1068. 🇯🇪 Jersey Commemorates Lillie Langtry But Why Now?

  🇯🇪 Jersey Post will issue a large set of 8 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 22 September 2017 to commemorate the fabled "Jersey Lily", the Jersey-born actress and mistress of King Edward VII, Lillie Langtry This is undoubtedly an attractive and interesting set though very little effort seems to have been put into its design since it is made up of photographs of the actress with a little bit of lettering and the Queen's Head applied to them (I could produce these designs myself on my I Pad in a matter of minutes).

  Another question about these items arises as to why they are to be issued now, the issue doesn't seem to coincide with any notable anniversary relating to Langtry (born 1853 [164th birth anniversary?], died 1929 [88th death anniversary?] ho hum). One presumes that the subject was thought up because Jersey Post issues so very many stamps per year that any subject relating to the island is fair game whether there's a good reason to release such an issue or not. It all goes to meeting the Philatelic bureau's financial targets - there's always some collector out there with the money to spend. Interesting stamps but Rating:- 0.

  🇮🇲 Isle Of Man Post Office plans to issue a set of 6 stamps on 13 September 2017 to commemorate the inventor, horologist and philanthropist, Dr. John C. Taylor, who, while being an Englishman born in Buxton in Derbyshire, attended school in the Isle Of Man and worked in business in Castletown and was awarded an Honorary degree by the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology having made donations to the University and he was also a donor to Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, his alma mater.

  Taylor is a horologist and in 2008 donated a £1 million clock to Corpus Christie which was the first in a series of such time pieces which he calls Chronophages (which sounds rather fanciful and like a monster from Dr. Who). The stamps depict various aspects of Taylor's interests, inventions and innovations. The question I have about this issue is similar to the Jersey Post Langtry issue - why issue it now?

  The issue doesn't seem to commemorate any particular anniversary relevant to Taylor (he was born in 1936 - perhaps the issue is to commemorate the 81st anniversary of his birth, or perhaps not). Ho hum, again.

  Rating:- 0.

1067. 🇧🇩 More Interesting New Issues From Bangladesh.

  🇧🇩 Bangladesh Post has issued some more very interesting and attractive stamps recently to add to those featured in Blog 1060.

  1 April 2017 - 136th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union held in Dhaka - a se-tenant block of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- ****. The issue includes a beautiful stamp depicting a Royal Bengal tiger.

  15 July 2017 - Floating agriculture and floating markets - a se-tenant block of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet. Rating:- ****.

  10 August 2017 - Stamp Day - 1 stamp featuring the theme "Stamps on stamps". Rating:- ***.

  🇨🇾 I have not yet depicted this year's Refugee tax stamp from Cyprus Post which was issued on 16 February 2017 so here it is:-

  🇯🇪 In Blog 1046 I mentioned the set of 6 stamps and accompanying miniature sheet which are due to be issued by Jersey Post and feature Butterflies to illustrate the subject "Links with China". There will also be a second miniature sheet which combines all 6 stamps as depicted below:-

  🇬🇧 Another outpouring of new Post and Go labels from the Postal Museum in London on 12 September 2017 when the inscription on labels dispensed from kiosk A001 drops the "Official Opening" inscription and replaces it with the more simple "The Postal Museum" without the organisation's envelope logo.

  The kiosk will dispense the following types:-

Mail By Sir, 6 designs

Machin Head design 50th anniversary, 6 designs,

Machin Head 2nd Class, 2 values

Underground railway, 1 design in 6 values,

Mail coach, 1 design in 6 values.

  🇮🇳 In Blog 1065 I mentioned the set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet issued by India Post on 15 August 2017 on the subject of the Caves of Meghalaya. I haven't seen the reason for the issue of these stamps at this particular time but it's an attractive set although very simple in design. Rating:- ***.

  🇸🇱 It's always a joy to report the release of new paraphilatelic products by Stamperija which have the name of a Commonwealth country printed on them.

  Poor Sierra Leone with so many tragic events in its recent history is the country singled out for Stamperija's attention this week. Of course the subjects featured on the "stamps" have little or nothing to do with Sierra Leone but what does that matter if there's money to be made out of them by exploitative Stamperija? The paraphilatelic items take the form, as usual of 10 sheetlets each containing 4 different "stamps" and 10 accompanying "miniature sheets" on the following subjects:- Unmanned aircraft, Russian aircraft, European high speed trains, 150th anniversary of Alfred Nobel's invention of dynamite, Military ships, Fire engines, 180th birth anniversary of Adam Opel, 130th anniversary of the invention of the induction motor by Nikola Tesla, Dirigibles and African trains. Rating:- 0.

  The "date of issue" of these products is stated to have been 28 July 2017 but one has one's doubts about whether they were sold in ordinary post offices in Sierra Leone itself.

1065. 🇮🇳 India Celebrates 70 Years Of Independence.

  🇮🇳 Today, 15 August 2017, India celebrates the 70th anniversary of its Independence following the partition of Britain's Indian Empire into the Dominions of India and Pakistan which itself commemorated its Independence yesterday on 14 August (see Blog 1064).

  India Post issued 2 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 15 August 2017 to commemorate the anniversary and they featured photographs chosen from winning efforts in a children's photographic competition. The designs come under the title "Beautiful India". Rating:- ***.

  India Post has also issued a set of 4 stamps on the subject of the Caves of Meghalaya. Designs and more information awaited.

  🇲🇲  The date of India's Independence was chosen by the country's first Governor-General, Earl Mountbatten of Burma, to coincide with the second anniversary of the surrender of Japan at the end of the Second World War - a date that was called "VJ Day".

  The Japanese were in occupation of a number of British territories in the Far East including Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore and Burma. 

  In Burma they were resisted by British and Commonwealth forces but were supported initially by the Burmese leader Aung San and also by the Indian National Army led by Chandra Bose. In early 1945 Aung San turned to the Allied forces against the Japanese but the Indian National Army supported the Japanese to the bitter end. The Japanese finally surrendered formally to the Allies in Burma on 12 September 1945. In Burma the British and the Allies had received long term support particularly from the Karen people.

 The Karen people had suffered terribly during World War II - many of their villages were destroyed and massacres were carried out by both the Japanese and the Burma Independence Army which had assisted the Japanese invasion. After the end of the war the Karen hoped to have their own state within Burma but the British failed to support them in achieving this despite the Karen's great loyalty to the British during the war.

  Burma was granted independence in January 1948. Aung San, who had led the transitional government, was assassinated about 6 months prior to Independence. After independence was granted the Burmese government began to raise militias under the command of Major General Ne Win and in January 1949 some of these militias went on a rampage through Karen communities and consequently the Karen began an armed insurgency against the Burmese government. In 1962 Ne Win staged a coup against the Burmese government and a long period of military rule began.

  🇦🇺🇳🇫 Mentioned in a previous Blog (1024) but now with better illustrations is the Australia Post issue which is inscribed "Norfolk Island Australia" which was released on 18 July 2017and which is on the subject of Norfolk Island Flowers. The issue was designed by Sharon Rodziewicz and lithographed by EGO and perforated 14 x 14.5. Rating:- ***.

  🇦🇺🇨🇽 Also from Australia Post is a pair of stamps and accompanying miniature sheet issued with the inscription "Australia Christmas Island" which was released today, 15 August 2017. The stamps which commemorate the visit of European early explorers to the island were designed by Sonia Young and lithographed by EGOTrade and perforated 14 x 14.5. rating:- ****.

1064. 🇵🇰 Pakistan Celebrates 70 Years Of Independence.

  🇵🇰 Pakistan celebrates the 70th anniversary of its Independence today, 14 August 2017. On Independence, the country became known as The Dominion Of Pakistan with George VI as its monarch and Muhammad Ali Jinnah as the first Governor-General of Pakistan. The country was declared to be a Republic on 23 March 1956.

  I presume that Pakistan Post intends to commemorate this significant anniversary by issuing special stamps but I have not yet any news about such an issue.

  The stamp illustrated above was issued as 1 of a set of 2 in 1982.

  🇬🇧 Royal Mail will take its Post and Go kiosks A012, A013 and A014 to Autumn Stampex 2017 to be held at the Business Design Centre in Islington from 13 to 16 September and dispense the following labels:-

A012 new Mail by Air labels and Machin anniversary labels (1st class values only), the latter with additional inscription "Stampex Autumn 2017",

A013 new Mail by Air labels and Machin anniversary labels (1st class values only), the latter with additional inscription "Stampex Autumn 2017"

A014 new Mail by Air labels and Poppy label, the latter with additional inscription "WWI Battle of Passchendale".

  Kiosk A002 situated in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard will dispense 2 types of labels from 19 August 2017 for a month to commemorate the presence of the new aircraft carrier, Queen Elizabeth II, in Portsmouth. The labels are:-

  Union Flag with additional inscription "Royal Navy/QEII Carrier 2017"

  Machin Head with additional inscription "Royal Navy/Queen Elizabeth II Carrier 2017".

  🇿🇼 Zim Post, the postal service of Zimbabwe, will issue a set of 4 stamps on the subject of "Exotic cattle" on 22 August 2017. The types of cattle featured are the Ayrshire, the Holstein, the Jersey and the Reddane, which don't really seem "exotic" at all here in England but Zimpost says that the issue of stamps depicting these breeds is to "enlighten farmers and the general public about the various species and types of exotic cows and the desired requirements for the attainment of better yields".

  It's rare for philatelic publicity to give information about the milk yields of various breeds of cattle but I can tell you that the Ayrshire yields 5500 to 8000 litres while the Holstein yields 5000 to 12000 litres per lactation. Who says philately isn't educational? Great stuff! Rating:- *****.

  🇳🇿 New Zealand Post will issue a sheet of 10 different stamps on 6 September 2017 on the subject of the Maori language. These uninspired and simple designs depict representations of new words which have been invented to apply to modern developments in general living such as a passport (uruwhenua) or a computer (rorohiko) or wifi (ahokore). Most of the new words seem to be shorter in their English form and probably quicker to say in ordinary conversation which begs the question of why new Maori versions had to be invented.

  The issue was designed by Dave Hakaraia and Elisabeth Vullings and lithographed by Southern Colour Print and perforated 13.5 x 14. The eight $1 stamps will be issued in se-tenant blocks. Rating:- **.

  🇷🇼 Bogus issue. Rwanda.

  Currently on sale on an Internet website is a pair of miniature sheets (one containing 2 stamps and 1 containing a single stamp) purporting to have been issued by the Rwanda postal service and commemorating the Chinese New Year, Year of the Rooster.

  As it's several years since the Rwandan postal service last issued a set of stamps it seems improbable that this is a genuine issue from that country especially as its previous issues generally have local themes. Furthermore there have been numerous issues in recent years with the name of Rwanda printed on them and which are clearly bogus but these particular items certainly look well produced and I wondered if they had been a gift to Rwanda from The Chinese People's Republic as we have seen occurring in a number of other cases. I contacted the Rwanda postal service and received a rapid response which stated "those stamps are not genuine" and was promised a further message with additional information. So, these items are confirmed as being bogus and are of no value. Do not buy them as they are wholly worthless and produced by criminals.

  Such items injure stamp collecting and hurt the reputation of innocent countries.