1987. 🇫🇰 Boaty MacBoatface - Er, Sorry, RRS Sir Richard Attenborough Depicted On New Falklands Miniature Sheet.

 

 🇫🇰 The postal service of the Falkland Islands has announced the issue of a miniature sheet containing a single stamp on 11 December 2021 to commemorate the first visit of Boaty MacBoatface, more properly known as the RRS Sir David Attenborough, to Port Stanley. The issue was designed by Bee Design from a photograph of the British Antarctic Survey and was lithographed by Cartor and the stamp is perforated 13.5. A legendary and worthwhile issue even if the official name of the ship was not the people’s choice. Rating:- *****.

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

🇧🇼 Botswana Post issued a set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing the four stamps on 30 November 2021 on the subject of Cheetahs in Botswana. The designs by Joseph Ebulu-Otim use the lovely artwork of Sarah Glendinning and the issue was lithographed by Southern Colour Print. Rating:- *****.

  Ian Billings in his Norvic Stamps Blog, the essential guide to modern British issues, draws our attention to the latest edition of Philatelic Bulletin from Royal Mail which announces to an expectant world the news that the first ‘Great Britain’ issue of 2022 will be released on 20 January on the subject of the popular music group The Rolling Stones, old men who were famous 50 to 60 years ago. This is the sixth part of the increasingly tiresome Music Giants series which seems to have gone on for ever but no doubt there are equally old stamp collectors who will remember these elderly performers when they were young and scandalous and nostalgic feelings for a long lost youth may encourage them to buy these philatelic products. Ian estimates that the one-of-everything collector may be faced with a bill of £1000 given that there are so many paraphilatelic products being released as part of this issue. 

  I myself have not read the article as I have not renewed my subscription for the Bulletin which I find to be packed with drivel relating to the banal subjects now featured on Royal Mail stamps. Really there are better things on which to spend one’s money. The same goes for most Royal Mail new issues as well.

1716. 🇲🇾 Pos Malaysia To Commemorate National Principles.

🇲🇾 As previously mentioned Pos Malaysia will issue a set of 5 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp on 18 August 2020 on the subject of the 50th anniversary of Rukun Negara,  the five principles of I believe in God, Loyalty to King and Country, Supremacy of the Constitution, the Rules of Law and Courtesy and Morality. Rating:- ***.

🇬🇧 The superb Norvic Philatelics Blog has just published a commentary piece by Ian Billings on the fact that Royal Mail will not be issuing any stamps to commemorate the Quatercentenary of the arrival of the Pilgrim Fathers - or whatever gender neutral term they are now known by - on board the Mayflower in America.
  I tried to add a comment in response to his piece but my Google or Blogger or whichever is responsible still will not let me make comments either on this Blog or that of any other person’s so I am writing it here. I hope Ian will forgive me for reproducing part of his piece but by doing so I can put my somewhat light-hearted comment in context.
  Ian comments that while Royal Mail has chosen not to commemorate the important and highly significant anniversary relevant to Britain as well as The United States it instead prefers to release what I imagine will be a vast and expensive issue of stamps on the subject of the American television and movie series Star Trek. I am curious to know how Royal Mail intends to link the subject to Britain if it even feels that there is a link that needs to be made. Here is part of the Norvic Blog:-

  My intended comment goes something like this, “I suspect that this is to do with Royal Mail’s prevailing wish not to upset anybody. The Pilgrim Fathers are now viewed as a ‘bad thing’ because of the negative impact their arrival and settlement had on indigenous North Americans. By extension Star Trek might be viewed as a ‘bad thing’ because of the negative impact the arrival on a planet of the crew of the Starship Enterprise usually has on the planet’s indigenous alien life forms. The ‘Federation’ seems to be an advanced form of ‘Imperialism’. Therefore the issue of a set of stamps to commemorate Star Trek should be abandoned immediately as the programme celebrates imperialism and xenophobia and is therefore offensive”.

  Needless to say I shall not be buying the Star Trek stamps.

Addendum - Much to my surprise my comment has appeared on Norvic’s Blog after all, so I apologise for duplication. Perhaps I will now once more be able reply directly to any comments left on this Blog. We will see.

680. Norvic Philatelics Identifies 47 New Machins In 2015

  

                                             

  I have been very pleased to download recently the latest (December 2015) update of the extremely well set out, thorough and highly useful Norvic Philatelics Security Machin Checklist which gives collectors a splendid and easily accessible listing of all the British definitives of recent years and, more especially, all the varieties issued by Royal Mail during 2015. 

   From Ian Billings' up to date listing it appears that there have been 47 new definitive varieties (self-adhesive and gummed) issued during the year, one of which is only known to him in a used state (2nd class blue from coils M15L MRIL). I originally counted a total of 42 but Ian pointed out a further 5 stamps to me.

  The self-adhesive list includes 4 x 2nd Class Blue (M15L MAIL from counter sheets, M15L MBIL from business sheets, M15L MTIL from booklets of 12 and the above mentioned M15L MRIL from coils), 5 x 1st Class Red (M15L MAIL from counter sheets, M15L MBIL from business sheets, M15L MTIL from booklets of 12, M15L MSIL from booklets of 6 and M15L MCIL from mixed booklets of 6), 3 x 2nd Large Blue (M15L MAIL from counter sheets, MA15 MBIL from business sheets and MA15 MFIL from booklets of 4), 3 x 1st Large Red (M15L MAIL from counter sheets, MA15 MBIL from business sheets and MA15 MFIL from booklets of 4) plus 11 other values all with code M15L MAIL - 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, £1, £1.33p, £1.52p, £2.25p, £2.45p and £3.30p).

  The other self-adhesive values are the Special Delivery items - Royal Mail Signed For 1st class, Royal Mail Signed For 1st Class Large and Special Delivery 100g (these 3 are all M15L) and the "Long To Reign" values - 1st amethyst purple from counter sheets (REIGN), 1st amethyst purple from retail booklet of 6 (REIGS) and 1st amethyst purple from mixed booklets (REIGC).

  Finally there are the gummed stamps:- 2nd class Blue from Star Wars booklet (M15L MPIL), 1st class Red from Star Wars booklet (M15L MPIL), 1st Class amethyst purple from Long To Reign miniature sheet (O15R REIGM), 1p from Great War booklet (M15L MPIL), 5p from Great War booklet (M15L MPIL), 10p from Waterloo booklet (M15L MPIL), 50p from Waterloo booklet (M15L MPIL), £1 from Waterloo booklet (M15L MPIL) and, finally, £1.33p from Great War booklet (M15L MPIL). Phew!

  It is easy to lose track of what is appearing from Royal Mail and Norvic's checklist is the most useful tool in ensuring we are able to keep up to date with what is out there and what needs to be tracked down to fill gaps in our collections. I shall be going through the list and seeing if Norvic can help me fill some of those empty spaces.

12 December 2015 - Post scriptum. Ian Billings has now published a summary of the complete list of 47 new stamps on the Norvic Philatelics Blog site - an invaluable summary for anyone interested in these stamps.

  Sri Lanka Post issued a pair of stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 6 December 2015 to celebrate Christmas, as it usually does. The exuberant miniature sheet depicts Father Christmas and rather jolly it is too though when I think of Sri Lanka the figure of Father Christmas has never before come to my mind. Rating:- ****.                                       

                                                

                                                

  Campost, the postal service of Cameroon, has issued a single stamp (date of issue not yet known) which commemorates the deep water harbour at Kribi. Rating:- ***.

                                          

   Nampost, the postal service of Namibia, issued a miniature sheet containing 3 different stamps on 20 November 2015 to commemorate its participation in the 31st Asian International Philatelic Exhibition in Hong Kong which was held from 20 to 23 November. The theme of the miniature sheet, which itself has perforations around its edge, is "Working Together For Conservation". Rating:- *****.

Whole miniature sheet

Stamps from miniature sheet.

   Meanwhile Hong Kong Post itself issued a set of 4 stamps on 8 December 2015 which depicts early Chinese scientists. The pre-issue publicity illustrations show a design error on the $5 value which commemorates Li Shizhen who wrote "Compendium of Materia Medica" although the illustration is inscribed "Compenium of Materia Medica". Rating:- *****.

                                                 

                                                 

  Bhutan Post issued a sheetlet of 8 different stamps on 11 November 2015 on the subject of the wildlife conservation work of the 4th King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuk . The stamps are based on marvellous photographs of some of Bhutan's fabulous wildlife. I thoroughly enjoy collecting the recent issues of Bhutan Post - they are mainly based on photographs rather than original art but the photographs are very well chosen and the subjects of the issues are always relevant to Bhutan and usually interesting and frequently exciting. Rating:- *****.