2556. 🇦🇬🇩🇲🇬🇩🇰🇳🇱🇨🇻🇨 Caribbean ECCB Omnibus Stamps

New issues -

🇦🇬🇩🇲🇬🇩🇰🇳🇱🇨🇻🇨 - Joint issue by the postal services of Antigua And Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts And Nevis, Saint Lucia and St Vincent And The Grenadines -

19 July 2024 - 40th anniversary of the Eastern Caribbean Community Bank (described in previous Blogs including Blog 2549) 2 miniature sheets for each postal service. These issues are now illustrated below -

🇦🇬 Antigua And Barbuda -

🇩🇲 Dominica -

🇬🇩 Grenada - 

🇰🇳 St Kitts And Nevis -

🇱🇨 Saint Lucia -

🇻🇨 Sr Vincent And The Grenadines -

🇬🇩 Grenada Postal Corporation -

1 August 2024 - Joint issue with the postal service of the Republic of Korea, 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Grenada and Korea - 2 stamps. Issue previously described in Blog 2541 but better quality illustrations are now provided -

Commonwealth countries and territories which are not known to have issued, or had issued on their behalf, any legitimate postage stamps this year up until the end of August -

Aitutaki Cook Islands 

Anguilla 

Bahamas 

Belize 

British Antarctic Territory 

British Indian Ocean Territory 

British Virgin Islands 

Cameroon

Cook Islands including Rarotonga

Gabon 

Grenada Carriacou And Petite Martinique 

Kenya

Kingdom of eSwatini 

Kiribati 

Lesotho 

Maldives 

Montserrat 

Mozambique 

Nauru 

Nigeria 

Niuafo’ou Tonga

Niue

Penrhyn Cook Islands 

Pitcairn Islands 

Ross Dependency 

Rwanda 

St Helena

Samoa 

Solomon Islands 

The Gambia

Tokelau 

Tonga

Trinidad And Tobago 

Uganda 

United Republic of Tanzania 

Vanuatu 

Zambia

Therefore, by the end of August, 37 of the 89 (41.6%) Commonwealth philatelic entities (Mozambique has been added to the list as it once more has a functioning postal service) are not known to have issued or had issued on their behalf, any legitimate postage stamps in 2024. This compares with the figure of 43 (48.9%) at the end of July 2024 and the figure of 33 out of 88 (37.5) at the end of August 2023.

1407. 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia Commemorates 40 Years Of Independence.

  🇱🇨 After a long break the postal service of Saint Lucia has released a set of 4 stamps. The issue commemorates the 40th anniversary of the island's Independence from The United Kingdom. I do not yet know the date of issue but Independence Day is celebrated there on 22 February and so it is reasonable to assume that the date of issue was 22 February 2019. It is a very attractive set and among other subjects two local birds are depicted on two of the stamps. Rating:- *****.

  🇳🇿 New Zealand Post will issue a set of 6 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 3 April 2019 on the subject of the ANZAC Dawn Service. New Zealand Post has published the following information about the subject, "Whether an ANZAC Day Dawn Service is held at Auckland or Kaikoura, Gallipoli or London, Scott Base or Stewart Island, New Zealanders rise early on Anzac Day. On this 'the one day of the year' we for-go a holiday sleep-in to acknowledge at dawn those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and who now sleep forever".

  "Once a solemn and silent parade of veterans, today Anzac Day belongs to all New Zealanders as we acknowledge the human cost of war and share in a sense of pride in the collective deeds of those who served".

  The issue was designed by Helcia Berryman of Grange Park Creative and lithographed by Southern Colour Print and perforated 14.5 x 14. Rating:- ****.

1198. Happy Easter.

  In the late 1960s and early 70s the issue of Easter stamps became popular in a number of Commonwealth territories following the success of Christmas stamps which had been issued increasingly from the early to mid 1960s. Coupled with the then popularity of 'art on stamps', many of the stamps featured designs which used 'Old Master'paintings. The issue of Easter stamps had a transient popularity with client territories of the Crown Agents and, when their money-making potential was recognised, with IGPC.

  In keeping with it being Good Friday, depicted here are a number of stamps issued from 1968 to 1982 by Commonwealth postal entities on the subject of the Crucifixion.

  🇮🇳 India Post issued a miniature sheet containing 8 different stamps on the subject of 'The Solar System' on 20 March 2018. This item, printed by Security Press Hyderabad, and for which no reason is given for its release at this time, is certainly very colourful but one is bound to ask, other than for the generation of revenue for India Post, why is such an issue necessary? Rating:- *.

  The issue was designed by Shri Suresh Kumar.

  🇮🇲 The Isle Of Man Post Office will issue a set of 10 stamps and a booklet containing 10 self-adhesive stamps to commemorate the Manx government's official "Year of Our Island 2018" project. The designs are made up of photographs by Simon Park who is a resident of the island. The issue was designed by Isle Of Man Advertising and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 14. Rating:- ***.

880. Saint Lucia Independence Day Stamps; Malaysia Commemorates Its New King.

  The postal service of Saint Lucia has issued its first stamps of 2016 having issued a single stamp only during 2015. The new issue commemorates the 37th anniversary of Independence though why it 

has suddenly become necessary to commemorate such an odd anniversary is a question that is not answered. The issue depicts the current Governor General of Saint Lucia, Dame Pearlette Louisa, as well as former Governors General including the country's first Queen's representative - Sir Allen Lewis. 

  This is an attractive and interesting set and it's pleasing to have an issue from this Caribbean island especially as I have not yet seen a single example of last year's issue nor any dealer offering it for sale or even an illustration of it - it is said to have commemorated the centenary of the birth of Sir Arthur Lewis and to have been released on 1 July 2015.

  I do not know the date of issue of these stamps but Saint Lucia's Independence Day is 22 February so it may be that this issue was actually released early in 2016.

  Rating:- ****.

  

  Pos Malaysia issued a set of 3 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 12 December 2016 to commemorate the commencement of the reign of the new King of Malaysia, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan. The Sultan becomes the 15th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and the first ruler of Kelantan to do so since Sultan Yahya Petri ibni Sultan Ibrahim who was the sixth YDPA from 1975 to 1979. Muhammad V became the 29th Sultan of Kelantan in 2010.

  The interesting issue was designed by Shahrul Izhar. Rating:- *****.

  It is reported that World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) stamps are in preparation with the names of Kenya (Somali ostrich), Zambia (Southern ground hornbill), Turks And Caicos Islands (Staghorn coral) and Dominica (Scalloped hammerhead shark) printed on them. These issues are said to be due for release in 2016 or 2017 and they are all, interestingly, territories for which IGPC produces and markets stamps but infrequently.

  Stamperija has released another batch of miniature sheets and sheetlets each containing 4 different "stamps" with the name of Mozambique printed on them with a stated date of issue of 10 July 2016. There's little good to say about these products which mostly, as usual, feature subjects of little or no relevance to Mozambique - the subjects being:- 75th death anniversary of Lord Baden-Powell, a commemoration of Nelson Mandela, First World War aircraft, 1st Birthday of Princess Charlotte, "A tribute to Prince" (US music performer), Conch shells, Sleigh dogs, Sochi Winter Games, Special transport, Steam trains, Valentina Tereshkova, 50th death anniversary of Walt Disney, Popes, Philataipel 2016 Philatelic Exhibition - Chiang Kai-shek and Muhammad Ali. Rating:- 0.