2175. 🇲🇺 Mauritius Commemorates Postal Anniversaries.

 

New issues.

🇲🇺 Mauritius Post -

8 October 2022 - 250th anniversary of the first postal service in Mauritius and 175th anniversary of the first postage stamps of Mauritius - 2 miniature sheets, both containing a single stamp. Rating:- *****.

🇧🇩 Bangladesh Post 

5 August 2022 - 73rd anniversary of the birth of Captain Sheikh Kamal, ‘Great Freedom Fighter Martyr’ - 1 stamp. Rating:- ***.

🇮🇳 India Post -

2022 - ‘My Stamp’ (personalised stamp) - Modi Enterprises (Commemoration of KK Modi) - 1 stamp issued in sheetlet of 12 identical stamps at a premium price).

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka Post 

9 October 2022 - World Post Day - 1 stamp.Rating:- **.

🇧🇼 Botswana Post -

9 October 2022 - World Post Day, Bridges of Botswana - 4 stamps. Rating:- ****.

1702. 🇫🇰 Falklands Commemorates 50 Years Of Philatelic Study Group.

🇫🇰 More new issue news from the postal service of the Falkland Islands as it reveals that it intends to issue a set of 4 ‘stamp on stamp’ stamps on 7 September 2020 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Falkland Islands Philatelic Study Group. This is a splendid set designed by Bee Design from photographs taken by Nick Bonner, Tansy Bishop, FI Museum and National Trust and Stefan Heijtz and the issue was lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13.5. Rating:- *****.
  Thanks to Juliet Warner of Pobjoy Stamps for information about this issue.

🇵🇬 Regrettably Post PNG, the postal service of Papua New Guinea, has announced that it plans to release a grand total of 17 new issues, including the four already announced, during 2020. Details of five of the remaining 13 issues have been revealed but 17 issues in one year is plainly excessive and indefensible. The one good point is that Post PNG rarely releases as many issues as it plans so we must hope that that is the case again.

July 2020 - Bilums of Papua New Guinea
July 2020 - Freshwater crocodiles
July 2020 - Birds of Paradise
August 2020 - Products made in Papua New Guinea
August 2020 - Traditional war shields.

🇮🇳 Comments on Stamp Boards indicate that India Post will release a miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps (and, I’d have thought, 4 individual stamps) on 25 July 2020 to commemorate the frontline workers in the struggle against COVID-19.

🇰🇮 As reported in Blog 1663 the postal service of Kiribati has previously announced that it would issue a set of stamps in June 2020 on the subject of ‘Solar energy, Harnessing the power of the sun’. I have not yet seen anything to confirm that such an issue has been released recently but it is worth noting that a Presidential election recently took place in Kiribati in which the incumbent President, Taneti Maamau, was re-elected and he had, during the course of his time in of office, broken the country’s ties with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with The People’s Republic Of China. Kiribati is strategically important to China as it attempts to expand its power base in the Pacific Ocean area as the islands of Kiribati are spread across an enormous area of sea and influence over such a wide area is clearly of great benefit to The People’s Republic. Why do I mention this here? Well, The People’s Republic is very active in producing and donating to its client countries, sets of stamps which celebrate the close relationship of the two respective countries particularly on significant anniversaries of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two and so we should look out at some stage in the future for such an issue appearing from Kiribati.

President Maamau with the Chinese Foreign Minister

🇧🇿 The excellent website, Birds of the world on postage stamps, compiled devotedly by Chris Gibbins, has pointed out that the new definitive series from the Belize postal service which features birds was not issued in April 2020 as previously stated (Blog 1686) and indeed has not yet been released at all. The Belize postal service is quoted as stating that “As soon as they are (issued) we will put up the images”. The latest edition of Stanley Gibbons Stamp Monthly includes the set in its the Catalogue supplement with a date of issue of 29 April so I assume that the catalogue editor will need to review this information.

1474. 🇬🇧 Royal Mail To Commemorate Forestry Commission.

 🇬🇧 The set of 6 stamps which Royal Mail intends to issue on 13 August 2019 on the subject of British Forests can now be seen on the internet. The issue commemorates the Centenary of the Forestry Commission and is an attractive and colourful issue with various regions of The United Kingdom being pleasingly represented on the stamps. The featured forests are:- The National Arboretum at Westonbirt in the Cotswolds, Sherwood Forest in the East Midlands, Kielder Forest in the north of England, Glen Affric in Scotland, Coed y Brenin in Wales and Glenariff Forest in Northern Ireland. A very pleasing set which commemorates a worthwhile and significant anniversary. Rating:- *****.

 🇬🇬 Guernsey Post will issue Post and Go stamps in connection with the Autumn Stampex 2019 philatelic exhibition to be held from 11 to 14 September 2019 in London. The issue takes the form of the ‘Guernsey flag’ Post and Go stamp with an additional inscription to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Guernsey’s independent postal service. The inscription reads ‘Guernsey Post/Celebrates 50 Yrs’ and will be dispensed by kiosk GG01. The same kiosk will also dispense the 6 ‘50th anniversary of the Guernsey Old Car Club’ Post and Go stamps with an added inscription reading ‘Autumn Stampex 2019’. After the end of Stampex, the Guernsey Philatelic Bureau will also sell the above stamps with code GG04. Rating:- 0.

   🇲🇾 Pos Malaysia will issue an excellent miniature sheet on 18 July 2018 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the issue of the first Sarawak which depicted Rajah Brooke. The sheet was designed by World Communications Network Resources. The stamp contained in the sheet depicts the first stamp of Sarawak with stamps issued throughout Sarawak’s period of postal history featured in the margins of the sheet. Rating:- *****.

 🇦🇺 Australia Post has announced that it will issue a pack of 20 x $1 Moon landing stamps with attached labels (sold for $23) during July 2019 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first manned lunar landing. The issue is another celebration of US culture which Australia Post apparently finds to be profitable. The labels depict characters from the Peanuts cartoon and the pack is titled ‘Snoopy Journey To Deep Space’. Rating:- 0.

1381. 🇳🇬 Crudely Printed Commemoratives From Nigeria.

  🇳🇬 In Blog 1352 I reported that the postal service of Nigeria had issued 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 13 December 2018 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of River state. The issue was reported in Stamp Boards and there was some debate about the genuineness of the issue particularly as it appeared to be very crudely printed, rouletted rather than perforated and without holograms. Today  I received a set of the stamps from the dealer offering the issue for sale on an Internet auction site and they are every bit as crude as they appeared in the original report but clearly are a genuine issue since the dealer very pleasingly used blocks of four on the envelope containing the stamps and they were duly postmarked and entered into the postal system by Nigeria Post. Disappointingly I was sent a first day cover instead of a miniature sheet though the package also contained a large glossy sheet with a picture of the miniature sheet on it. The sheet was not gummed and the 4 stamps are much larger than the actual stamps so I'm assuming that this must be a poster of the sheet rather than a peculiar form of miniature sheet. Then again, who can know what passes for stamps in Nigeria at present? The stamps and sheet were depicted in Blog 1352 and the used stamps on the cover I received are depicted below.

  🇸🇱 Now on sale on an Internet auction site is a single stamp and a single stamp miniature sheet commemorating the Centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela as part of the Pan-African Postal Union which Stamperija has issued with the name of Sierra Leone printed on them. This stamp has only been seen previously as part of a multinational sheetlet of stamps inscribed with the names of other Stamperija client postal administrations (see Blog 1362). These items are also being sold imperforate at a greatly inflated price (a normal practice for Stamperija) and a first day cover is dated 28 December 2018. I wonder if this issue is actually on sale in Sierra Leone.

 🇬🇲 The same dealer is selling a first day cover of the same PAPU omnibus miniature sheet with the name of The Gambia printed on it (see Blog 1250) suggesting that the date of issue of that item was 18 July 2018.

  🇮🇳 India Post's first issue of 2019 was released on 24 January 2019 and took the form of 1 x Rs41 stamp and 1 x Rs41 miniature sheet on the highly exciting subject of the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology. An illustration is awaited.

  🇬🇧 The Royal Mail Post and Go stamps to be dispensed from kiosk A001 at The Postal Museum in London from 13 February 2019 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the National Postal Museum which were detailed in Blog 1372 are depicted below:-

  🇫🇯 In a comment at the end of Blog 1380 eyeonwall has kindly shared the information that Fiji Post will release an issue on the subject of the Chinese New Year, Year of The Pig, on 1 February 2019. No other details are available yet. Many thanks to eyeonwall for the information.

  🇵🇬 PNG Post, the postal service of Papua New Guinea, is planning to release the following new issues during 2019:-

  January 2019 - Faces of Papua New Guinea - Highlands and Mombasa regions

  31 January 2019 - Chinese New Year - 1 sheetlet containing 12 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing 4 stamps (2 x 2 different stamps). This issue is previously noted in Blog 1380. Rating:- 0.

  February 2019 - Team sports

  March 2019 - Reef fish

  March 2019 - Breadfruit 

  April 2019 - Agriculture rural farming

  April 2019 - 'Pioneer arts' - work by Iaben Sakale John

  May 2019 - Garlip nuts

  June 2019 - To be announced 

  June 2019 - Birds of Paradise.

1327. 🇬🇧 Miniature Sheet Celebrates Great British Stamp Issues.

  🇬🇧 The invaluable site - Norvic Philatelics Blog - has drawn attention to news of an early Royal Mail issue of 2019. In the September Newsletter of the Royal Philatelic Society of London (due to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2019) was announced that Royal Mail will issue a miniature sheet on 15 January 2019 to commemorate this notable philatelic anniversary. As illustrated below, the announcement reveals that the sheet will include a stamp to represent each reign and the featured stamps will be the 1891 £1 green, the 1910 Tyrian plum 2d, the 1913 2/6d Seahorse, the 1936 Penny ha'penny, the 1940 Halffpenny Penny Black Centenary commemorative and the 1953 Tuppence Halfpenny Coronation commemorative. It sounds like it will be an excellent issue.

  🇮🇳 In Blogs 1235 and 1288 I covered the subject of My Post issues by India Post released during 2018 up to 7 July. Further issues are now listed below. They follow the usual pattern of being issued as 12 stamps with attached labels per sheet sold at a premium price.

11 July - 50th anniversary of Christ University, Bangalore.

1 August 2018 - Paper Day.

15 August 2018 - Kurunji, Kerala.

August 2018 - Victoria Memorial, Kolkata.

29 August 2018 - Commemoration of Lilavati Hospital, 2 sheets.

7 September 2018 - 70th anniversary of Ashok Leyland.

18 September 2018 - Karma Parab.

30 September 2018 - Dr MGR Centenary, Valedictory Function, Chennai.

October 2018 - Centenary of the National Institute of Nutrition in Hyderabad.

4 October 2018 - Rayat Shiksan Sanstha.

October 2018 - The Taj Connemara hotel, Chennai.

October 2018 - 20 Years of Hyundai motors in India.