1030. 🇬🇧 Post And Go Issuing Frenzy Accompanies Postal Museum Opening.

  🇸🇱 You have to acknowledge that Stamperija - or rather those behind it - is/are rather clever. No matter how much you despise it, some of its products at least are very tempting to those too weak to resist and at times I find myself feeling sorely tempted.

  Take, for instance, its latest products which have the name of Sierra Leone inscribed on them and are on the subject of the lesser flamingo and which, in all honesty, are rather attractively designed stamps. Said to have been "issued" on 30 May 2017, the entire collection is made up of a miniature sheet of 8 stamps (2 x 4), a sheetlet of 16 stamps (4 x 4), a miniature sheet of 4 stamps and the whole lot also issued in imperforate format. The big question is, regardless of how attractive they are, how many of them have found their way to being put on sale at ordinary post office counters in Sierra Leone? They are attractive but look at their pedigree, therefore rating is 0.

  

  🇬🇧 There are a large number of new Royal Mail Post and Go issues be released in the near future by The Postal Museum which will move from its current location in Freeling House to Phoenix Place on 13 July 2017. Kiosk A001 will not be in use from 13 to 24 July and then on the 25 July exclusive access to the kiosk will be made to collectors so that they can buy labels with an official opening inscription.

  All Post and Go label designs will have a new "The Postal Museum" inscription applied to them from 25 July and the formerly used "envelope" marque will not be included in the new inscription. 

  The new inscription will be applied to :- 

   A. The Machin Head 50th anniversary labels which exist of course in 6 colours (1st Class value only),

   B. The Underground railway labels in 6 different values, 

   C. The Mail coach labels in 6 different values,

   D. Machin Head (old design) (2 x 2nd class only - standard and large),

   E. Union Jack in 6 different values.

  Two types of "Opening" inscriptions will be applied to the labels:-

  a. "Official Opening 2017" - Machin Head 50th Anniversary

                                             Machin Head (old design) 2nd class.

  b. "Official Opening" - Underground railway,

                                     Mail coach,

                                     Union Jack.

  The Postal Museum will be closed on 26 and 27 July and then opened fully on 28 July onwards.

  It is worth noting that the Machin Head 50th Anniversary labels with Postal Museum inscriptions (with "envelope" marque) were only introduced on 5 June 2017 and that they will therefore have a short lifespan of less than 2 months.

  Therefore from 5 June to 25 July 2017 The Postal Museum will have had Kiosk A001 dispensing 32 labels and when the new inscription stamps are released without the "Opening" inscription this number will increase to 57 which seems rather a lot to me.

5 June 2017 label (one of 6)

1000. Gandhi's Nonviolent Resistance Movement.

  🇮🇳 India Post issued a set of 3 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 13 May 2016 to commemorate the Centenary of Champaran Satyagraha. Satyagraha is translated as "insistence on truth" and is a particular form of nonviolent or civil resistance which was introduced by Mahatma Gandhi with the first movements of the resistance being started in the Champaran district of Bihar. This issue marks the centenary of the beginning of the movement. This is an interesting and historically important issue. Rating:- *****.

  Post scriptum. The miniature sheet was withdrawn soon after issue because of design errors.

   🇱🇰 Sri Lanka Post issued a sheet of 20 different stamps on 10 May 2017 to commemorate United Nations International Day of Vesak. Vesak is celebrated on the day of the full moon in the month of May and is the most sacred day in the Buddhist calendar as it is said to be the day on which Buddha was born in 623 BC and also when he attained enlightenment as well as being the day on which he died at the age of 80 years.

  The stamps depict Buddhist temples in 20 different countries. This is a very interesting issue. Rating:- ****.

  🇬🇧 In Blogs 993, 995 and 998 I mentioned the first 4 designs of Canada Post's Canada 150 series. Royal Mail has now revealed how it intends to commemorate philatelically this important anniversary - another one of its expensive and tedious "Commemorative sheets" - 10 x 1st Smilers "Fireworks" stamps with attached labels. At least the labels are colourful and interesting but I would have preferred much more to have a set of stamps to add my collection to congratulate our friends in Canada on their wonderful country's birthday. The item will be issued 30 July 2017. Rating:- **.

  Royal Mail will also issue a "Commemorative sheet" on 13 June 2017 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Princess Anne, the Queen's daughter, adopting the title of "Princess Royal". The sheet is made up of 10 x 1st "Union Jack" Smilers stamps with gloomy black and white attached labels. Rating:- *.

  It seems that Royal Mail is in the middle of a Commemorative sheet bonanza as a third sheet will be released on 13 September 2017 to mark the opening of The Postal Museum which, of course, is situated in London. This is a very colourful item and is made up of Penny Black, Twopenny Blue and Penny Red stamps with interesting attached labels. This item is bound to be popular with collectors. Rating:- ***.

  🇬🇬 The Guernsey Post philatelic bureau tweeted on 12 May 2017 that Post and Go kiosk GG01 in Smith Street post office had dispensed on that date strips of "Lighthouse" labels with additional inscriptions to welcome visitors from the cruise ship Oriana.