2946. 🇹🇷 Northern Cyprus Features Handicrafts Motifs.

 

New issues -

🇯🇴 Postal service of  Jordan -

13 July 2026 - EUROMED, Traditional mosaics of the Mediterranean - 2 miniature sheets, one containing 3 different stamps and the other a single stamp. Lithographed. Rating:- ****.

🇦🇺 Australia Post -

7 July 2026 - Personalised My Stamp, Scott Pendlebury’s 433 record-breaking VFL/AFL Game  1 stamp available cancelled only on a ‘Medallion cover’ costing A$45. Rating:- 0.

13 July 2026 - ‘Paralympic of the Year’, Ben Tudhope - 1 stamp sold in sheetlets of 10 costing $17. Rating:- **.

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

8 July 2026 - Traditional motifs of local handicrafts - 4 stamps. Designed by Saziye Aladag, Hasan Saydam, Raul Ersadal and Berhice Sőnmes Brian and printed by Devlet Basimevi. Rating:- *****.

🇧🇿 postal service of Belize -

17 July 2026 - Definitives - 11 stamps. These stamps are now featured on the Spectre Stamps internet site and are likely to be offered for sale by that dealer from the date of issue. Lithographed. Further details awaited. Rating:- *****.

2869. 🇧🇹 Bhutan Commemorates King’s 70th Birthday..

 

New issues -

🇧🇹 Bhutan Post -

11 November 2025 - 70th Birthday of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk - 2 miniature sheets, one containing 6 different stamps and the other a single stamp. The issue notes the king’s interest in environmental issues. Lithographed. Rating:- *****.

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia postal service -

18 February 2026 - Commemoration of Julien Alfred, Saint Lucian Olympic Champion, 47th anniversary of Independence - 4 stamps. Lithographed. Rating:- ****.

Better quality illustrations will be added when available.

🇲🇾 Pos Malaysia -

24 February 2026 - Horses, second series, Chinese new year - the Year of the Horse - 2 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp. Lithographed. Rating:- *****.

29 January 2026 - Chinese New Year, Year of the Horse, se temku personalised stamps issued in a special pack - 1 miniature sheet containing 3 stamps. Lithographed. Rating:- ***.

2868. 🇦🇺 Australia Commemorates Winter Olympics Gold Medallists.

 

New issues -

🇦🇺 Australia Post - 

2026 (precise date awaited) - Australian gold medalists at the Winter Olympic Games, hosted by Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo - 3 stamps, each issued in a sheetlet of 10 identical stamps each costing A$17. Rating ***.

🇧🇧 Barbados postal service -

10 November 2025 - We Gatherin’ event involving a year of encouraging individuals of the Bajan diaspora community to visit Barbados - 1 stamp. Lithographed. Rating:- ***.

🇬🇮 Royal Gibraltar Post Office -

2026 (precise date awaited) - EUROPA, 70th anniversary of the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations - at least 1 stamp. Lithographed. Further details awaited. Rating:- *.

🇸🇭 St Helena postal service - 

2026 - Spectre of Stamps stamp dealers has reported that a new definitive series depicting Endemic invertebrates will be issued during 2026 but no other details or illustrations are presently available.

🇮🇪 An Post (postal service of the Irish Republic) -

19 February 2026 - ‘Stamp for Ireland’, the Aran jumper - 2 self adhesive stamps. Designed by Sally Caulwell and lithographed by Enschedé. Rating:- ***.

2702. 🇬🇧 Royal Mail EuroPhilEx Sheets.

 

New issues -

🇲🇾 Pos Malaysia -

17 April 2025 - Stamp 2025 Fair, Putrajaya - 1 previously issued miniature sheet containing a single stamp with an overprint applied. Rating:- ***.

🇬🇧 Royal Mail -

1 May 2025 - Valour and Victory stories of the Second World War, 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe - 10 stamps with an accompanying miniature sheet featuring the ‘Forces’ Sweetheart’, singer Vera Lynn (see Blog 1690).

7 May 2025 - EuroPhilEx philatelic exhibition, Birmingham - it has been announced that Royal Mail will issue the 1 May miniature sheet with an overprint to commemorate the exhibition and sold for £6.60 (limited edition of 7500) as well as a ‘Collector sheet’ titled ‘Victory Stamps. 1946. Symbols of Peace and Reconstruction’ (10 self-adhesive Union Flag stamps with attached labels printed by lithography). The price will be £17.70. Additional illustrations and information awaited.

🇱🇹 Stamperija or an agent related to Stamperija -

🇸🇱 Products inscribed Sierra Leone -

15 January 2025 (date on cancellation of ‘first day cover’) - ‘Summer Games 2024’ (presumably an attempt to cash in on the Paris Olympic Games) - 16 ‘stamps’ (8 stamps in 2 different formats produced in miniature sheets and sheetlets as well as a number of other philatelic products. Not surprisingly, sold in both perforate and imperforate forms. Rating:- 0.

2639. 🇲🇺 🇳🇿 Mauritius Features Observatory; New Zealand’s 2025 New Issue Programme.

New Issues -

🇲🇺 Mauritius Post -

30 December 2024 - 150th anniversary of the Royal Alfred Observatory - 1 stamp. Lithographed. Rating:- ****.

🇦🇺 Australia Post -

Up until now I have not featured all the stamps issued in individual booklets which commemorate the Australian gold medal winners in the 2024 Paralympic Games (some of them were illustrated in previous Blogs). This omission is now corrected - 

September 2024 - Australian gold medal winners at the Paris Paralympic Games - 18 stamps -

 New Issue Programmes for 2025 - 

🇳🇿 New Zealand Post -

15 January - Chinese New Year, Year of the Snake (see Blog 2627).

5 February -  75th anniversary of The British Empire Games, 1950

5 March - Animals in service 

7,8,9 March - Royalpex Exhibition 

2 April - Pasifika Festival 

7 May - The Rocky Horror Show 

4 June - Soil

2 July - Native frogs

6 August - Black ferns 

3 September - Round kiwi stamp

3 September - issue inscribed Ross Dependency 

1 October - Christmas 

5 November - Biosecurity

Commonwealth countries and territories which are not yet known to have issued, or had issued on their behalf, any legitimate postage stamps during 2024 up until the end of December.

Anguilla 

Belize

British Indian Ocean Territory 

British Virgin Islands 

Cameroon 

Cook Islands including Rarotonga 

Cook Islands Aitutaki

Cook Islands Penrhyn

Gabon

Grenada Carriacou and Petite Martinique 

Kenya 

Lesotho 

Maldives 

Montserrat 

Mozambique 

Nauru 

Niue

Rwanda

Samoa 

Solomon Islands 

Tokelau 

Tonga

Tonga Niuafo’ou 

Trinidad And Tobago 

Tuvalu 

Uganda 

United Republic of Tanzania 

Vanuatu 

  Therefore by the end of December 2024, 28 out of the 89 (31.5%) Commonwealth philatelic entities are not known to have issued, or had issued on their behalf, any legitimate postage stamps during the year. This contrasts with the figure of 27 (30.7%) at the end of December 2023 and 21.3% at the end of 2022. It also contrasts with the figure of 29 (32.6%) at the end of November 2023. 

  It appears there is very little change between 2023 and 2024 in the number of Commonwealth philatelic entities which have failed to release postage stamps during the preceding year. If only those that do issue stamps in excessive numbers would alter their policies to reduce the price and number of products they release then new issue collecting would be far more satisfactory. But if people keep buying them then they will keep producing them.