2648. 🇳🇿 New Zealand To Commemorate 1950 Empire Games.

 

New Issues -

🇳🇿 New Zealand Post -

5 February 2025 - 75th anniversary of the 4th British Empire Games held in Auckland inn1950 - 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing all 4 stamps. Designed by YMC Design, Wellington and lithographed by Brebner Print and perforated 14 x 14.5. Rating:- ***.

🇲🇹 MaltaPost -

5 December 2024 - Veronaphil 2024 Philatelic Exhibition - 1 previously issued Greetings stamp reissued with attached label. Lithographed. Rating:- ***.

New issue programmes for 2025 -

🇹🇷 Postal service of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus -

20 March 2025 - ‘Our cartoon artists’

8 May 2025 - EUROPA, National archaeological discoveries

16 October 2025 - Chess in Northern Cyprus 

12 November 2025 - Vocational high schools in the Üreten Genlick Project

🇵🇬 PNG Post (postal service of Papua New Guinea -

13 March 2025 - Traditional kenu paddles  - Stamps, 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir shret’. Further details awaited as with all the following issues -

16 April 2025 - 50th anniversary of Independence, part 1 - 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’.

23 April 2025 - Fruit trees - Stamps, 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’.

14 May 2025 - 50th anniversary of Independence, part 2 - 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’.

30 May 2025 - 50th anniversary of Independence, part 3 - Stamps, 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’ 

11 June 2025 -  Traditional round houses in the Highlands - Stamps, 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’

16 July 2025 - 50th anniversary of Independence, part 4 - 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’.

13 August 2025 - 50th anniversary of Independence, part 5 - Stamps, 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’

28 August 2025 - Christmas - Stamps, 1 ‘sheetlet’ and 1 ‘souvenir sheet’

2348. 🇸🇬 Singapore Celebrates National Day.

 

New issues.

🇸🇬 Singapore Post -

8 August 2023 - National Day at the Padang - 5 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing a single. Designed by Pinch design Pte Ltd and lithographed with spot UV (to highlight the fireworks) by Secura and perforated 13. Rating:- *****.

🇬🇬 Guernsey Post -

Tweets reporting Post and Go issues with additional one day only additional inscriptions to commemorate visiting cruise ships - 

4 August 2023 - Return of the Ventura.

Opening of the Trinbago Commonwealth Games - 

4 August 2023 - The 7th Commonwealth Youth Games, known as Trinbago 2023 was opened in Port of Spain by the President of Trinidad and Tobago, Christine Kangaloo on this date. The Games involves 7 sports with 93 events and over 1000 competitors and will take place until 11 August. Following the precedent set at the highly successful Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham in 2022, events include those for both athletes and para-athletes. 

  There is no news that I can find yet of a special stamp issue to commemorate what is a big event in Trinidad and Tobago but I expect that such an issue will emerge given the Games’ importance to ‘Trinbago’

  The Youth Games were first hosted by Edinburgh in 2000 but no special stamps were issued by Royal Mail to commemorate the event (at the time Royal Mail was issuing nothing but a dreadful series of issues to commemorate the new Millenium). Subsequent Commonwealth Youth Games were held in Bendigo (Australia, 2004), Pune (India, 2008), Douglas (Isle of Man, 2011), Apia (Samoa, 2015) and Nassau (Bahamas, 2017). 

India Post issued a set of 4 stamps and a miniature sheet containing the 4 stamps on 12 October 2008 to commemorate the Puna Games:-

  The mascot featured on the Indian stamps was a tiger and another cat mascot, this time a particularly unappealing Manx cat called Tosha (clearly designed by someone who did not like cats), appeared on a set of 8 stamps (1 stamp plus a se-tenant strip of 7 in a miniature sheet) issued by the Isle Of Man Post Office on 1 September 2011:-

  The postal service of Samoa issued a sheetlet of 9 different stamps on 2 September 2015 to commemorate the 5th Youth Games held in Apia. With Samoa’s stamp design and production then in the hand# of the notorious Philatelic Collector Inc., the designs of the individual stamps were uninspired to say the least.

  Surprisingly perhaps, the postal service of Bahamas did not commemorate the Games hosted at Nassau in 2017 with a stamp issue. It will be interesting to see if any stamps appear for the 2023 Games.

2267. Commonwealth Day 2023

 

Commonwealth Day 13 March 2023.

  For the past few years this Blog has published an edition to commemorate the annual Commonwealth Day celebration usually held on the second Monday of March. Since last year The Commonwealth has increased in size with the accession to it of the Francophone African republics of Gabon and Togo. Both countries had no previous constitutional links with Britain or any other Commonwealth countries but their admission to the organisation does mean that The Commonwealth now has 56 members, more than ever before.

  In September 2022, it saw the death of the former Head of The Commonwealth, the late HM Queen Elizabeth II who was much loved and admired throughout both the countries of The Commonwealth and the entire world. She was succeeded as monarch of her realms by her eldest son, King Charles III, who had previously been approved as her successor as Head of The Commonwealth at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and his coronation on 6 May 2023 will be a great Commonwealth event and should be accompanied by a host of stamp issues.

  2022 also saw the hosting of a highly successful Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England’s biggest city after London, where the teams of over 70 countries and territories participated in the friendly and joyful sporting event.

  Unfortunately, a degree of Commonwealth disunity is apparent as the 2023 Commonwealth Day dawns following the recent vote in the United Nations which was intended to support the suffering people of Ukraine and which called on their Russian oppressors to quit the country they had violently invaded causing vast amounts of death and destruction of innocent Ukrainian civilians and their heroic armed forces. The governments of Commonwealth countries in south Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh,Sri Lanka), sub-Saharan Africa (South Africa, eSwatini, Mozambique, Namibia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Gabon, Cameroon and Namibia) and The Caribbean (Dominica and Grenada) all failed to show the moral integrity needed to call for the end of Putin’s murderous assault on Ukraine but pleasingly they were greatly outnumbered by the forty Commonwealth governments which supported Ukraine in this time of its anguish. Integrity in a country’s attitude to national and individual freedoms and support for the oppressed are key features of being a Commonwealth member and some governments are clearly falling short in living up to these fine and noble ideals which The Commonwealth holds so dearly by not fully supporting Ukraine in its struggle against the murderous Russian invaders.

  The theme for this year’s Commonwealth Day is Forging a sustainable and peaceful common future which is a little hollow when sixteen, more than a quarter of, Commonwealth members fail to support a country experiencing extreme aggression from its vastly bigger neighbour. Philatelically, however, some Commonwealth postal administrations will be supporting the cause of peace when they participate in this year’s EUROPA omnibus issue from European postal services which is themed, Peace the highest value of humanity. Issues can be expected from Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus postal service on 3 May, Cyprus Post and Jersey Post on 9 May and Guernsey Post on 24 May. Royal Mail of course does not intend to participate in the EUROPA omnibus - it will be much too busy releasing items to commemorate the BBC comedy Blackadder on 17 May and the game Warhammer (a somewhat contradictory title when most other European postal services are promoting peace as an ideal) on 8 June 2023.

  This year’s Commonwealth Day will mark the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Commonwealth Charter which outlines the values and principles which unify the fifty six Commonwealth countries”. In her Commonwealth Day message, the Baroness Scotland, Secretary General of The Commonwealth, said, “We stand together now to face the challenges of the moment. Where there is violence and conflict we work for peace. Where there is insecurity, we protect the culture, process and institutions of democracy. Where there is poverty we tackle it. Where there is injustice we challenge it. 

  “Where our brothers and sisters have their lives threatened and disrupted by the impacts of climate change we stand with them, working tirelessly for climate action and a more sustainable world. I believe profoundly that our family of fifty six nations and 2.5 billion people is stronger, more vibrant, more connected and more purposeful than ever”. You can say what you like - The Commonwealth’s heart is in the right place even if sometimes words are not translated into actions by those who lead those fifty six nations.

2240. 🇮🇳 India Commemorates Indian National Army Fighter.

New Issues.

🇮🇳 India Post - 

26 January 2023 - Commemoration of Major Durga Mall (soldier in Indian National Army during Second World War) - 1 stamp. Rating:- ***.

🇱🇹 Stamperija (notorious Lithuania-based manufacturer and purveyor of paraphilatelic items under contract from various postal services to produce saleable items in their name. There is little or no evidence that such products are on sale in the ordinary post offices of contracted countries for use on ordinary mail).

🇸🇱 Products inscribed ‘Sierra Leone’ -

Stated ‘date of issue’ - 9 October 2022 - Miscellaneous subjects featured on a total of 42 miniature sheets. I do not normally note that these products have been released on to the market for purchase by uninformed or gullible buyers but here mention two ‘issues’ related to the British family since the products are worth noting as representing the end of an era and the start of another. It’s interesting to know about the products but purchase is not recommended. Rating:- 0.

Commemoration of the late Queen Elizabeth II - 3 miniature sheets 

Succession of King Charles III.

  Also put on sale in the same batch of products as the above royalty-themed items were 3 miniature sheets inscribed with the name of Sierra Leone which commemorated the Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham (with some events taking place in Coventry, Sandwell, Leamington Spa [Warwickshire] and London). 

  The supreme crassness of the products Stamperija puts on sale is highlighted by the miniature sheet which is described as showing ‘Leamington Lift Bridge’ which is in fact located in Edinburgh in Scotland and not Royal Leamington Spa, several hundred miles away, where the lawn bowls events were held. The triathlon event was held in Sutton Park in Royal Sutton Coldfield, a suburb of Birmingham, but the single stamp contained in the miniature sheet shows a rather obscure alley way which could be just about anywhere. True the part of the miniature sheer showing the Coventry Stadium is correct but the border of the 3 ‘stamp’miniature sheet claims to depict ‘Warwick Castle built by William The Conqueror in 1068’ (it doesn’t - the illustration is of a church and not Warwick Castle). One of the ‘stamps’ depicts an aerial view of New Street Railway Station in Birmingham and another depicts the canal system at Brindley Place. 

  While certain catalogues continue to list this trash and while there are still those who think they are worth spending their money on the stuff, then Stamperija will continue to churn out the rubbish, laughing all the way to the bank.

2227. Commonwealth Stamps Review Of 2022.

 Here is a review of the Commonwealth events and anniversaries in 2022 which had or may have philatelic consequences and which are worth noting in this annual item featured in this Blog.

4 February - The Winter Olympic Games opens in Beijing. Among others, the Hong Kong postal service issues 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet to commemorate the event.

6 February - Platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, Head of The Commonwealth. Many Commonwealth countries commemorated the notable anniversary of this greatly loved international figure but interestingly New Zealand Post does not feel that it is worthwhile to issue any stamps to celebrate its head of state on the 70th anniversary of her accession. This is also true of the postal services of Jamaica, Belize, Solomon Islands and Saint Lucia, all countries in which Elizabeth II was Head of State.

19 February - ‘London 2022’ International Philatelic Exhibition opens at Business Design Centre. Royal Mail issues a ‘Collectors sheet’ and a miniature sheet depicting stamps designed by David Gentleman to commemorate the event.

24 February. Russian forces invade its neighbour Ukraine. A number of Commonwealth postal services issue stamps to support the Ukrainian people’s defiance of the invasion and assault on its territory and people. The Russian tyrant, Putin, who had ordered the “special operation”, continues the aggression throughout 2022 and Ukraine suffers greatly but by the end of the year the invaders have suffered defeat on several fronts.

20 May 2022 - To commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee, eight towns are awarded the status of ‘City’. These include Douglas in Isle Of Man and Port Stanley in Falkland Islands. The postal service of the Falkland Islands issues a set of four stamps to commemorate the event on 5 August but so far there is no news of an issue from the IOM postal service to commemorate the new status of Douglas. 

9 June - ‘Capex’22’ International Philatelic Exhibition opens in Toronto. Canada Post issues several miniature sheets with additional inscriptions applied to them to commemorate the event.

12 June - Falkland Islands postal service issues a set of 4 stamps to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the liberation of the islands from Argentine occupation. Royal Mail does not commemorate the anniversary but kiosks at some Royal Navy museums dispense Post and Go stamps with appropriate additional inscriptions.

20 June - Opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali, Rwanda. No postage stamps were issued by Rwanda to commemorate the event but CSO came up with its own design!

25 June - The leaders of the member states of The Commonwealth agree at the CHOGM to admit Gabon and Togo as the 55th and 56th members of the organisation. Neither country’s postal administration are known to have issued stamps to commemorate their admission to The Commonwealth.

25 June - Centenary of the Irish Civil War - The postal service of The Irish Republic commemorates the centenary by the issue of a single stamp which depicts the burning of the Four Courts in Dublin on 29 June 1922.

1 July - The Hong Kong postal service commemorates the 25th anniversary of the British handover of the territory to The People’s Republic of China and the accompanying stationing of the Chinese Liberation Army in Hong Kong. Meanwhile as Chinese rule in the ‘Special Administrative Area’ grows more oppressive, Britain offers a home to up to 3 million inhabitants of the former Crown Colony.

28 July - Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the UK’s second largest city. Seventy three Commonwealth countries and territories took part in the games. Royal Mail releases a set of 8 stamps to commemorate the event.

31 August - 25th anniversary of the death in a motor accident of Diana, Princess of Wales. A number of Commonwealth postal services, mostly those contracted to an American philatelic agency, release stamps to commemorate the anniversary.

8 September. Death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96. Succession of King Charles III who also becomes Head of The Commonwealth.

18 October - Centenary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Bizarrely Royal Mail decides to leave this nationally and internationally important anniversary uncommemorated by a stamp issue, instead choosing to release a set of stamps featuring ‘Aardman Classics’. It is left to the Isle Of Man postal service to release a stamp issue made up of 12 stamps to commemorate this anniversary. 

8 November 2022 - ‘Capetown 2022’ International Philatelic Exhibition, ‘The Road to Democracy’. The South African Post Office issues a single stamp to commemorate this event.

20 November - FIFA World Cup finals open in Qatar. Bangladesh’s postal service is one of a few to release stamps to commemorate the event.

24 November - Royal Mail issues a set of 8 stamps and 1 miniature sheet to commemorate the centenary of the momentous discovery of the tomb of the pharoah Tutankhamen by Howard Carter in 1922.

6 December - Centenary of the establishment of The Irish Free State - the postal service of The Irish Republic issues a single stamp on 13 October to commemorate the anniversary.

21 December - Maiden voyage of the ship RRS Sir David Attenborough (made on 16 November 2021, sailing from Harwich to Rothera Research Station) commemorated by a set of 4 stamps issued by the postal service of British Antarctic Territory.

29 December  - The death is announced of Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele), one of the greatest footballers in history. It is to be expected that a number of postal administrations will commemorate his life.

31 December - The death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is announced. Numerous issues to commemorate him should be expected to be released during 2023.

Happy new year!