2320. 🇹🇷 Northern Cyprus Mourns Turkish Earthquake Victims.

New issues.

🇹🇷 Postal service of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus -

18 May 2023 - ‘Champion angels’, victims of the February 2023 earthquake in Turkey - 1 stamp.Designed by A Pakdel and printed by Devlet Basimevi in sheetlets of 7 stamps and 1 label. Rating:- *****.

🇬🇬 Guernsey Post 

Tweets reporting Post and Go issues with one day additional inscriptions commemorating visiting visiting cruise ships 

11 June 2023 - Visit of the Ambiance 

🇳🇿 New Zealand Post 

5 July 2023 - Mid (20th)- Century toys - 1 sheetlet containing 9 different stamps. Designed by Helen Perkins and lithographed by Brebner Print and perforated 14.5. Rating:- **.

1602. 🇸🇭 The Wonders Of St Helena.

Recent and upcoming issues:-

🇸🇭 St Helena postal service - 1 February 2020 - ‘Seven Wonders of St Helena’, 7 important sights and objects to see on the island. Rating:- *****. (STH20.1 - 7).

🇳🇿 New Zealand Post -  27 January 2020 - NZ Stamp Exhibition International Philatelic Exhibition, 19 to 22 March 2020, Fourth issue, Maritime Heritage. The organising committee of the exhibition to be held in Auckland has been releasing intermittently CAL (Customer Advertising Labels - actually Personalised stamps) to commemorate the Exhibition. Each stamp is sold at a premium above face value with profits contributing to the funding of the exhibition). Rating:- *****.

Earlier issue are depicted below:-

21 September 2018 - 1st Issue - Macau 2018 International Philatelic Exhibition - 1 stamp. 

19 March 2019 - Second issue, Maritime heritage - 2 stamps.

23 July 2019 - Third issue, Maritime heritage, 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s first visit to New Zealand - 2 stamps.

23 July 2019 - Original Stamp reissued with face value increased from NZ$1.20 to NZ$1.30 because of revised postal rates.

🇫🇯 Fiji Post - 17 January 2020 - Chinese New Year, Year of the Rat. Finally, all 4 values of the set are depicted here with reasonably good quality illustrations. (FI20.1 - 4).

🇦🇺 Australia Post - 18 February 2020 - Disaster relief - 5 self-adhesive stamps sold in a booklet of 5 different stamps each in the rough shape of Australia. Australia Post will donate A$2 to the Australian Red Cross for each A$5.50 sheet sold. Rating:- *****. (AU20.35).

Ps Thanks to Chris de Haer for pointing out that the booklet contains only 5 stamps and not 6 as I originally wrote. To avoid confusion the text has been corrected.

1574. 🇦🇺 Australia’s Apocalypse Now.

🇦🇺 One Commonwealth event which I did not cover in the 2019 philatelic review in Blog 1571 is the shocking and devastating fires which have been affecting vast areas of Australia in recent weeks as the country experiences higher temperatures than have ever been recorded there before. The calamitous fires are being associated with the phenomenon of global warming though the Australian prime minister, who was dragged back from holidaying in Hawaii while Australia burned, seems to have his doubts about the link. Given the short political life of Australian prime ministers one cannot help but think that his time in office is probably now somewhat limited.

  These almost apocalyptic fires are the latest in a series of dreadful natural disasters which have assaulted Australia in recent years and it seems likely that they will have philatelic consequences given that Australia Post has issued stamps on two previous occasions to help to raise funds to assist those affected by these natural disasters. Australia Post issues far too many stamps, often on inconsequential subjects, but it is unlikely that anyone would complain if an issue tied to this latest disaster were released to try to aid the victims of the fires.

 The first ever charity issue to be released by the Australian postal service was released on 27 January 2011 to raise funds for those affected by severe flooding in Queensland and the 5 stamps were sold in booklets of 10 (2 x 5 x 60c) for $8 with the $2 excess from each sheet being donated to the Queensland Premier’s Disaster Fund Appeal. Australia Post also developed plans for a scheme in which postal managers in areas affected by the floods would work with local community representatives to provide grants to reinstate community facilities damaged by the floods.

 On 20 September 2018 Australia Post issued a single stamp in a booklet of five for a quite different reason - a charity stamp to help deal with the devastating impact on farmers and communities in New South Wales, Queensland, north-western Victoria and eastern South Australia of a severe drought. For every $5 spent by the purchaser on a booklet of stamps Australia Post donated $2 to Rural Aid Ltd which provided support and assistance directly to affected farmers and communities.

790. Sri Lanka Post Commemorates Olympic Games.

  Sri Lanka Post issued 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 21 July 2016 to commemorate Sri Lanka's participation in the Games of the 31st Olympiade in Rio De Janeiro. The set was designed by Givantha Arthssad and printed in lithography. The colourful set features various sports - swimming, judo, javelin throwing and weightlifting - with the statue of Christ The Redeemer, a famous Rio De Janeiro landmark, in the background of the stamps. Rating:- **.

  Australia Post will issue a set of 2 gummed stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 26 July 2016 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first appearance of the children's programme "Play School" on Australian television. Clearly it's an anniversary of greater significance to Australians than the rest of us can understand. 

  The issue was designed by Jonathan Chong and lithographed by McKellar Renown and perforated 14.5 x 14. Rating:- **.

  Last year's Ghana ECOWAS omnibus stamp (see Blog 754) has made its appearance on Delcampe with the seller asking a price of €39 for a mint single example. I've no idea how rare the stamp is but this seems rather high and I think I shall wait to see what comes along in the next few weeks.

  Fortunately, since The Gambia left The Commonwealth in 2013 I no longer have to worry about obtaining any further issues from that tiny territory which is a relief since I see that the same dealer is asking for €179 for its ECOWAS stamp. Phew! The dealer describes the stamp as being "Ultrarare! Scarce!". I have not yet seen any dealer offering the Sierra Leone stamp from this set, perhaps the Sierra Leone Post Office will channel its sale through its philatelic agents .... Stamperija.

  Royal Mail seems to think that Britain begins and ends at the boundaries of London. It's a rare year that does not see at least one London-centric stamp issue from the postal organisation. 

  Although this year sees the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, an event which shaped dramatically the subsequent history of the whole of England, there will be no stamp issue to commemorate the extremely important anniversary (unless one includes one of those annoying and ridiculously expensive "Collectors sheets").

   What there will be again, however, is a 6 stamp set to commemorate an event, admittedly historically notable, which is, of course, all about London - this time the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London. The designs, actually pleasingly original, take the form of a comic strip which tells the story of the Great Fire.

  However, perhaps in the future those who choose Royal Mail's new issue programmes will drop the compulsary issue about London and feature more of the rest of Britain on its stamps.

  Despite my moaning about the subject, it looks like being an excellent and original set and therefore my Rating for it is:- *****.

 This week 2 Commonwealth postal administrations have the pleasure of knowing that even more philatelic products have been produced in their names by .... Stamperija.

  Fifteen new "sheetlets", each containing 4 different "stamps" have been produced with the name of Mozambique printed on them and these, as usual, are accompanied by 15 "miniature sheets". The issue seems to take a mainly natural history overall theme featuring the following subjects:- Snow leopards, Red pandas, Elephants, Monkeys, Owls, Marine turtles, Penguins, Cats and dogs, Fish, Cactiand birds of the desert, Poisonous mushrooms, Orchids, Polar bears, Extinct animals and cave paintings, Minerals and volcanoes.

  It seems extraordinary that the philatelic agency has chosen to feature so many foreign animals on its products produced with Mozambique's name inscribed on them when the country itself has so many of its own native species which could be depicted. But remember, that as I have stated before, I visited Mozambique earlier this year and no Stamperija-produced stuff was on sale at any of the ordinary post offices I visited - indeed they had no postage stamps in stock at all!

 

 This week Stamperija has also brought us some delightful new products with the name of Maldives printed on them which I'm sure the citizens of Maldives will be rapturous to put on their mail if any of it ever makes it to an ordinary post office counter. The general theme of the stuff is "Fauna and Flora of the World" and there are 10 "sheetlets" each containing 4 different "stamps" with 10 "miniature sheets". 

  The subjects featured are a rather belated "Year of the Monkey" issue along with Shells, Turtles, Owls and mushrooms, Dogs, Polar Bears, Butterflies and orchids, Dinosaurs, Dolphins and Big cats. Rating:- 0.

  For those who must have 1 of each of all the above from Mozambique and Maldives, if there is such a person, the total face value of the Mozambique products is 6585MT (£75.74p) and the total for Maldives is MVR1490 (£73.44p). Those totals do not include, of course, the "Deluxe" imperforate versions of the same stuff which are sold at a premium. And of course you can buy first day covers as well.