2779. 🇻🇨 St Vincent Commemorates 50th Anniversary Of Cricket World Cup Victory.

 

New Issues -

🇻🇨 St Vincent and The Grenadines postal service -  

5 August 2025 - 50th anniversary of the West Indies’ Cricket World Cup victory in 1975 - 9 x EC$50 stamps featuring West Indies cricketing ‘Legends’. Lithographed. Total face value equivalent in pounds is £123.30 per set! Rating:- **.

🇮🇳 India Post -

17 August 2025 - Birth centenary of Laxmidas Borkar, journalist, ‘freedom fighter’ and writer. Rating:- **.

30 August 2025 - Commemoration of Sri Madhavacharya - 1 stamp. Rating:- **.

2072. 🇮🇪 The Full Irish. 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦.

 

New issues.

🇮🇪 An Post (postal service of the Republic Of Ireland.

28 April 2022 - Irish breakfasts - 4 stamps. Designed by Ailbhe Phelan and lithographed by Enschedé and perforated 13.5. Gummed and issued as se-tenant pairs (1 each of 2 domestic rate designs and 1 each of 2 overseas rare designs). Rating:- ***.

Myanmar Post:-

29 April 2022 - Costumes of the Amarapura era - 2 stamps. Rating:- *****.

Hong Kong Post - 

17 June 2022 - 120th anniversary of Ta Kung Pao - 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp. Ta Kung Pao is the oldest Chinese language newspaper. It was founded in 1902 in Tianjin and is state-owned. Designed by Chan Ching-tsui. Rating:- **.

1806. 🇲🇾 Malaysia Celebrates The World’s Tallest Tropical Tree.

 

🇲🇾 Pos Malaysia will issue 1 stamp and 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp on 29 December 2020 on the subject of the world’s tallest tropical tree - the Meranti called Menara which is located in the Danum Valley in Lahad Datu in Sabah. The miniature sheet is very long vertically which gives an impression of the proportions of this spectacular species of tree. Rating:- ****.

  Meanwhile Pos Malaysia’s issue to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Constitution of the State of Johore will now be released on 27 January 2021 rather than on the previously announced date of 31 December 2020.

🇬🇬 The Guernsey Post 6 stamp set (Blog 1790) commemorating the Chinese New Year, Year of the Ox, which is to be issued on 26 January 2021 will inevitably be accompanied by a miniature sheet containing all 6 stamps (cost £4.70p) and a ‘limited edition gold replica souvenir sheet’ which can be yours for a mere £98. Rating, of course:- 0.

🇨🇦 The current cycle of Canada Post’s often quite stylish but ultimately profoundly tedious Lunar new year series, which has dragged on for 12 years, comes to an end in 2021 and, one supposes inevitably, the postal authority is to issue a sheetlet to commemorate the end of the current series - a little too self-referential for me - which combines all 12 domestic rate stamps from the series. Doubtless it will be Big in China. Further details are awaited. Rating:- **.

🇮🇳 India Post commemorated the 101st Birth anniversary of the late Manikchandra Vajpayee, a journalist of national repute, by releasing a single stamp in 27 December 2020. The issue was originally intended to commemorate the Birth centenary but the stamp was released more than 1 year after that particular anniversary occurred. Rating:- *.

1685. 🇲🇻 New Maldives President Makes Philatelic Debut On Scouting Miniature Sheets.

🇲🇻 The postal service of Maldives has issued two miniature sheets to commemorate the activities of local Scouts and the ninth national scout jamboree. The first miniature sheet contains 9 different stamps and the other a single stamp which depicts President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. This, I think, is the first time he has been featured on a postage stamp since he was elected to office in 2018 after unexpectedly defeating the former President Abdulla Yameen who had withdrawn Maldives from The Commonwealth after the organisation had criticised him for abuse of power. Maldives rejoined The Commonwealth on 1 February 2020. As President, Mr Solih is the honorary Chief Scout of Maldives.
  This looks very much like an issue which has been especially commissioned by the Maldives postal service and is probably on sale there unlike most of the rubbish that pours out from Stamperija in the name of Maldives. I do not yet know the date of issue.

While many countries across The Commonwealth and the world value Scouting as shown by this issue from Maldives it is ironic that aggressive left wing activists are now trying to remove statues of Lord Baden Powell, the movement’s founder, here in Britain labelling him a racist and a fascist.

🇵🇬 The up-to-now not seen miniature sheet of 4 different stamps released by the postal service of Papua New Guinea to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the local newspaper The Post Courier is now depicted below. For illustrations of other items in the set see Blog 1676. The date of issue is stated to have been 27 May 2020.

🇬🇬 Guernsey Post has revealed the design of another stamp in its upcoming issue which is its contribution to the SEPAC omnibus issue for 2020. The theme of the omnibus is ‘Art works in the national collection’ and the Guernsey designs depict works by local artists. This newly revealed design shows a painting titled Cobo Gold by James Colmer and joins a previously publicised stamp featured in Blog 1675 titled Dusk by Keith Langlois. The planned date of issue is 21 July.

1526. 🇿🇼 Mugabe DID Appear On A Zimbabwe Stamp.

  🇿🇼 The recent death of the deposed nonagenarian former dictator of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, has caused me to keep an eye open for any upcoming stamps from ZimPost which may commemorate the passing of this notorious man who may also be viewed as the founding father of his nation. So far I have not seen news of any such issue. But I was reminded of a previous stamp which depicted him. On more than one occasion I have said that Mugabe had never appeared on a postage stamp hence showing a remarkable degree of self-restraint not usually witnessed in tyrants such as he was.

  But in fact I had forgotten that Mugabe did indeed make a philatelic appearance on a stamp issued in 1990 which was part of a set titled ‘A Decade of Achievements’ which commemorates the 10th anniversary of Zimbabwe’s achievement of Independence. The stamp depicts Mugabe at the left holding his arm up with Joshua Nkomo who eventually became Zimbabwe’s Vice-President.

  I expect that the Zimbabwe postal service will commemorate the country’s first President and that, after very many years, this will not be the only stamp to depict Mugabe’s image.

 🇮🇳 India Post issued a single stamp on 6 October 2019 to commemorate the Centenary of the Odiya daily newspaper Samaja which was founded by the freedom fighter and nationalist Utkalamani   Pandit Gopabandhu Das who is depicted on the stamp. Rating:- **.

  🇬🇧 In addition to the 8 stamps featured in Blog 1524 which make up the 2019 Royal Mail Christmas set other items which are part of the issue include a miniature sheet containing all 8 stamps and a ‘Generic sheet’ containing 20 stamps with attached labels (cost £18.40p)

The Postal Museum in London will have a second Post and Go kiosk in operation from 29 October 2019 and it will dispense Machin Head 1st Class stamps and the Post Office Underground Railway both with the additional inscription ‘Mail Rail’. 

  🇱🇰 Sri Lanka Post issued a single stamp on 8 October 2019 to commemorate Soilis Mendis (1897 - 1975) who was a Sri Lankan artist known for his Buddhist temple paintings executed in a new-classical style. Rating:- ***.

  Sri Lanka also issued a single stamp 9 October 2019 on World Post Day which commemorated the 145th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). The design is similar to that used by a number countries around the world including that released by the Myanmar postal service. Rating:- ***.

  The list of Commonwealth postal services which have not yet issued stamps during 2019 has shortened considerably. The following remain on the list:-

Anguilla
British Virgin Islands
Cameroon
Cayman Islands
Dominica
Eswatini
Gibraltar (Swiss Post)
Lesotho
Penrhyn
Rwanda
St Kitts
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Turks And Caicos Islands
Zambia

Meaning that just 15 postal services are left without any new stamp issues in 2019 and just under 3 months are left for them to make their mark on the 2019 Commonwealth Philatelic scene.

1019. 🇳🇿 New Zealand Sheet Features Cartoon-style Road Trip.

  🇳🇿 New Zealand Post will issue a sheet of 14 different stamps which make up a composite design on the subject of the "Great Kiwi Road Trip" on 12 July 2017. The issue has a quirky, cartoonish style which I don't particularly like and it probably means more to New Zealanders than it does to me. Nevertheless it's a cheerful item which was designed by Graeme Mowday from art by Chris Boniface and Chris Davidson and lithographed by Southern Colour Print and perforated 14.5 x 14. Rating:- **.

  🇬🇬 Guernsey Post Philatelic Bureau "tweeted" on 9 June 2017 that its Post and Go kiosk GG01 situated in Smith Street post office was dispensing "Lighthouses" stamps with an additional inscription applied which welcomed the passengers of the cruise ship Arcadia into port on that date.

  More paraphilatelic items from Stamperija:-

  🇸🇱 Items inscribed "Sierra Leone" - As usual most of the products have a subject matter which has little or no relevance to Sierra Leone but they are now being issued in sheetlets of 6 identical stamps with 4 sheets per set rather than the previous format of 10 sheetlets each containing 4 different stamps. There are also 10 accompanying miniature sheets. Presumably those who run Stamperija expect that there is more money to be made from selling 40 sheetlets each of 6 stamps than 10 sheetlets each of 4 stamps. Clearly there is if there is anyone out there out who likes to buy sheets rather than singles. Rating:- 0.

  The subjects are:- Birth Centenary of Arthur C. Clarke, 70th anniversary of the birth of David Bowie, Nelson Mandela, Centenary of the Pulitzer Prize awards, 110th anniversary of Scouting, 50th anniversary of the Apollo 1 tragedy, 20th death anniversary of Jacques Cousteau, Centenary of the Espionage Act (USA), 50th anniversary of the death of Robert Oppenheimer and Commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi. The "date of issue" is stated to have been 30 May 2017.

  🇸🇧 Items inscribed "Solomon Islands" - 

  Stamperija claims that 12 miniature sheets and 12 sheetlets each of 4 different stamps were issued on 15 May 2017. The subjects of these items have little or nothing to do with these Pacific Ocean islands.

  The subjects are:- Steam trains, Centenary of the "Miracle of the Sun", Sledge dogs, Owls, Mushrooms, 150th birth anniversary of Wilbur Wright, Dolphins, Minerals, European high speed trains, 105th anniversary of the sinking of The Titanic, 70th anniversary of the first Ferrari automobile and Centenary of the death of Ferdinand Von Zeppelin. Rating:- 0.

  Illustrated below is the "Sledge dogs" set just to illustrate what a nonsense it is for hot Solomon Islands to have stamps depicting dogs running through deep snow:-