1198. Happy Easter.

  In the late 1960s and early 70s the issue of Easter stamps became popular in a number of Commonwealth territories following the success of Christmas stamps which had been issued increasingly from the early to mid 1960s. Coupled with the then popularity of 'art on stamps', many of the stamps featured designs which used 'Old Master'paintings. The issue of Easter stamps had a transient popularity with client territories of the Crown Agents and, when their money-making potential was recognised, with IGPC.

  In keeping with it being Good Friday, depicted here are a number of stamps issued from 1968 to 1982 by Commonwealth postal entities on the subject of the Crucifixion.

  🇮🇳 India Post issued a miniature sheet containing 8 different stamps on the subject of 'The Solar System' on 20 March 2018. This item, printed by Security Press Hyderabad, and for which no reason is given for its release at this time, is certainly very colourful but one is bound to ask, other than for the generation of revenue for India Post, why is such an issue necessary? Rating:- *.

  The issue was designed by Shri Suresh Kumar.

  🇮🇲 The Isle Of Man Post Office will issue a set of 10 stamps and a booklet containing 10 self-adhesive stamps to commemorate the Manx government's official "Year of Our Island 2018" project. The designs are made up of photographs by Simon Park who is a resident of the island. The issue was designed by Isle Of Man Advertising and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 14. Rating:- ***.

1197. 🇬🇲 The Gambia's First Issue On Commonwealth Return Has Little Local Relevance.

   🇬🇲 The Beijing- and New York-based philatelic agency, IGPC, has released details of numerous philatelic products it has recently, or is just about to, release on behalf of several client postal administrations.

  Notable is the first philatelic item to have been released with the name of The Gambia printed on it since the country rejoined The Commonwealth on 7 February 2018. A sheetlet of 4 stamps was 'issued' on 27 March 2018 on the subject of 'African primates' but as I only include items in my own collection which have direct relevance to the country whose name is printed on the stamps, I shall not be adding it to my album because only 1 of the featured species are found in The Gambia - the Patas monkey. Rating:- 0.

  Other new items released by IGPC are:-

   🇲🇸 Montserrat - 1 March 2018 - Frogs and toads of Montserrat - 1 sheetlet containing 4 different stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- ***.

  🇦🇬 Antigua And Barbuda - 27 February 2018 - 3 miniature sheets (2 containing 4 different circular stamps and 1 containing a single stamp). Rating:- 0.

🇬🇩 Grenada - 5 March 2018 - Engagement of Prince Henry Of Wales and Meghan Markel - 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps. Rating:- 0.

  🇬🇩 Grenada Carriacou And Petite Martinique - 7 March 2018 - 125th Birth anniversary of Mao Zedong - 2 miniature sheets (1 containing 3 different stamps and 1 containing a single stamp). The issue also commemorates the bizarrely insignificant 33rd anniversary of the establishment of Grenada's diplomatic relations with China. Rating:- 0.

  21 March 2018 - Gemstones - 2 miniature sheets (1 containing 6 different stamps and 1 containing 3 different stamps). Rating:- 0.

  7 March 2018 - Jellyfish - 2 miniature sheets each containing 4 different stamps. Rating:- 0.

  7 March 2018 - Land mammals. This issue depicts the Mona monkey and a species of bat which are found in Grenada but the other depicted species are not although similar species are present in the island. Presumably this reflects lazy research on the part of the designer. Rating:- 0.

  🇻🇨 St. Vincent And The Grenadines - 7 March 2018 - 'Colourful Birds of the world' - 1 sheetlet of 9 different stamps and 1 single stamp miniature sheet. These designs have been used before in an issue from Zambia of 2000 as has previously occurred when designs formerly used on stamps from Tanzania were reused for stamps of Ghana. Rating:- 0.

  7 March 2018 - The St. Vincent parrot - 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp. Rating:- ****.

  7 March 2018 - Parrots of the Caribbean area - 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps. Only one of the stamps depicts the St Vincent parrot which is the only species of parrot found in St Vincent. Rating:- 0.

  7 March 2008 - Caribbean reptiles - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and the other a single stamp. Rating:- ****. Remarkably, all depicted species are to be found in St Vincent.

  7 March 2018 - the Green turtle - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 6 different stamps and the other containing 2 stamps. Rating:- ***.

  7 March 2018 - Marine life of the Caribbean area - 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps and 1 containing 2 different stamps. Rating:- **.

  7 March 2018 - Centenary of the Royal Air Force - 2 sheetlets each containing 6 different stamps. Rating:- 0.

  7 March 2018 - 75th Birth anniversary of Muhammad Ali - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and the other a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

  🇹🇻 Tuvalu - 21 March 2018 - Rays - 1 sheetlet of 6 different stamps. Rating:- 0.

  21 March 2018 - Starfish - 2 miniature sheets, 1 containing 4 different stamps and 1 containing 2 different stamps. Rating:- 0.

  21 March 2018 - Engagement of Prince Henry of Wales and Meghan Markle - 1 miniature sheet containing a single stamp. Rating:- 0.

  21 March 2018 - Commemoration of Donald Trump, President of The United States Of America - 3 miniature sheets, 1 containing 8 different stamps, 1 containing 4 different stamps and 1 containing 2 different stamps. Rating:- 0.