357. Zimbabwe Hairstyles And Mao Tse Tung Anniversary.

  Zimbabwe issued a set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 17 December 2013 on the subject of "Hair designs of traditional women in Zimbabwe". The issue is comprised of 4 colourful painted portraits of Zimbabwean women and all 4 designs are united in the miniature sheet. It would have been so easy for the Zimbabwe Post Office to have used for 4 photographs in the designs but the collector is here rewarded with original artwork and I wish more postal administrations and philatelic agencies would commission original artwork for use in stamp design rather than manipulating a stock photograph on a computer screen and adding a bit of lettering to it. Top marks to Zimpost for this issue.

  A number of issues from Commonwealth territories have appeared during 2013 which are interesting because they are clearly entirely aimed at sales on the Chinese philatelic market. They are all territories which allow a large New York-based philatelic agency to manage their new stamp issue programmes and the stamps appear to have been produced in The People's Republic Of China. 

  The subject of the issues is the 120th birth anniversary of the former Chinese leader, Mao Tse Tung, and what is particularly interesting is that the Mandarin language is used more on the inscriptions of the stamps than is English although I doubt that many inhabitants of the countries whose names appear on the sheets will be able to understand what the inscriptions say. However collectors in China will immediately know what has been written; presumably that will increase the chance of interesting Chinese collectors in these particular items and increasing their sales.

  Ghana appears to have had 2 sheetlets prepared for it, each containing 6 different stamps:-

  As is the case with similar issues from other countries, I do not know the "date of issue" at present. A second China-themed and produced issue has also appeared from Ghana - a sheetlet of 9 different stamps which depict camellias. These were produced in conjunction with the "China International Collection Expo" which was held in late September 2013:-

  Back to the Mao Tse Tung issues - 3 sheetlets have been produced with the name of Sierra Leone inscribed on them. The date of issue was 10 September 2013. Sierra Leone's issue is centred around poems written by Mao but there is little chance of anyone in Sierra Leone understanding what they say as they are again printed in Mandarin:-

  Two sheetlets have been produced in the name of Guyana - one containing 4 different portraits of Mao and the second containing 5 portrait stamps plus a sixth which depicts a landscape. I do not know the date of issue of this pair of sheetlets:-

   Tanzania has 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps issued on its behalf - the designs all feature photographic portraits of Mao Tse Tung:-

  There is also 1 sheetlet produced with Uganda's name printed on the 6 stamps which it contains. The designs (shown above) are principally colour photographic portraits. I do not know the date of issue.

  Finally, there are 2 sheetlets from Grenada one of which contains 6 different stamps and the other contains 2 x 3 different stamps. Again, I do not know the date of issue yet:-

  All of the above issues have no relevance in subject matter to the territory whose name appears on the item and so I will not add any of them to my collection but if these items sell well to Chinese collectors then I don't suppose the philatelic agents will be at all bothered about what I buy.

356. New Bhutanese Stamp Issue Features Phallus Paintings.

  Bhutan Post has announced on its website the issue of 2 new sets of stamps and one of them is certainly something that you would not want to show to your elderly aunt. The first set is comprised of 2 miniature sheets, one containing one stamp and the second containing 4 stamps and on the subject of "Bhutan arts and happiness". The stamps were designed by Ugyen Wangchuk and lithographed by Cartor. The design of the single stamp in the first miniature sheet depicts Lama Drukpa Kunley (apparently known as The Divine Madman because of "his unrestrained sexual practices and rebellion against the dogmatic religious institutions"). The Bhutan Post publicity goes on to say that "He glorified the phallus in Bhutan giving it the popular name Magic/Flaming Thunderbolt Of Wisdom". He "used the phallus as a medium to tame the demons and demonesses and other malevolent spirits...." The stamp depicts the Lama with bow and arrows, seated on a deerskin and holding a dramyan (a Bhutanese musical instrument). "He had an unorthodox way of teaching Buddhism through poems and songs designed to shock people and make them think about the true essence of Dharma. Known for his outrageous behaviour and bizarre humour laden with sexual overtones, he is loved and respected by the people of Bhutan".

  The background of the miniature sheet depicts Chimi Lakhang - the "Divine Fertility Temple" - which was built in the 15th century to honour Lama Drukpa Kunley on a site where he is said to have overcome a demon and imprisoned it in a rock.

  The second miniature sheet depicts "a typical Bhutanese house with phalluses painted on the walls". They are variously symbols of fertility as well as methods of defending the home from The Evil Eye and The Evil Tongue. The Bhutan Post website goes into even more detail but I think I will leave it there.

  The 4 stamps on the second miniature sheet are rather, er, graphic and are depicted below. Each stamp is featured separately on the Bhutan Post website and each depict a different painting of a phallus:-

   It's extraordinary, isn't it, what little bye-ways of knowledge stamp collecting will take you down?The second issue is rather less unsettling and comprises 2 sheetlets, each with 12 blank stamps (apart from coloured upper and lower borders) which can be personalised as greetings stamps. Each sheet is inscribed "From The Land Of The Thunder Dragon" and the background of the first depicts Taktshang and the other features Bhutanese national symbols. The one piece of information that is not provided on the Bhutan Post website is the date of issue of both of these sets. One thing is for sure, however, a few people will have rather a surprise if they receive a letter from Bhutan with one of the above stamps affixed to the envelope!

  Moving on to a near neighbour of Bhutan, I have not yet seen any details of the  stamp depicted below issued by Bangladesh and which commemorates the 42nd anniversary of "Victory Day". I do not know the date of issue and it is not featured on the Bangladesh Post Office philatelic site but at least one dealer is offering it for sale on an Internet auction site. The stamp obviously depicts Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who led the resistance to West Pakistan with the Independence Monument featured in the background.

  Most dealers have not offered for sale the Migratory birds stamps set of 8 from ordinary sheets which was issued on 13 January 2013 (depicted below) although there has been no problem in finding the miniature sheet for sale which has the 8 stamps arranged similarly to the blocks of 8 from ordinary sheets. However some examples are for sale from Internet dealers. 

  Hong Kong China will issue 6 new "Heartwarming" stamps on 23 January 2014. They were designed by Jason Chum and lithographed by Cartor:-

  Following the Heartwarming set, 6 stamps will be issued on 20 February 2014 which deal with the subject of "Chinese Dinosaurs". Doubtless there will be an accompanying miniature sheet but I will add details of this issue when they are known. The designs clearly make up a dramatic composite design so perhaps a se-tenant block will be sold.

  Hong Kong will release a new definitive set in July 2014 which appears to depict various geological features of the territory which should be the basis for an interesting issue:-

  On 7 October 2013, rather late in the year, St. Vincent And The Grenadines had a sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet issued with its name inscribed on them which commemorated the 60th anniversary of the coronation of the country's monarch, Queen Elizabeth II:-

355. Australia Issues Stamps To Celebrate Ashes Victory.

  Australia Post will issue 2 gummed stamps, 1 self-adhesive stamp from sheetlets of 5 x$2.60 values and 1 miniature sheet on 20 January 2014 to commemorate the 5 - 0 whitewash victory over England in the recent Ashes cricket test match series. 

  p.s. See also Blog 360.

  This is the third issue of stamps of recent years which has commemorated various victories in Ashes series - the first was issued by Royal Mail to commemorate England's victory in the 2005 series and took the form of a miniature sheet which contained 2 first class stamps and 2 x 68p stamps. The sheet was issued on 6 October 2005.

  Australia got its revenge with a stamp issue released on 16 January 2007 which commemorated the return of The Ashes trophy to Australia after its victory in the 2006 to 2007 series.:-

  Just 3 days before the new cricket stamps, on 17 January 2014, Australia Post issued 5 new gummed stamps and 5 self-adhesive variants (issued as booklets of 10 stamps of each design) to commemorate 5 famous Australian cooks as part of the annual "Australian Legends" series.

  Each "Legend" was presented with a 24 carat gold replica of the stamp on which they appear. The stamps were designed by Lynette Traynor and lithographed by McKellar Renown.

  

  The first issue of 2014 from Cyprus will be released on 30 January 2014 on the subject of the olive tree and its products:-

354. Jersey "Post And Go" Exhibition Souvenirs.

  The Jersey Post Office is to use a Hytech "Post And Go" machine at philatelic exhibitions so that visitors to the exhibitions can print "stamps" for themselves which depict the Jersey flag. Importantly while these publicly accessible machines will be sited at shows on mainland Britain - where the "stamps" are not valid for use on mail - no such machine will be available for public use in Jersey itself and so we must conclude that these are not true postage stamps but merely exhibition souvenirs. As such, I shall not feel any need to add them to my collection.

  The first British exhibition where these souvenirs will be sold is Spring Stampex in London where they will be available on 19 February 2014. There will be 6 values - Local Letter (45p), UK Letter (55p), Europe (60p), Local Large (68p), International (80p) and UK Large (88p) totalling £3.96p. But collectors who feel they must buy these items won't get away with it that easily - oh no - because they are to be produced in two versions - one set from a machine for the exhibition visitors to print themselves (the "J" series) - and a second set - the "B" series - to be produced behind the counter and sold to the customers by counter staff. Hence the obsessionally completist Jersey collector will need to pay £7.92p for these initial items from Spring Stampex and I have a nasty feeling that there will be few more exhibitions where the Jersey Post And Go will make an appearance before 2014 is over.

  As long as these items are not freely available from machines physically situated in Jersey itself, I can not think of them as true postage stamps and, like Jersey's infamous diamond-encrusted miniature sheet of 2012, I can not take them seriously even as "Footnote" issues. To me they are merely philatelic souvenirs which I can quite happily ignore and omit from my collection of postage stamps.

(See also Blog 334).

 I now illustrate some of the previously mentioned recent issues from Sri Lanka. 

 1 December 2013 - Christmas -

14 November 2013 - CHOGM held in Sri Lanka - 

27 November 2013 - Commemoration of Dr. Tissa Abeysekara (filmmaker);

2 December 2013 - All Ceylon Moor's Association - 

  The Singapore Post Lunar new year set was issued on 3 January 2014 and consists of 3 gummed stamps, 1 self-adhesive stamp and 1 miniature sheet issued as a "Collector's Sheet". The stamps were designed by Leo Teck Chang and lithographed by Southern Colour Print and Cartor - 

  How unobservant I am - I had not noticed that the Johanna Benson commemorative issue from Namibia was sold for 2 postal rates - "Standard Mail" and "postcard rate", the latter being released with an attached label - 

  The new Nevis definitive set which I mentioned in Blog 348 was issued on 4 December 2013 and consists of 12 stamps which depict fish:-

  The second issue of 2014 from Australia Post depicts orchids and consists of 4 gummed stamps and 4 self-adhesive stamps produced in booklet format. The issue was released on 14 January 2013 and designed by Sonia Young and lithographed by EGO - 

  Isle Of Man's third issue of 2014 will be released on 19 February and will commemorate the centenary of the start of World War I and depicts British soldiers' lives in the trenches. A worthy issue because Manxmen fought along soldiers from the rest of The Empire but it is not clear to me why the date of issue was not delayed until later in the year which would have been nearer to the actual date of the outbreak of the terrible war. The stamps were designed by CASCO and printed in lithography:-

  Following on from its set which commemorated the lunar new year, a subject of no relevance whatsoever to The Channel Islands, the Guernsey Post Office will issue a £3 miniature sheet on 12 February 2014 which features a subject which, yes, has no relevance to the island. The item consists of a charming portrait by Joel Kirk of a baby orang utan but it is a creature which is found in Sumatra and not Guernsey (and Guernsey is a very long way from Sumatra). The item was lithographed by Cartor. I guess that there are endangered species to be found in Guernsey which could be featured on the island's stamps but that they are not so appealing as a baby orang utan and probably would not sell so many stamps.

  At last a 2014 issue from the Guernsey Post Office which is relevant to the island - a set of 6 stamps which features local ladybirds. This set will also be released on 12 February 2014 which is a little odd since there are not many ladybirds to be seen at that time of year - why not release them during the summertime? The stamps are nicely designed by Petula Stone and lithographed by BDT International. The stamps bear the additional inscription "Alderney".