2954. 🇻🇺 Delayed News From Vanuatu.

 

New Issues -

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Post -

15 March 2017 - 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and Vanuatu - in addition to the sheetlet of 8 stamps) reported in Blog 2078 it appears that a miniature sheet of the 2 stamps was also issued. Rating:- *****.

25 February 2022 - 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vanuatu. Lithographed. It is possible that a miniature sheet containing the single stamp was also issued as there is a photograph taken at the launch of the issue naturally giving prominence to the officials, politicians and officials, showing a very unclear picture of what looks like a miniature sheet containing the aversion of the issued stamp. Rating:- *****.

These items are featured on the internet auction site of vmpetrol.

🇬🇬 Guernsey Post -

🇬🇬 🇬🇬 Issues inscribed Guernsey & issues inscribed Alderney -

1 September 2026 - ‘Man posted from Guernsey to Alderney’ - 4 stamps (2 se-tenant pairs). Designed by Keith Robinson and lithographed by bpost. Rating:- 0.

🇬🇬🇨🇶 Issues inscribed Guernsey and issues inscribed Sark -

1  September 2026 - ‘Man posted from Guernsey to Sark - 4 stamps in 2 se-tenant pairs. Designed by Keith Robinson and lithographed by bpost. Rating:- 0.

Total cost of above items - £16!

2924. 🇫🇯 A Flood Of Fiji Surcharges.

New issues -

  The stamp dealer, Prince Stamps, based in Spain, is offering a large number of new surcharges fron Fiji Post which are stated to have been released in 2026. I believe these were being sold at the Fiji stand at the Boston International Stamp Exhibition just finishing. There were also some commemorative issues for sale -

23 May 2026 - Fiji traditions - 4 stamps. Lithographed. Rating:- *****.

23 May 2026 - Boston International Philatelic Exhibition, Fiji’s natural heritage - 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps. Lithographed. Rating:- ***.

19 May 2026 - 147th Girmit Era (see Blog 2918). The designs of this set have been pre iously shown in tbis blog but a number appear to have been printed with name of the country omitted from the stamp design. Rating:- *****.

2026 - Various surcharges totalling 43 different stamps as illustrated below. Rating:- ****

Commonwealth countries and territories which are not know to have issued, or had issued on their behalf, any legitimate postage stamps during 2026 up until the end of May.

Anguilla 

Antigua and Barbuda

Australia (Cocos (Keeling) Islands)

Australia Norfolk Island 

Australian Antarctic Territory 

Barbados 

Belize

British Antarctic Territory 

British Indian Ocean Territory 

British Virgin Islands 

Cameroon 

Cook Islands including Rarotonga 

Cook Islands Aitutaki 

Cook Islands Penrhyn 

Dominica

Gabon 

Grenada 

Grenada Carriacou and Petite Martinique 

Guyana 

Jamaica

Kenya

Kingdom of eSwatini

Kiribati

Lesotho 

Malawi 

Maldives 

Montserrat 

Mozambique 

Nevis

New Zealand Ross Dependency 

Niue

Papua New Guinea

Pitcairn Islands 

Rwanda

St Helena

St Kitts/St Kitts Nevis

Saint Lucia 

St Vincent and the Grenadines 

Samoa

Seychelles 

Solomon Islands

Tokelau 

Tonga 

Tonga Niuafo’ou

Trinidad and Tobago 

Turks and Caicos Islands 

Tuvalu

Uganda 

United Republic of Tanzania 

Vanuatu 

Zambia

Therefore at the end of May, 51 out of 88 ( 57.95%) of Commonwealth philatelic entities had not issued, or had not had issued on their behalf, any legitimate postage stamps in 2026.This compares with 59.1% at the end of April 2016 and 58.2% at the end of May 2025.

2880. 🇧🇸 Bahamas Commemorates Late Queen’s Centenary.

New Issues -

🇧🇸 Postal service of Bahamas -

3 March 2026 - Birth centenary of the late Queen Elizabeth II who was Quenof Bahamas - 4 stamps. The excellent dealer Spectre of Stamps has published an illustration of the 4 stamps as they appear on first day cover. Lithographed. Rating:- *****.

🇨🇦 Canada Post -

19 March 2026 - Sugar shacks - 2 sell-adhesive stamps issued in booklets of 6 (3 of each stamp). Designed by Paprika and Gerard DuBois and lithographed by Colour Innovations. Rating:- ***. 

🇮🇳 India Post -

13 February 2026 - Puppetry in India - 8 stamps issued in a miniature sheet containing 1 of each stamp. This issue was previously reported in Blog 2865 but but better illustrations of the miniature sheet and stamps are now depicted here. Rating:- ****.

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Post -

2 April 2026 - Old Master Q, second issue - 6 stamps and 3 miniature sheets (1 containing the set of six and the others a single stamp). Designed by Young HoI-chun and lithographed. Rating:-**.

1462. 🇨🇦 Bears Of Canada.

  🇨🇦 Canada Post will issue a set of 4 self-adhesive stamps sold in booklets of 8 (2 x 4 different designs) and 1 miniature sheet on 24 July 2019 on the subject of Bears. The stamps depict 4 striking and wonderful face-on portraits of the American black bear, the Kermode bear, the Grizzly bear and the Polar bear and were designed by Andrew Perro. If a postal administration must issue thematic stamps then this is the way to do it (compare this excellent issue with the upcoming Royal Mail ‘Curious customs’ which is confusing and ugly). Rating:- *****.

  🇬🇧 Here now are much better quality illustrations of the upcoming set of 8 stamps on the subject of ‘Curious customs’ to be released by Royal Mail on 9 July 2019. The issue was designed by NB Studio   using illustrations by the Dunfermline-born commercial designer, print maker and illustrator Jonny Hannah. The issue was lithographed by International Security Printers and is perforated 14 x 14.5.

  While the subject of the issue is interesting and worthwhile the designs have proved to be highly controversial - they may make colourful posters and prints for those with a taste for such a style but they make wholly unsatisfactory stamps seeming as they do to be the work of a schoolchild and not at all explanatory of what the traditional or otherwise ‘curious customs’ involve. The designs are typical of what results when a group of mutually admiring professionals get together on a committee and resolve to foist art, architecture, theatre and so on on a public which the professionals judge to need their own self-regarding superior taste inflicted on them.

  Rating:- 0.