suitable subject to link the 2 countries than an enormous military parade. Then again, I don't suppose the Grenadan postal administration has had much input into the design of these philatelic products. Clearly these "stamps" have been produced with the sole aim of appealing to the large Chinese philatelic market and trying to increase sales there rather than having any consideration for what sort of stamps Grenadans may wish to stick on their mail. Rating:- 0.

  A second set inscribed "Grenada" from IGPC which is also clearly aimed at the Chinese philatelic market (much of the inscription is in Mandarin) is a set of 5 "stamps" which depicts Allied World War II leaders (De Gaulle, Churchill and Roosevelt together with Stalin plus Mao Zedong). The hatched shading of the stamps' background suggests that the designer of the Beijing military parade set was also responsible for these items, each with a face value of EC$ 4.50c (total $22.50c or £5.31p). In modern times, Stalin is viewed in the West at least, as a monster responsible for the death of millions of people and so I'm sure that Grenadans will be delighted to see his image depicted on one of their stamps. The stated date of issue is 3 August 2015. Rating:- 0.

  The IGPC website says that "one third of the world's philatelists reside" in China and that "always on the lookout for opportunities to expand the stamp markets of its government clients, IGPC was the first  foreign philatelic agent to open a permanent office in China". "From the capital of Beijing, IGPC promotes the sales of its clients' postage stamps, while facilitating consumer research amongst this grandiose population of collectors. The research here is used to devise stamp design and marketing strategies to boost sales in the Asian market, and ultimately greater income for the agency's government clients". 

  So it appears that research carried out in China dictates what will appear on stamps which are produced in the name of Grenada, Ghana and Papua New Guinea (but presumably not St. Vincent And The Grenadines and St. Kitts both of which have produced stamps emphasising diplomatic ties with Taiwan in recent years - though interestingly the latter set, issued over a year ago, has not yet  been promoted on the philatelic market since, one supposes, such an issue might annoy IGPC's mainland Chinese clients). This research in China has therefore, one assumes, identified that if Grenada 

has a large Chinese military parade depicted on its stamps along with the likes of Stalin and Mao Zedong then it will receive a "greater income" from its "boosted" philatelic sales. Interesting isn't it? 

  On the subject of St. Kitts, in Blog 618 I illustrated some recently released philatelic items from IGPC inscribed with the name of St. Kitts and I now add more illustrations of those issues:-

  3 August 2015 -  Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo - 1 miniature sheet now illustrated:-

   3 August 2015 - Domestic cats - Sheetlet of 6 different stamps now illustrated:-

   3 August 2015 - Birth of Princess Charlotte of Cambridge - Sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet:-

   3 August 2015 - Singapore 2015 Philatelic Exhibition - Sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 m.s.:-

618. Australia Post To Issue Princess Charlotte Stamp.

  Australia Post will issue 1 gummed stamp from sheetlets of 10 and 1 self-adhesive stamp in booklets of 10 on 25 August 2015 to commemorate the birth of Princess Charlotte who is 4th in line to the throne of Australia. The stamp was designed by Jo Mure and lithographed by EGO. Rating:- **

  Royal Mail's "Post And Go" labels produced by kiosks A006 and A008 sited at the Singapore 2015 Philatelic Exhibition with the inscription "Singpex 2015 World Stamp Expo" appear to have the same inscriptions as those sold by the British Philatelic Bureau from kiosk B001. In both cases the Machin Head design has the code MA13 with there being no code on the Union Jack design. Therefore, apart from the code at the bottom of the label, there seems to be nothing of note to distinguish between the Singapore-printed labels and Philatelic Bureau-sold labels unlike, for instance, the labels produced 2 years ago for the Australia 2013 Exhibition where 2 different inscriptions were produced (see Blog 248).

  As usual, it's worth remembering that the labels produced at the Singapore 2015 Exhibition are being produced in a country where they have no postal validity but I suppose they are an interesting souvenir for any visitors to the exhibition. See also Blog 615. Rating:- 0.

  "Post And Go" enthusiasts also have the pleasure of knowing that a new series of labels will be available from 25 August 2015 produced by kiosk A010 which is newly situated at the railway museum "Steam GWR Museum" in Swindon. Collectors strips of the Machin Head and Union Jack labels will be dispensed with the unique identifier "STEAM GWR" inscribed on them. Presumably these items will have an appeal to collectors of railway-themed stamps.

  More new philatelic products from IGPC have been publicised though not all items have been illustrated. Philatelic products inscribed "St. Kitts":-

 1 June 2015 - Hummingbirds of St. Kitts - 1 x $1 stamp and 1 x $10 miniature sheet. Rating:- ***

 3 August 2015 - Singapore 2015 Philatelic Exhibition (Singapore Botanical Gardens) - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 x $10 miniature sheet. Rating:-**

 3 August 2015 - Birth of Princess Charlotte - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 x $10 miniature sheet. Rating:- **

 3 August 2015 - Domestic Cats - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 x $10 miniature sheet. Rating:- **

 3 August 2015 - 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo - 1 sheetlet of 4 stamps and 1 x $10 miniature sheet. Rating:-**

  The Gibraltar postal authorities will issue a single stamp on 7 September 2015 in the European postal rate as its contribution to the Sepac omnibus issue for 2015. The subject of this year's omnibus is "culture" and I suppose that this stamp is a rather clever interpretation of the subject reflecting as it does various cultures which have been relevant to Gibraltar during its history - thus the main part of the design depicts the Moorish Castle reflecting the influence of Islam on the territory and a small Union Jack is flown from the top of the castle which recalls the historic and present-day influence of the British. Rating:- ***.

  The postal administration of Pitcairn Islands will issue a miniature sheet containing 3 different stamps on 26 August 2015 on the subject of "The breadfruit saga", the story of the plan to gather breadfruit in the Pacific area for transport to the West Indies on board The Bounty on which voyage the crew under Fletcher Christian mutinied against Captain Bligh and cast him adrift and themselves finally settled on Pitcairn Island. Rating:- *****.

605. Singapore's Joint ASEAN Issue; Stamperija Commemorates The 150th Anniversary Of The End Of World War II!

  Singapore Post will issue a single stamp on 8 August 2015 as a joint issue with the 9 other ASEAN countries (Brunei Darrusalem, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Phillipines and Indonesia). The design which depicts the flags of the ASEAN member states was produced by Vu Kim Lien of Vietnam and Singapore's Leo Teck Chong and lithographed by Secura Singapore. Rating:- ****

 The day before, on 7 August 2015, Singapore Post will issue 2 x $1.30 vertically se-tenant stamps on the subject of Singapore Botanical Gardens as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The issue was designed by Eng Siak Loy and lithographed by Secura Singapore and birds and mammals make up part of the design. Rating:-   *****

  Singapore Post also issued a pair of stamps joined by a label on 3 June 2015 which commemorated the Singapore 2015 World Stamp Exhibition to be held in August. The stamps depict the 1960 National Day stamps which had the common design of the national flag of Singapore. These stamps were designed by Willie Chan (Will Marketing Design) and lithographed by Cartor with an accompanying "Collectors' sheet" being printed on silk fabric (previously mentioned and illustrated in Blog 595) Rating:- ***

  Norfolk Island Post issued a booklet of 10 different self-adhesive stamps on 1 June 2015 on the subject of Pine trees. Stamps in these designs were originally issued on 29 September 2014 in the value of 70c but the booklet is now reissud in the 15c local postage rate. Rating:- ***

The Niue postal administration will issue a set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 5 August 2015 on the subject of traditional weapons of Niue. The issue was designed by New Zealand Post and lithographed by Collectables And Solutions Centre, Whanganui. Rating:- ****

  Stamperija has released yet another set of philatelic products with the name of Sierra Leone printed on them. The stated "date of issue" is 26 June 2015 and the issue takes the form of 10 sheetlets, each of 4 different "stamps", with 10 accompanying "miniature sheets". The subjects featured on these products are:- Nelson Mandela, Formula 1 motor racing, 70th anniversary of the end of Second World War (or according to the miniature sheet inscription - 150th anniversary of the end of World War II (!) - apparently Stamperija believes that World War 2 ended in 1865!), Elvis Presley, Mahatma Gandhi's return to India, Centenary of the Endurance Expedition, Pope John Paul II, Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo, Sir Winston Churchill and Louis Pasteur. Rating:- 0.

Bonaparte looking rather blue - with good reason!

"150th anniversary of the end of the World War II"