799. IGPC Goes Away For A Month And This Is What Happens.

  Before getting to the main subject of this particular Blog, I illustrate above another new surcharge from the Trinidad And Tobago postal administration although I have no details of the issue at present. This is the 3c value of the 1969 definitive series with a $1 surcharge applied. This single stamp is more worthwhile and more interesting than nearly every other item discussed in the rest of this Blog. See also Blog 749.

  The philatelic agency which likes to describe itself as "The world's most respected philatelic agents", otherwise known as IGPC, took a break from releasing information about new stamp issues during July while it moved its office back to New York. The brief respite is now over and IGPC is back in the business of releasing more philatelic products on to the new issue market. I'm sure we all feel a lot better for that news.

  And to make up for the dearth of products in July there is a special bumper release of items and a number of lucky Commonwealth countries have their names printed on them. Very few of the items are on subjects relevant to the countries whose names appear on them but since when has that ever mattered? So, without further ado:-

  Antigua And Barbuda:-

29 July 2016 - 90th Birthday of Elizabeth II, Queen of Antigua And Barbuda - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps. Presumably news of an additional miniature sheet is to follow. Rating:- ***. 

29 July 2016 - 50th anniversary of the death of Sergei Korolev, Soviet rocket engineer and space craft designer - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

  22 July 2016 - Quatercentenary of the death of William Shakespeare - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

  Ghana - 

  30 May 2016 - African flowers - 1 sheetlet if 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

  15 June 2016 - 130th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

  Grenada:-

  30 May 2016 - Quatercentenary of the death of William Shakespeare - 1 sheetlet of 4 identical stamps, 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0

   30 June 2016 - 15th anniversary of the terrorist outrages of 11 September 2016 - 1 sheetlet of 6 stamps and 2 miniature sheets. Rating:- 0.

  Here words defeat me. Has Grenada become a philatelic colony of China? In Blogs 620 and 697 I mentioned stamps issued by IGPC in the name of Grenada with Chinese themes which have no relevance to Grenada and with a notable amount of Mandarin text printed on them. IGPC's latest information highlights a whole new load of such stuff - I really am not clear why Grenada has been singled out to have its name used on so many of these issues. IGPC illustrates these issues only as complete sheets and prices them as sheets rather than a single sets hence the rather blurry illustrations below.

  29 July 2016 - 60th anniversary of China's space industry and China Aerospace Day - 2 stamps issued in sheets of 20 (2 x 10 of each stamp in se-tenant pairs). Rating:- 0.

  29 July 2016 - G20 Meeting in China - 2 different stamps issued in sheets of 100 stamps. Rating:- 0.

    6 September 2016 - The Long March - 8 stamps issued in sheets of 25 individual to each design. Rating:- 0.

  20 January 2016 - "Chinese paintings of characters in Chinese literature", "Dream of Red Chamber" - 4 sheets - (a) 24 different stamps in sheet of 24 (b) 4 different stamps in sheet of 24 stamps (c) 24 different stamps in sheet of 24 (d) 4 different stamps in sheet of 24. This makes a grand total of 56 new stamps produced by this particular issue. Rating:- 0.

 15 August 2016 - The Great Wall of China - 2 sheetlets each containing 16 stamps (4 x 4 different designs) resulting in 8 different stamps.

  Just what is going on? Anyway, back to more US philatelic imperialistic issues:- 

  Grenada Carriacou And Petite Martinique:-

  30 June 2016 - Commemoration of the late Elvis Presley (US musician) - 4 miniature sheets. Rating:- 0.

  30 May 2016 - Quatercentenary of the death of William Shakespeare - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps, 1 miniature sheet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

  7 July 2016 - Olympic Games, Rio De Janeiro - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. The issue features a German fencer but no Grenadan Olympians. Rating:- 0.

  Guyana:-

  30 June 2016 - Commemoration of the late Elvis Presley (US musician) - 4 miniature sheets. Rating:- 0.

 7 July 2016 - Olympic Games, Rio De Janeiro "Remembering 120 years of Olympic Games" - 3 india true sheets - 2 of them each containing 4 different stamps and one contains 2 stamps. Rating:- 0. For some unexplained reason a Japanese gymnast is honoured on one of the stamps but no Guyanan is featured. Rating:- 0.

  30 May 2016 - 3 miniature sheets, one contains 6 different stamps and 2 containing 4 different stamps. Rating:- 0.

  25 July 2016 - 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

Nevis:-

1 June 2016 - Quatercentenary of the death of William Shakespeare - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0

St. Kitts:-

  26 May 2016 - 15th anniversary of the terrorist outrages of 11 September 2001 - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps, 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating :- 0.

  26 May 2016 - Seaplanes - 1 sheetlet containing 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

    26 May 2016 - Flowering plants - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps, 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

  26 May 2016 - Land mammals of foreign countries - 1 miniature sheet containing 6 different stamps, 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

  26 May 2016 - 90th birthday of Elizabeth II, Queen of St. Kitts-Nevis - 1 miniature sheet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- **.

  26 May 2016 - "Star Trek", American film - 1 miniature sheet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

26 May 2016 - "World famous paintings" - 2 sheetlets both containing 3 different stamps and 2 miniature sheets. Rating:- 0.

  26 May 2016 - Quatercentenary of the death of William Shakespeare - 1 sheetlet contains 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

St. Vincent And The Grenadines:-

  7 July 2016 - Commemoration of the late Elvis Presley (US musician) - 4 miniature sheets. Rating:-  0.

  29  June 2016 - European landmarks - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

  7 July 2016 - Olympic Games, Rio De Janeiro "Remembering 120 years of Olympic Games" - 2 sheetlets each containing 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. The set commemorates a Japanese swimmer but does not commemorate any St. Vincent Olympians. Rating:- 0.

  7 June 2016 - 130th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty - 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps, 1 miniature sheet contains 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

  IGPC certainly made up for its missing month with this huge flood of issues. The Grenada "stamps" are very perplexing.

798. Royal Mail - Mr. Men More Important Than Battle Of Hastings; Downton Abbey Shown On British Stamp.

Great moments in British history?:-

 14 October 1066 - The Battle of Hastings - Harold, King of England, is killed and the Duke of Normandy, William, seizes the English crown and changes the course of English history.

  August 1971 - 6 small children's books - Mr. Tickle, Mr. Greedy, Mr. Happy, Mr. Nosey, Mr. Sneeze and Mr. Bump - are published in Britain and sell for 20p each and, er ..... change the course of British history (?).

  Which of these above events warrant commemoration on British postage stamps - the 950th anniversary of The Battle of Hastings or the 45th anniversary of the first publication of the Mr. Men books? 

 Royal Mail says it's the 45th anniversary of Mr. Men that is the more worthwhile anniversary and not the Battle of Hastings because it has just revealed on its Phiatelic Bureau website that the mystery stamp issue it plans to release on 20 October 2016, just 6 days after the actual anniversary date of England's most famous battle, is indeed to commemorate the Mr Men anniversary and there are no plans to commemorate the battle apart from the release of an over-priced "Commemorative sheet".

 It's been a bumper year for Royal Mail issues aimed at children or at least at adults who think they might be able to interest children in stamp collecting, what with the execrable "Animail" stamps, yet another Beatrix Potter issue and now stamps devoted to the Mr. Men characters. If only the stamps were sold at a price that children could afford. 

  Details of the issue have not yet been released but let's be honest, after all the mystery and drama surrounding the issue, it's not Star Wars is it?

  The Mr. Men characters have made a number of philatelic appearances already - a large Smilers sheet of 2009 which contained 20 "Balloons" stamps and various labels depicting  "Little Miss" preceded in 2008 by a pack of 10 "Balloon" stamps with labels featuring "Mr. Happy Classic Mr. Men and Little Miss". Another pack of 10 "Balloons" stamps was also issued in 2009 with attached labels featuring "Little Miss Sunshine Mr. Men and Little Miss" and another large sheet of 20 "Balloons" stamps dates back to 2008 with the title "Mr. Men Little Miss with Mr. Happy. Fortunately no further similar items were released by Royal Mail.

2008 issues:-

2009 issues:-

  Guernsey Post issued a set of 6 Mr Men stamps on 15 May 2008 for no obvious reason. The complete set is depicted below:- 

  Looking at all that stuff depicted above, you have to ask yourself is there really any need for yet more Mr. Men philatelic products?

  The Royal Mail Philatelic Bureau website also gives details of the next issue from Royal Mail which will be released on 16 August 2016 to commemorate the Tercentenary of the birth of the gardener, Lancelot Capability Brown. This is an issue clearly aimed at punters at the other end of the age scale from the Mr. Men fans - gardening and grand houses, the haunt of the over-60s with their National Trust and English Heritage membership cards.

  It's an attractive set designed by Robert Maude and Sarah Davis and featuring such great establishments as Blenheim Palace, Longleat, Compton Verney, Alnwick Castle, Berrington Hall, Stowe, Croome Park and Highclere Castle which is where the internationally popular television programme, Downton Abbey, was filmed. I see this issue having a lot of appeal to the retired and to the worldwide Downton Abbey enthusiasts. The issue was lithographed by International Security Printers and perforated 14.5 x 14.

  The issue is made up of 8 stamps and a self-adhesive counter booklet sold for £3.84p and containing 4 x 1st purple Machin definitives and 1 each of the Compton Verney and Highclere Castle stamps (hence we get gummed and self-adhesive versions of the Downton Abbey stamp).

  I have to admit that I find this to be a very attractive issue. Rating:- *****.

  Mr. Capability Brown himself:-

797. New Zealand To Issue Stamps To Commemorate All Rio Medal Winners.

  During the 2012 London Olympic Games, Royal Mail, the principal British postal service, issued stamps in sheetlets of 6 to commemorate winners of gold medals and eventually collectors found that they had to buy a grand total of 29 miniature sheets. In addition, similar items but containing 4 stamps, were produced to commemorate gold medallists in the Paralympic Games and these totalled 34.

  Likewise, Australia Post also issued gold medallist stamps for the 2012 Games which resulted in the release of 8 sheetlets of 10 stamps (including a recent stamp which commemorated a belated gold medal award to Jared Tallent after the original gold medallist had been disqualified for cheating).

  Now New Zealand Post has announced that it will issue a miniature sheet containing 6 stamps for all of the country's medal winners - gold, silver and bronze - and, when the Games have finished, another sheet will be issued which will include all the medal winners stamps. Oh dear!

  But perhaps things are not so bad as they first sound. The good news is that New Zealand does not usually win all that many medals so that the opportunity to issue stamps featuring the medal winners is fairly limited. In recent Games, New Zealand won just 4 medals in 2000 and was placed number 46 in the overall medals table (1 gold and 3 bronze), 5 medals in 2004 (no. 24 - 3 gold and 2 silver), 9 medals in 2008 (no.25 - 3 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze) and 13 medals in 2012 (no. 15 - 5 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze).  However, if the New Zealand team does as well as it did in 2012 or better (the absence of a lot of Russian Olympians will increase the medal haul of other countries) then collectors will be faced with buying at least 13 sheets at a cost of $6 each making $78 or £42.42p. 

  And then again, New Zealand Post has said nothing yet about issuing sheets for medal winners at the Paralympic Games but I'm betting that collectors will also be faced with such issues. We will see. 

  In Blog 781 I mentioned the British Indian Ocean Territory set of 4 stamps which were released on 28 July 2016 and I now include much better illustrations of the set. As can be seen, the stamps commemorate the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter, the centenary of the birth of Roald Dahl and the bicentenary of the birth of Charlotte Bronte. It's a pleasing set though the art isn't that great - Juliet, depicted on the Shakespeare set, is remarkably toothy (maybe she should be) - a little more like Squirrel Nutkin than Shakespeare's heroine - and the Fantastic Mr. Fox on the Roald Dahl stamp looks worryingly like Basil Brush. 

  It's a surprising set to emerge from a territory which is a large oceanic island without a permanent resident population and largely taken up by an enormous US military base and it has little to do with the unfortunate Chagossians who were expelled from their ancestral homes so that the base could be built - nevertheless I like it.

  India Post issued a lovely pair of stamps with an accompanying miniature sheet on 29 July 2016 on the subject of the Tadoba-Andhari National Park and depicting some wonderful photographs of tigers. At last - an interesting and attractive set from India Post after some dreadfully dull and boring issues. Rating:- *****.