1596. 🇬🇧 Spectacular Royal Mail New Issue Notes British Astronomical Discoveries.

🇬🇧 Depicted here now are much better quality illustrations of the stamps from the Royal Mail Visions of the Universe set of 8 stamps to be released on 11 February 2020 than were included in Blog 1583 where I first mentioned this issue. The 2 panes of definitive and regional stamps from the Prestige booklet are illustrated in Blog 1591. The issue commemorates the Bicentenary of the Royal Astronomical Society and notes important British astronomical discoveries.. The issue was designed by True North and lithographed by International Security Printers and is perforated 14. A colourful and well-designed set commemorating a notable British anniversary and notable British achievements. Rating:- *****.

🇫🇯 Illustrated below are two of the set of 4 stamps issued by Post Fiji on 17 January 2020 to commemorate Chinese New Year, Year of the Rat. As rats go these are pretty inoffensive looking. The Year of the Rat has got off to a very unpropitious start due to thousands of people in China and elsewhere being affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. I wonder if this dreadful opening of the year will affect people’s wishes to buy the vast numbers of stamps issued by Commonwealth and other countries (in many of which there is no population of any great number to which the lunar new festivities have any significance) which commemorate this inauspicious new year. And if sales are poor as a result will so many postal authorities issue stamps for the 2021 lunar new year?

🇬🇧 I gave up collecting Royal Mail Smilers stamps 10 years ago and don’t feel that anything worthwhile is missing from my collection. On the other hand there are still some enthusiasts for these frequently overpriced items and so I’m sure they will welcome the Generic sheet which Royal Mail plans to issue to commemorate London 2020 International Stamp Exhibition to take place in May. The sheet contains 20 ‘Hello’ stamps with attached labels depicting aspects of the postal service in London over the decades. Rating:- 0.

🇮🇲 Isle Of Man Post Office plans to issue a miniature sheet reproducing the designs of 11 previously issued stamps on 26 February 2020 to commemorate previous United States exploration of the moon and in space in general. Cost £10.63. Ho hum. Rating:- 0. 

  🇬🇬 Guernsey Post will issue 6 new Post and Go stamps on 12 February 2020 on the subject of local fishing vessels. This excellent new set was designed by Robin Carter and printed digitally by Walsall Security Printers. Local theme, excellent art, what else could a collector want? Rating:- *****.

1094. 🇫🇰 Fishing In The Falklands.

  🇫🇰 The postal service of The Falkland Islands will issue an excellent set of 4 stamps on 23 October 2017 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Falkland Islands Fisheries. The colourful and interesting set was designed by Robin Carter and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13.5. Rating:- *****.

  🇬🇧 Meanwhile yet more penguins are making an appearance on Pobjoy Stamps/Creative Direction stamps with a set from the postal service of Tristan Da Cunha which is a World Wide Fund For Nature issue on the subject of the Northern Rockhopper Penguin. This is another lovely set again designed by Robin Carter and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13 x 13.5. However there have been a lot of penguin stamps recently so it might be quite nice for them to have a rest from their busy philatelic schedules for a few months. Rating:- *****.

  Thanks to Juliet Warner for information about the above issues.

  🇬🇧 Commonwealth Games England has put forward England's second largest city, Birmingham, as its candidate in the competition to be host to the 2022 Commonwealth Games which were to have been held in Durban. It appears that the city is the only name to have been put forward for this honour and so, subject to the conclusions of scrutiny of the bid over the next few weeks, we may expect that the Games will be held in this vibrant, multicultural city in 2022 which is located geographically at the very centre of England. 

  The location will also enable The Queen to open and attend the Games even though by then her age will be well advanced into her 90s.

  A philatelic history of The Commonwealth Games is set out in Blog 397.

  🇸🇱🇸🇧 And so inevitably, I suppose, to the latest paraphilatelic products from Stamperija. This week we are burdened by "issues" bearing the names of two Commonwealth countries - Sierra Leone and Solomon Islands. 

  Sierra Leone - 30 August 2017 - 10 sheetlets each containing 4 different "stamps" and 10 miniature sheets - 90th Birth anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI, Space tourism, Birth quatercentenary of Murillo, 4th Birthday of Prince George of Cambridge, 75th Birth anniversary of Jimi Hendrix, 145th Birth anniversary of Louis Bleriot, International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, Volcanic eruptions, 65th anniversary of the death of Eva Peron, and Christmas. Rating:- 0.

  Note the Christmas issue depicted below - why doesn't the "miniature sheet" depict a Sierra Leonean child?

  Solomon Islands - 4 September 2017 - 13 sheetlets each containing 4 different "stamps" and 13 miniature sheets - 70th anniversary of the death of Henry Ford, Concorde, 14th Dalai Lama, 35th Birthday of The Duke Of Cambridge, Pope John Paul II, Mothere Teresa, 140th Birth anniversary of Louis Renault, Submarines, Fire engines, the Red Cross, Freemasonry - Tercentenary of the Grand Lodge of England, "Journey to Mars" and Indian trains. Rating:- 0.

  Note the "Prince William" issue and the perfectly appalling portraits of the Prince used on the "stamps". What rubbish this stuff is.