1036. 🇳🇿 New Zealand Depicts Recovering Bird Species.

  🇳🇿 New Zealand Post will issue a very interesting and attractive set of 5 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 2 August 2017 on the subject of local bird species which are recovering from endangered status. The issue was designed by Jonathan Gray and lithographed by Southern Colour Print and perforated 14.5 x 14. Rating:- *****.

  🇳🇺 The postal service of Niue will release 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 12 July 2017 on the subject of "Walkways of Niue". This is another excellent issue which gives collectors an idea of what this exotic South Pacific island looks like. The issue was designed by Nikole McGillivray and lithographed by Collectables and Solutions Centre, Whanganui and perforated 13.5. Rating:- *****.

  🇯🇪 Jersey Post's fourth issue to commemorate the Centenary of the First World War will be issued on 4 August 2016 and in designs by Russell Smith will depict aircraft of the period. There are 6 stamps in the set and 2 miniature sheets - one of which combines the 6 stamps and the other containing a single £2 stamp. I like the set and it commemorates an important anniversary as relevant to Jersey as anywhere else. Rating:- *****.

 🇲🇹 There seems to be rather a lot of European omnibus issues nowadays. There's Europa, SEPAC and more latterly, Euromed.  The theme of this year's Euromed series appears to be "Trees". MaltaPost will release 2 stamps in this year's series on 10 July 2017 which are designed by Richard J Caruana. This is an attractive pair of stamps even if one of them does seem to be somewhat overpriced at €3.63 face value. Rating:- ***.

  With only one issue last month (Montserrat Crabs sheetlets and miniature sheet), IGPC has announced several more sets for June 2017 but not as many as we might have expected. There are a few natural history sets as well as the usual Kennedy and Diana exploitation issues, so nothing new there then.

  🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea - 28 June 2017 - 20th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales - 1 sheetlet of 3 x 2 different stamps and 1 sheetlet of 2 x 2 different stamps. Rating:- *.

   🇬🇭 Ghana - 14 June 2017 - "Colourful birds" - 1 sheetlet of 9 different stamps (previously mentioned, the issue is similar to an issue released by IGPC in 2000 with the name of Zambia printed on it. Rating:- 0.

  🇰🇳 Nevis - 22 June 2017 - Flowering trees of Nevis - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps. Rating:- **.

  7 June 2017 - Ancient ruins of the world - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- 0.

  22 June 2017 - Peaceful plovers - 2 miniature sheets (1 of 2 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet). Rating:- ****.

  7 June 2017 - Birth Centenary of former US President, John Kennedy. - 3 miniature sheets ((1 containing 4 different stamps, one containing 4 different stamps and 1 containing a single stamp.) Rating:- 0.

  🇰🇳 St. Kitts - 7 June 2017 - 20th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales - 2 sheetlets (1 of 4 different stamps and one of 6 different stamps). Rating:- 0.

  17 June 2017 - 90th Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II - 1 sheetlet of 4 different stamps and 2 miniature sheets one containing 2 different stamps and one containing 1 stamp. Rating:-  *.

  🇻🇨 St. Vincent And The Grenadines - 2 June 2017 - Marine predators - 2 miniature sheets each of 3 different stamps. Rating:- *.

1039. 🇿🇦 New South Africa Issue Depicts Bees.

  🇿🇦 The South African Post Office issued a set of 3 stamps on 12 July 2017 on the subject of "Bees". The pleasant issue was designed by Jessica Delaney. Rating:- ****.

  🇯🇪 Jersey Post continues to release numerous stamp issues and news of two more is available. The problem with Jersey Post stamps is that they are generally of the highest quality of design and production and they would be a great pleasure to collect if there weren't so many of them.

  The new issues look as attractive as ever. But one must ask why Jersey Post feels it necessary to issue a "Links with China" set for the third time in as many years. Well, I guess we know why - clearly the first 2 sets in the series have sold well in China so why not issue another set to garner even more money from the Far East? It looks like being an attractive issue as well - this time on the subject of Butterflies. I would love to add it to my collection but it is excessive - nowadays more stamp issues emerge from Jersey than do from Grenada, Grenada Grenadines, Antigua And Barbuda and Tanzania.

  So, as much as I like the look of this set, I will not be buying it.

  There will also be a new set of Post and Go stamps which depict fruit. I presume that these will be issued at Autumn Stampex 2017 in London. It looks as though it should be a colourful set.

  🇰🇳 Publicity sent out by IGPC shows that there is an additional miniature sheet in the "Flowers of Nevis" issue which was mentioned in Blog 1036 with a stated date of issue of 22 June 2017:-

  🇦🇬  The publicity also illustrated a number of philatelic products to come with the name of Antigua And Barbuda printed on them - 4 stamps on the subject of "Jellyfish", a sheetlet of 4 different stamps on the subject of the "Hawksbill sea turtle", a single stamp, presumably part of a set, which depicts a Macaw, a sheetlet of 4 different stamps on the subject of "Fruits of The Caribbean", a sheetlet of 4 different stamps which depict the US music performer Elvis Presley and 4 stamps in a sheetlet which commemorate the Centenary of the French artist, Edgar Degas.

  There is also a sheetlet of 4 different stamps on the subject of the Fallow Deer which the sheet identifies as the national animal of Antigua And Barbuda. I was surprised to discover that the country's national animal was a species which was originally introduced into Britain by the Romans and then, centuries later, introduced into these Caribbean islands by the British. It's a very attractive creature and looks good on a stamp.

  The Degas issue was designed by Lauren Hendrickson and her website shows that a second sheetlet of 3 stamps will be added to the issue as shown below:-

  She also informs the collector of other upcoming IGPC issues:-

  - 2 further miniature sheets in the "Peaceful Plovers" series - one containing 3 different stamps and one contains a single stamp (items issued for Nevis with the same subject were mentioned in Blog 1036 - date of issue 22 June 2017):-

  🇬🇩 Grenada - "Puppies" - 2 miniature sheets, one of 3 stamps and one single stamp sheet:-

  - "Starfish" - 2 miniature sheets, one containing 4 stamps and one containing a single stamp:-

  🇻🇨 St. Vincent And The Grenadines - Sea snails and sea anemones - 2 miniature sheets (one containing 1 stamp and one containing 3 stamps):-

1038. 🇱🇸🇺🇬🇻🇺 Lesotho's 2016 Issues; Uganda Primates And Vanuatu'sRelations With China.

  🇱🇸  In Blog 1005 I mentioned that the Lesotho postal service had issued its first postage stamps during 2016 since 2010 and I now give more details and illustrations of this pair of issues.

  - 4 October 2016 - 50th anniversary of Independence - 3 stamps. Designed by Kabelo Maja and Justice Ndalsane. Lithographed by Enschede and perforated 14. Rating:- *****.

  

  9 October 2016 - World Post Day, Lesotho postal history - 6 stamps. Designed by Kabelo Maja and lithographed by Enschede and perforated 14. Rather naive style art but very interesting. Rating:- *****.

  🇺🇬 On the Delcampe internet auction site, the seller Leolion has been offering for sale a number of covers with postally used examples of a recently issued set of stamps from Posta Uganda of which I was not previously aware. The issue depicts primates of Uganda and is clearly a locally originating issue rather than the sort of stuff you see from Stamperija or IGPC. The set has certainly been issued during 2017 but I do not yet know the actual date of issue. Nor can I say precisely how many stamps make up the set - as shown below there are at least 11 different stamps.

  Ps See AlexRu's comment below.

  🇻🇺 Another Commonwealth territory which has not released any stamps for a while is Vanuatu, however it appears that a pair of stamps was released by Vanuatu Post on 15 March 2017 to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with The People's Republic Of China. Presumably this is yet another example of China donating a set of stamps to another country's postal service with the aim of telling the world just how many friends China has. It's a fascinating philatelic phenomenon and someone could form an interesting collection putting all such issues together as a theme.

  Unfortunately the only illustrations of these 2 stamps which I have seen so far are "blow-ups" held by diplomats and government ministers at an official launch but the illustrations below give an idea of what has been issued. Rating:- *****.

  🇬🇬 In Blog 903 I mentioned the set of 4 stamps and miniature sheet containing 4 stamps which were issued by Guernsey Post on 15 February 2017 which depicted the Meadow Pipit as a Worldwide Fund For Nature issue. It appears that there is yet another miniature sheet as part of this set - one which contains 8 stamps (2 x 4). Quite an attractive item but what's the point? Rating:- 0.

  🇬🇧 The Royal Mail Post and Go labels mentioned in Blog 1031 which were dispensed at the one day Midpex philatelic exhibition at Leamington Spa on 8 July 2017 did not have any special inscriptions applied to them and therefore can not be viewed as new stamp varieties which is just as well given how many different types of label were being offered for sale.