2686. 🇬🇧🇵🇬 Royal Mail Myths And Legends; Papua New Guinea Freshwater Fish Issue. 🇨🇦🇺🇦🇨🇦🇺🇦🇨🇦

 

New issues -

🇬🇧 Royal Mail -

27 March 2025 - British myths and legends - 8 stamps (2 se-tenant strips of 4 x1st Class stamps). Poor quality illustrations (to be replaced when better quality illustrations become available. Designs depict legends from various parts of the United Kingdom including Beowulf and Grendel (an early piece of Anglo-Saxon literature), Black Shuck (a postman’s nightmare) and the Loch Ness Monster (a Tourism officer’s dream). Further details to be added. As with all issues so far this year  this item is not related to any event or notable anniversary but I suppose it is fun and, in line with Royal Mail’s new policy, devoid of the more expensive Overseas mail rates.

🇵🇬 PNG Post (Postal service of Papua New Guinea) -

Originally stated to have been issued in November 2022 - Freshwater fish - 4 stamps and 2 miniature sheets, one containing all 4 stamps and the other a single stamp. Lithographed. Rating:- ****.

1514. 🇬🇧 Gruffalo Stamps From Royal Mail On 10 October.

  🇬🇧 Displayed here now are much better illustrations of Royal Mail’s upcoming issue which commemorates the 20th anniversary of the publication of Julia Donaldson’s children’s book, The Gruffalo. The issue is made up of 6 stamps (2 se-tenant strips of 3), 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps and a ‘Genetic/Collectors sheet’ to be sold for £11.50p. The issue will be released on 10 October 2019 and was designed by Rose and lithographed by International Security Printers and perforated 14. A pleasant if inconsequential issue. Rating:- **.

🇦🇺 Australia Post will issue a single stamp on 1 October 2019 to commemorate the Australian cricket team’s success in drawing the Ashes series with the English team. As a result of the two teams winning two matches each and drawing one, the Australian team retained the Ashes trophy. The English men’s team had of course already won the Cricket World Cup this summer, following in the footsteps of the English women’s team’s victory in 2017 so the retention of the Ashes is viewed as a minor compensation in Australia for its defeat on the World Cups.
  The stamp was designed by SEP and lithographed by RA Printing and perforated 14.5. Rating:- ***.

There are one or two items to add to the list of philatelic products which have been released recently by the New York-based agency, IGPC:-

🇬🇲 The Gambia - ‘Beautiful beaches of The Gambia’ - additional miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps (see Blog 1502):-

🇬🇩 Grenada - 30 August 2019 - Birth of Archie Mountbatten Windsor, son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps:-

30 August 2019 - 50th Anniversary of the first manned lunar landing - an additional miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps (see Blog 1502):-

890. Royal Mail 2017 Programme - Machin Commemoration, Royal Issues, Horses And Songbirds

🇬🇧The Norvic Philatelics Blog has drawn attention to the latest Philatelic Bulletin which reveals that Royal Mail's 2017 programme of new issues will be made up of the following:-

17 January 2017 - Ancient Britain 8 stamps (4 se-tenant pairs at 1st class rate, £1.05p, £1.33p and £1.52p) For more details and illustrations see Blog 860.

6 February 2017 - 65th anniversary of the Accession of Queen Elizabeth II - 1 single £5 "Machin Head" definitive stamp.

15 February 2017 - Windsor Castle and Europa - 6 stamps, 1 miniature sheet, 1 Prestige booklet and 1 counter booklet of 6 stamps.

15 February 2017 - Post and Go labels - "Mail by Rail"

14 March 2017 - "Music giants"

20 March 2017 - Opening of the Postal Museum stamp sheet

6 April 2017 - "Racehorse Legends"

4 May 2017 - Songbirds

24 May 2017 - Finlandia Philatelic Exhibition sheet

5 June 2017 - 50th anniversary of the first "Machin Head" definitive stamps. The issue includes a Prestige stamp booklet.

5 June 2017 - Post and Go labels - 50th anniversary of the "Machin Head" definitive stamps

20 June 2017 - Windmills and watermills

13 July 2017 - "Landmark buildings"

31 July 2017 - Centenary of the First World War - the issue includes another Prestige stamp booklet

22 August 2017 - "Classic toys"

13 September 2017 - Ladybird books 

14 September 2017 - Post and Go labels - Royal Mail heritage, "Airmail"

20 October 2017 - to be announced

7 November 2017 - Christmas.

16 November 2017 - Lunar new year - the Year of the Dog

20 November 2017 - Platinum wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke Of Edinburgh.

  According to my reckoning there appear to be 15 new basic commemorative issues - though some seem to commemorate very little - and again there is another one of those dreadful "Music giants" sets which will no doubt be on the subject of a group of what is now old men which will be an excuse to add in lots of sheetlets and miniature sheets and so on.

  However I like the earliest issues of 2017 and hopefully things will not turn out to be as bad as this new issue programme seems to predict. There are 2 important Royal anniversaries both of which will be commemorated in different ways and the "Songbirds" issue will no doubt be popular. For collectors of "Machin Head" stamps it seems as though there will be a bonanza of issues during 2017 to commemorate the design's first usage on stamps 50 years ago.

  This programme however looks excessive for collectors to bear but where there is money to be made Royal Mail, like most postal services, will do whatever it has to including the financial exsaguination of its loyal stamp collectors.

Happy new year!