607. Jersey Commemorates Queen Elizabeth II; Guyana Commemorates Its Defence Force.

  As mentioned in Blog 603, Jersey Post will issue 4 stamps and 2 miniature sheets on 9 September 2015 to commemorate the achievement by HM Queen Elizabeth II in becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history. The issue is made up of portraits of The Queen throughout the span of her reign. The 47p value features her Coronation Portrait by Cecil Beaton (1953), the 57p shows a Silver Jubilee portrait by Peter Grugeon (1977), the 71p value depicts a Golden Jubilee portrait by John Swannell (2002) and the £1.25p stamp depicts her Diamond Jubilee portrait, again by John Swannell (2012). 

  A £3 miniature sheet combines all 4 stamps while a spectacular second £3 miniature sheet, printed in lithography on silk by Cartor, depicts "The Coronation Theatre, Westminster Abbey: A Portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II" by Ralph Heimans, a painting which was commissioned by Buckingham palace in 2013 on the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation. Rating:- *****

  A previously unreported stamp issue has appeared on the Guyana Post Office Corporation website. The set of 3 stamps which seems to have originated from the Guyana Post Office itself rather than its foreign philatelic agents was issued on 5 February 2015 and commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Guyana Defence Force.

  The Guyana Philatelic Society also features the issue on its website but as a miniature sheet and it may be that the 3 stamps were issued only in miniature sheet format. Importantly, the 3 stamps have face values which are relevant to local postage rates unlike the items aimed at the philatelic market produced by IGPC which generally have higher face values. Rating:- ****

  Hong Kong Post will issue 1 miniature sheet on 30 September 2015 to commemorate the Court of Final Appeal. Rating:- ***

  More bogus issues - In Blogs 586 and 595 I highlighted various bogus "stamps" with the names of Commonwealth countries printed on them which are being sold by a vendor in Russia and sometimes by one in Spain. All of the bogus items relate to Russian sporting events - the Sochi Winter Olympic Games, this year's Ice Hockey Championships and the 2018 Moscow Football World Cup competition. Bogus items with the names of Tanzania, Solomon Islands, Malawi, Tonga, Uganda and Zimbabwe have been mentioned previously and now bogus 2014 Sochi Games "miniature sheets" from Kenya and Mozambique can be added to the list as depicted below. 

  Additionally there are a number of similar items being offered for sale from a large number of non-Commonwealth, particularly African, countries and these are all similar to those depicted below.

   The problem with these items is that they look very much like the numerous poorly designed and badly printed "official" items being produced by certain philatelic agencies on behalf of some of these territories and anyone who is interested in any of the featured themes and does not know better might spend a lot of money buying this stuff simply because they look like the usual agency-produced (but theoretically postally valid) Items. Buyer beware!

605. Singapore's Joint ASEAN Issue; Stamperija Commemorates The 150th Anniversary Of The End Of World War II!

  Singapore Post will issue a single stamp on 8 August 2015 as a joint issue with the 9 other ASEAN countries (Brunei Darrusalem, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Phillipines and Indonesia). The design which depicts the flags of the ASEAN member states was produced by Vu Kim Lien of Vietnam and Singapore's Leo Teck Chong and lithographed by Secura Singapore. Rating:- ****

 The day before, on 7 August 2015, Singapore Post will issue 2 x $1.30 vertically se-tenant stamps on the subject of Singapore Botanical Gardens as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The issue was designed by Eng Siak Loy and lithographed by Secura Singapore and birds and mammals make up part of the design. Rating:-   *****

  Singapore Post also issued a pair of stamps joined by a label on 3 June 2015 which commemorated the Singapore 2015 World Stamp Exhibition to be held in August. The stamps depict the 1960 National Day stamps which had the common design of the national flag of Singapore. These stamps were designed by Willie Chan (Will Marketing Design) and lithographed by Cartor with an accompanying "Collectors' sheet" being printed on silk fabric (previously mentioned and illustrated in Blog 595) Rating:- ***

  Norfolk Island Post issued a booklet of 10 different self-adhesive stamps on 1 June 2015 on the subject of Pine trees. Stamps in these designs were originally issued on 29 September 2014 in the value of 70c but the booklet is now reissud in the 15c local postage rate. Rating:- ***

The Niue postal administration will issue a set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 5 August 2015 on the subject of traditional weapons of Niue. The issue was designed by New Zealand Post and lithographed by Collectables And Solutions Centre, Whanganui. Rating:- ****

  Stamperija has released yet another set of philatelic products with the name of Sierra Leone printed on them. The stated "date of issue" is 26 June 2015 and the issue takes the form of 10 sheetlets, each of 4 different "stamps", with 10 accompanying "miniature sheets". The subjects featured on these products are:- Nelson Mandela, Formula 1 motor racing, 70th anniversary of the end of Second World War (or according to the miniature sheet inscription - 150th anniversary of the end of World War II (!) - apparently Stamperija believes that World War 2 ended in 1865!), Elvis Presley, Mahatma Gandhi's return to India, Centenary of the Endurance Expedition, Pope John Paul II, Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo, Sir Winston Churchill and Louis Pasteur. Rating:- 0.

Bonaparte looking rather blue - with good reason!

"150th anniversary of the end of the World War II"

604. Fifty Years Of Singapore; New Postal Rates In Ireland.

  Singapore Post will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the country's independence on 5 August 2015 with the issue of an excellent set of 6 stamps and 1 miniature sheet. The issue, titled "A Brighter Future Together" was designed by Tze Ngan and lithographed by Cartor. Rating:- *****

  Malta Post will issue a set of 3 stamps on 29 July 2015 as its "Maritime Malta" series part 3. The set, designed by Malta Post, is made up of 3 "Ex-vota" paintings which incorporate representations of the "Madonna of Mellieha". The paintings are located in the Sanctuary of Our Lady in the village of Mellieha. The issue was lithographed by Printex. Rating:- ****

  As mentioned in Blog 598, Pos Malaysia will issue a set of 3 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 29 July 2015 on the subject of South Pacific pearls. Having included an illustration of the spectacular miniature sheet in Blog 598, I now illustrate the set of 3 stamps below. Rating:- ****

  The South African Post Office is to issue the second sheetlet of 10 self-adhesive stamps on the subject of local musicians, the first in the series having been released in 2014. Rating:- ***

 The Kiribati postal administration issued a die-cut miniature sheet on the subject of Butterflies of Kiribati on 27 May 2015. The 2 stamps which are included in the miniature sheet feature a Monarch butterfly and a Blue Moon butterfly. I do not yet have an illustration of this item.

  The Kiribati postal sevice will also issue a new definitive series later in 2015.

  An Post, the postal administration of Ireland, issued 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 16 July 2015 on the subject of "Ireland -The Food Island". With some pictures of appetising food included in the designs which are by Zinc Design Consultants this seems like a very appropriate  issue from Ireland. The issue was printed in lithography by Cartor.  Rating:- ****

  An Post changed its postage rates on 1 July 2015. The design of its "SOAR" ("Stamps On A Roll") definitive design uses a picture of a Mute swan:-

  New versions of the National postage rate and International postage rate definitive stamps were released on 1 July 2015. Booklets of 10 x 70c Fox stamps were released along with booklets of 10 x €1.10 Otter stamps as well as self-adhesive pairs of the 2 stamps. The stamps were lithographed by Cartor. Two additional new designs were also released - both self-adhesive 70c values with designs of a Mute swan and a Great Spotted Woodpecker issued as coil rolls and as a pair. Rating:- *****

  An Post will issue 1 stamp on 1 August 2015 to commemorate the Centenary of Padraig Pearse's graveside speech for Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa who was one of the leading Fenians (members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood). O'Donovan Rossa had died in The USA at the age of 83 and his body was brought back to Ireland to be buried in Dublin's Glasnevin cemetery. Pearse delivered his famous speech at the funeral which summed up the feelings on the republican movement and concluded, "They think that they have pacified Ireland. They think that they have pacified half of us and intimidated the other half. They think that have foreseen everything, they think that they have provided against everything; but the fools, the fools, the fools! - they have left us our Fenian dead and while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace". 

  The speech roused republican feeling and led directly to the Easter Uprising of 1916.

  The stamp was designed by Red And Grey Design and lithographed by Cartor. Rating:- ***

  A se-tenant block of 4 stamps and a €12 booklet will be issued on 13 August 2015 to commemorate the late Eileen Gray, distinguished Irish architect and furniture designer. The issue was designed by Ger Garland and lithographed by Cartor. Rating ****

  Five stamps will be issued on 10 September 2015 on the subject of "The Five Senses". I don't really understand what this issue about - apparently it "salutes our five human senses" and gives an opportunity for An Post to incorporate some gimmicks in the finished products - thus the "Taste" stamp has strawberry-flavoured gum, "Touch" uses thermographic ink, "Sight" is printed on transparent paper, "Hearing" has "clear crystals" and the "Smell" stamp has the "fragrance of mint". Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!

  The stamps were designed by Zinc Design Consultants and lithographed by Cartor. Rating:- *

  India Post issued 1 stamp on 17 July 2015 on the subject of Nabakalebara which is a celebration of an ancient ritual associated with the Jagganath temples when the images of Lord Jagganath, 

Balabhadra, Subhadra and Sudarshan are replaced by new images. Rating:- *