2074. 🇫🇯 Post Fiji Issues Warning About Fake Ukraine And Gandhi Stamps. 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦

 

🇫🇯 Post Fiji has issued a warning about what it calls “fake Fiji postage stamps” on its philatelic website. The items in question were featured in Blog 2068 where I questioned the legitimacy of the products and voiced the opinion that these were items prepared using ‘personalised’ stamps. Post Fiji clearly states, “We wish to make clear to customers that these stamp sheets are not genuine and not released officially by Post Fiji. These postage stamps have no postal value and customers purchasing them do so at their own risk”. 

  As previously reported the sheets each have a highly popular theme - one of Support for Ukraine and the other on Mahatma Gandhi. Similar items are also on sale on internet auction sites with the names of Dominica, Grenada Carriacou And Petite Martinique, Guyana and Ghana printed on them and Post Fiji’s announcement that the items with Fiji’s name printed on them are ‘fake’ would strongly suggest that the products with the other territories’ names on them are also bogus.

  Advice to collectors - AVOID!

New issues.

🇫🇰 Falkland Islands postal service -

2 June 2022 - 70th anniversary of the first direct airmail flight to the Falkland Islands - 2 stamps. Designed by Andrew Robinson and lithographed by Cartor. Production coordinated by Creative Direction. Perforated 13.5. Rating:- *****. Thanks to Juliet Warner of Pobjoy Stamps for information about this issue.

🇮🇳 India Post - 

1 May 2022 - Centenary of Delhi University - 1 stamp. Rating:- ***.

1612. 🇸🇭 Tristan Da Cunha Commemorates UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

🇸🇭 The postal service of Tristan Da Cunha will issue an excellent set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet depicting birds on 24 March 2020 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of

Gough Island and Inaccessible Island as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Designed by Andrew Robinson from photographers by Michelle Risi, Andy Schofield, Jaimie Cleland and Chris Jones and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13.5 x 13 with production coordination by Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd.

🇫🇰 The postal service of The Falkland Islands will issue a set of 4 stamps on 16 March 2020 as the fourth part of its ongoing Ship wrecks series. The issue was designed by Tony Chater and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13 x 13.5. Rating:- ****.

  Many thanks to Juliet Warner of Pobjoy Stamps for information about the above two issues.

🇺🇸 The USA-based philatelic agents, IGPC, has outlined the latest products it is letting loose on to the new issue market. In the past few months there seems to have been a fall in the number of ‘issues’ it releases with the names of its client territories printed on them and which have been produced by the agency itself (Grenada, Antigua And Barbuda and The Gambia for instance) rather than merely being sold by them but produced by someone else (Guernsey Post for instance). Perhaps the general collapse of the new issue market which has been the result of excessive stamp issuing over the years and which all started with the activities of IGPC itself is now resulting in a case of being ‘hoist by its own petard’. Thus we have only 5 new issues for Commonwealth philatelic entities:-

🇬🇲 The Gambia - 24 February 2020 - Chinese art of Dr Wang - 2 miniature sheets, one containing 3 different stamps and the other containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

🇬🇩 Grenada - ?2020 - Rabbits - 2 miniature sheets, one containing 6 stamps and the other containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

🇬🇩 Grenada Carriacou And Petite Martinique - ?2020 - Commemoration of HH Dorje Buddha III - 1 sheetlet containing 6 identical stamps. Rating:- 0.

🇬🇾 Guyana - ?2020 - Chinese New Year, Year of the Rat - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and the other containing a single stamp . Rating:- 0.

🇲🇸 Montserrat - ?2020 - Chinese new year, Year of the Rat - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and the other containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

🇬🇧 Moving on to the latest philatelic product to be revealed by Royal Mail - a miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps (1 each of the Scottish regional stamps) to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Arbroath (see Blog 1579). This item with its exquisitely uninspired design will be sold from 6 April 2020. Clearly Royal Mail was trying to save money on designer’s fees when this product was conceived. Rating:- 0.

1475. 🇬🇸🇫🇯🇫🇰 Food From South Georgia, Shops In Fiji And Falklands Feathers.

  🇬🇸 The postal service of South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands will release a set of 6 stamps (as 3 se-tenant pairs) on the subject of Food in South Georgia on 15 August 2019. There is no doubt that Creative Direction which is responsible for the production of the territory’s stamps very regularly comes up with an original approach to the stamps which it prepares for the several territories which are its clients and this is an original theme for a place such as South Georgia.

  Another example, this time an issue for The Falkland Islands, of the originality of Creative Direction’s approach to its clients’ stamps, particularly in subject matter, is described below. The issue was designed by Bee Design using photographs by Gerard Baker, Andy Blake, Peter Lafite and Robert Burton and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13.5. Rating:- *****.

  🇫🇯 Fiji Post has issued a set of 5 stamps titled ‘The Legacy of Serving’ to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Morris Hedstrom Ltd. which is Fiji’s largest wholesaler and retailer. The interesting issue was designed by Pravin Sen and lithographed by Southern Colour Print. I do not yet know the date of issue. Rating:- ****.

  🇫🇰 Falklands Postal Service will issue a set of 6 stamps on 5 August 2019 on the subject of the Feathers of local birds. This is an original and unusual approach to the theme of Birds on stamps. The set was designed from photographs taken by Georgina Strange with production co-ordination by Creative Direction and lithography by Cartor. The stamps are perforated 13.5. Rating:- ****.

  Thanks to Juliet Warner of Pobjoy Stamps for information about this issue.

  Falklands Post Services also reissued the Local Rate definitive stamp on 6 August 2019 with a ‘2019’ imprint and sold in Booklets of 10. Depicting a Falkland pipit this is a very attractive stamp. Rating:- ***.

934. New Falklands Wrecks Set Should Get Twitchers Twitching.

  🇫🇰 A splendid new set of 4 stamps from the Falkand Islands postal service will be issued on 27 March 2017 on the subject of Local shipwrecks. The designs are taken from some striking photographs by Tony Chater and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13.5 x 13.

  The stamps will be particularly interesting to collectors of Birds on stamps since various types of birds are to be seen perching on the wrecks. I shall look forward to seeing what species are identified on the stamps by philatelic twitchers. Rating:- *****.

  🇬🇮 The Royal Gibraltar Post Office issued a set of 6 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 6 February 2017 to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. The set is a rather unimaginative collection of black and white photographs, with tinges of colour in the stamps and miniature sheet stamp. This is yet another design by Stephen Perera who perhaps should give someone else a chance. The issue was lithographed by Cartor, rating:- **.

  🇸🇱 For those who can't find enough pictures of newly elected USA President Donald Trump, Stamperija, released on 30 January 2017, a delightful "sheetlet" of 4 different "stamps" and 1 "miniature sheet" on the subject of what it calls "Trump's Transport". What can be more fascinating to the people of Sierra Leone, the country whose name is printed on these items, than photographs of President Trump smirking at his exceedingly expensive motor cars?

  No doubt too that the people of Sierra Leone have been in national mourning after the death of the aged and polyandrous Hollywood actress Zsa Zsa Gabor who also has a sheetlet of 4 different "stamps" with accompanying miniature sheet dedicated to her and they will be rushing to their post offices to snap up the 32 stamps (8 sheetlets) and 8 miniature sheets showing "Masterpiece" paintings. The featured art subjects are:-  Surrealism, Romanticism, Post Impressionism, Work of Ivan Aivazovsky, Work of Frieda Kahlo, Ancient Egyptian art, Art by Klimt and Art by Rodin. All 8 "sets" are similar in format and time is too valuable to be wasted depicting them all but as an example the "Masterpieces of Surrealism" stuff is reproduced below. Rating:- 0.

794. Isle Of Man Features Animated Characters In New Set.

  It isn't obvious to me what exactly is the link between Aardman, the makers of Wallace and Gromit, and The Isle Of Man but it must be something important enough to make it necessary for the Isle Of Man postal administration to issue a set of 8 stamps, cost £6.82p, to commemorate the company's 40th anniversary. The set depicts various Aardman characters including 2 stamps which place Morph in Laxey and it is cheerful enough and one can say little more about it than that.

 The issue will be released on 12 August 2016. Rating:- **.

  

  The 30p value of the current Falkland Islands Post Office definitive series will be reissued on 1 August 2016 as a revised value of 31p to cover revised postal rates. The design features a Southern right whale being part of a series which features local whales and dolphins. Rating:- *****.

  Hong Kong Post will issue 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 5 August 2016 to commemorate the territory's participation in the Rio Olympic Games. The set was designed by Jason Chum and lithographed with hot foil stamping by Enschede and perforated 14. Rating:- ***.

  Pos Malaysia issued 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 27 July 2016 on the subject of tourist destinations in Kedah and Kelantan as 2 se-tenant pairs. Rating:- ***.