1204. 🇯🇪 Wonderful Pet Portraits On Latest Jersey Issue.

  🇯🇪 Jersey Post has won me over completely to the new issue it plans to release on 25 May 2018 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Jersey Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals. How can I resist 2 of the set of 8 which show wonderful portraits of a black Labrador pup and an elderly, slightly chubby brown Labrador? The other designs, by Andrew Hutchinson, are also excellent with a couple more appealing dogs featured along with a beautiful cat, a guinea pig full of character, an owlet (everyone seems to want to put owls on their stamps this year) and a boa constrictor.

  This is a beautifully designed set which commemorates an important local anniversary on a subject with a lot of appeal. I shall buy 2 sets - one for my Jersey collection and the other for my 'Labradors on stamps' collection. Well done Jersey Post! Rating:- *****.

  🇨🇾 Cyprus Post released 2 single-stamp issues on 28 March 2018 - one on the subject of the production of halloumi cheese and the second to commemorate the holding of the 2018 FIFA Football World Cup Championship Finals in Russia. I very much like the stamp on the subject of cheese making - rating:- **** - and the football stamp presents its subject in an interesting and unusual way - rating:- **** - so I shall be happy to add these modest issues to my Cyprus collection.

  🇯🇪 Back to Jersey Post which will issue a set of 6 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 16 May 2018 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the RAF raid on Ruhr dams in Germany during the Second World War carried out by 617 Squadron which earned the name 'The Dam Busters' as a result.

  The issue features some spectacular scenes in artwork by Interabang and Jersey Post states that the island has its links with the Dam Busters Squadron through a Jerseyman who served with the unit during the war after the Ruhr dams raid piloting Avro Lancasters in many operations including the 'Tallboy' raid on Berchtesgaden in 1945.

   This is another well designed set but as the Jerseyman did not actually take part in the raid and one can not help but feel that Jersey Post really does overdo the number of stamp issues it releases on military subjects I find it hard to understand why this issue is really necessary from the island. Rating:- ***.

1204. 🇮🇴 BIOT To Release Attractive Local Flowers Miniature Sheet.

  🇮🇴 The postal service of British Indian Ocean Territory will issue a delightful, colourful miniature sheet containing 6 different stamps on 2 May 2018 on the subject of native plants of the territory. Although the total face value of the issue is over £6, the territory's postal service's output of new issues per year is not large and BIOT continues to produce some excellent stamps. Rating:- *****.

  🇮🇪 An Post, the postal service of the Republic Of Ireland, is planning a remarkably modest number of stamp issues for spring 2018 - just 6 stamps in all for the second quarter of the year.

  3 May 2018 - International statesmen - 50th death anniversary of Martin Luther King (US politician) and Centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela, former President of South African - 2 stamps issued as a se-tenant pair. Designed by Aad and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13.5. Rating:- **.

  3 May 2018 - Europa (Bridges) - 2 stamps each issued in sheetlets of ten. Designed by Vermillion Design and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13.5. Rating:- **. The depicted bridges are Mizen Head footbridge in County Cork and the Boone Viaduct in County Louth.

  24 May 2018 - 50th anniversary of Na Píobairí Uilleann (the Society of Uilleann Pipers in Ireland) - 1 stamp - designed by Vermilion Design and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 14.5 x 14. An interesting design. Rating:- ***.

  31 May 2018 - 1400th anniversary of the death of St. Kevin - 1 stamp - designed by Vermillion Design from a sculpture by Imogen Stuart and printed in lithography and perforated 13.5. St. Kevin's Day is celebrated on 3 June, 3 days after the date of issue. Rating:- ***

1203. 🇬🇬 New Counter-Based Post And Go Unit For Guernsey Post.

  🇬🇧 I have previously illustrated the set of 6 stamps which Royal Mail will release on 17 April 2018 on the subject of Reintroduced Species but now include better quality illustrations of this excellent set. The set manages to include a creature for almost every natural history thematic collection - mammals, birds, flowers, reptiles and amphibians and butterflies. Rating:- *****.

  🇬🇬 Guernsey Post will use a new counter mounted Post and Go machine at the Essen International Stamp Fair which will take place from 3 to 5 May 2018. The new machine, GG03, will dispense the Guernsey Flag Post and Go stamps with an additional inscription applied, "Messe Essen/3-5 May 2018". Being dispensed on German soil means that these items will have no postal validity where they were actually issued and can only be used for genuine postal services if transported all the way back to Guernsey itself. Rating:- 0.

  🇸🇬 Singapore Post will issue a set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 18 April 2018 on the subject of 'Early trades'. The issue was designed by Lim An-ling and lithographed by Thai British Security Printing and perforated '13-14'. The set gives a pleasing look at Old Singapore. Rating:- *****.

1202. 🇫🇰 More Penguins, Their Prey And Their Predators From Falklands.

  🇫🇰 The Falkland Islands postal service will issue a set of 4 stamps on 18 April 2018 on the subject of the Predators and Prey of Macaroni penguins. These delightful stamps were designed by Vicky Chater and lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13 x 13.5. Rating:- *****.

  Thanks to Juliet Warner of Pobjoy Stamps for information about this issue.

  🇸🇬 Singapore Post issued a set of 4 stamps on 21 March 2018 on the subject of Areas of historical interest. The interesting stamps, featuring views of Arab Street and Kampong Glam, were designed by Alynn Teo and lithographed by Secura Singapore and perforated 13. Rating:- *****.

  Interestingly the stamp designs used in publicity for the issue depict broader stamps compared with those actually released which also contain less of the designs. The upper 4 illustrations below depict the stamps as portrayed in the prerelease publicity while lower 4 depict the stamps which were actually issued:-

  🇧🇲 In Blog 1193 I mentioned the 4 stamps which the Bermuda Post Office issued on 22 March 2018 to commemorate its Turtle conservation programme. It appears that a miniature sheet containing 2 different stamps was also issued along with the 4 stamps. Rating:- *****.

  🇱🇹 An interesting advertisement from Stamperija - the Lithuania-based agency is offering large numbers of old Philatelic Collector Inc. stock for sale. What does that mean? Has Philatelic Collector sold out to Stamperija?

1201. 🇦🇺 Commonwealth Games Open In Gold Coast.

 🇦🇺 The 21st Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony has taken place in Gold Coast in Australia. The ceremony took place in the presence of The Prince Of Wales who received the Queen's Baton on behalf of his mother, the Head of The Commonwealth, and the Duchess Of Cornwall. I gave a very detailed description of stamps issued for previous Commonwealth Games in Blog 397 at the time of the previous Games which were held in Glasgow in 2014.

  This year there is only one stamp of which we need to take notice - that released by Australia Post on 20 March 2018. The stamp was designed by Sonia Young and lithographed by RA Print and perforated 14.5 x 14.

  🇵🇳 Bounty Post, the postal service of Pitcairn Islands, issued 2 stamps with a se-tenant label between them, on 5 April 2018 to commemorate the Constitution of Pitcairn which was drawn up by George Nobbs and Captain Russell Eliott of HMS Fly and signed by them on 30 November 1838. The interesting and colourful issue was designed by Lucas Kukkler and lithographed by Southern Colour Print. Rating:- *****.

  🇧🇩 Bangladesh Post issued a single stamp on 31 March 2018 to commemorate the 6th National Scouting Comdeca (Community Development Camp). This is an interesting design and I like the stamp. Rating:- ****.

  Bogus products

 The items depicted below are being offered for sale by a Russian dealer on the Delcampe Internet auction site. They all purport to commemorate the Football World Cup Championships soon to be held in Russia and the names of a number of Commonwealth countries are printed on them - Rwanda, Cameroon, The Gambia, Ghana, St Vincent And The Grenadines, Lesotho and Mozambique. These items are completely bogus and are valueless though the dealer is asking a not insignificant price for them. Collectors are advised not to be tempted to spend good money on what is nothing but trash. The final illustration shows a product which purports to originate in Burundi - there are several more such issues with the names of non-Commonwealth countries printed on them - and the degree of appalingness of these items is illustrated beautifully by this item since the name of the country is spelt 'Burunundi' - it's hard to believe that any postal administration would release a stamp on which the country's own name is spelt incorrectly.

  It is worth noting that similar items are also being sold by the same dealer which 'commemorate' the recent Winter Olympic Games - these are numerous, expensive but worthless and bogus. Avoid!

1200. 🇬🇧 Surprise Royal Mail Overprint Commemorates Commonwealth Meeting.

  🇬🇧 In a special announcement on 1 April over the Easter holiday, Royal Mail has revealed that, having previously chosen not to commemorate the event, a stamp will indeed be released to commemorate the hosting by the United Kingdom of the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London and Windsor from 16 to 20 April 2018 which will be attended by senior representatives of the 53 Commonwealth nations.

  This change of heart is likely to have occurred as the result of governmental pressure to commemorate this notable event and has resulted in a stamp which will be most unusual for modern day stamps from Royal Mail - an old commemorative, the 19 and a half pence value from the 1983 Commonwealth Day issue, with a '1st' surcharge and new inscriptions applied so that the 'Commonwealth Day 14 March 1983' wording is cancelled by a blue line and the inscription 'CHOGM 2018' is added in green.

  It is also unusual in these modern times for Royal Mail to release a single 1st Class stamp as it is unlikely to be cost effective but maybe it is the cheapest way to commemorate this event and meet the government's requests and also use up a convenient old stock of these stamps The date of issue will be Tuesday 17 April, the day after the meeting begins. An interesting item which commemorates a notable event, Rating:- ****.