1319. 🇨🇦 Underwhelming Armistice Commemoration By Canada Post.

  🇨🇦 Canada Post will issue a single self-adhesive stamp sold in booklets of 10 plus a gummed miniature sheet containing 5 identical stamps to commemorate the Centenary of the Armistice that ended the First World War on 24 October 2018. The designs by Burke and Burke and Jillian Ditner feature the overused motif of a dove of peace which so many stamp designers have used in the past. This uninspiring design seems to reflect the general attitude of Canada Post to commemorating those of its people who died or were injured in the service of the country especially in comparison with the wonderful series of issues we have seen released over the past 5 years from Royal Mail, Australia Post and New Zealand Post. To an outsider, Canada really seems to have lost its way in recent years - how awful it was recently to see on the news queues of Canadians lining up to be present at the first sale of marijuana to the public which the present government in Canada has now legalised. Little wonder that Canada Post has commemorated the sacrifices of the First World War in such an underwhelming way Rating:- **.

  Canada Post will then issue a set of 3 self-adhesive stamps issued either in booklets of 10 or 6 on 2 November 2018 for use on Christmas mail. The rather inconsequential designs feature items of woolly clothing and are products of the work of Paprika studios. A gummed miniature sheet containing all 3 stamps will also be released. Rating:- *.

  🇲🇾 The release of new definitives is underway from Pos Malaysia. There are new designs for some values as well as new values. Rating:- ****.

1318. 🇲🇹 Dogs In Malta.

  🇲🇹 MaltaPost will issue a sheetlet of 16 different stamps on 23 October 2018 depicting various breeds of Dogs. The designs are reproductions of artwork by the Maltese artist, Andrew Micallef, and the stamps have been lithographed by Printex Ltd and perforated 14. Of course I give this issue a Rating of ***** and have to feature the Labrador at the head of this piece!

  🇮🇪 The postal service of Ireland, An Post, issued 2 stamps on 18 October 2018 on the subject of 'Popular Democracy'. The stamps, designed by Oonagh Young from illustrations by Ger Garland, depict Éamon de Valera who took part in the Easter rebellion of 1916 and eventually became the Irish prime minister and President and Hannah-Sheehy Skeffington who co-founded the Irish Women's Franchise League in 1908. The issue was lithographed by Cartor and perforated 13.5. Rating:- ***.

1317. 🇬🇬 🇹🇹 Guernsey Post's 2018 Cruise Ship Post And Gos And More Trinidad Surcharges.

  🇬🇬 Post and Go collectors have 29 Collectors strips available this year if they have decided to purchase Guernsey Post's Visiting Cruise Ships issue. This number represents those strips dispensed on the first visits of the respective ships and does not include those produced on any subsequent visits a ship may have paid to Guernsey unless two ships visited on the same day in which case the inscriptions on the stamps named both ships even if one or both had previously visited the island during 2018. This has resulted in 174 more stamps being needed to be added to Guernsey Post's grand total for 2018.

  Though I like postal services which have nice conservative new issue policies I admit to rather liking these Cruise ship stamps as they serve a particular postal function - it's rather pleasing that the Cruise ship passengers have a postal souvenir available to buy if they so wish and can use them on mail to friends and family back home. I have not yet seen any dealer offering genuine tourist mail with these stamps applied and suspect that such items must be quite rare but highly collectible when they do turn up.

  The dates of issue were of course the dates on which the respective ships were in port in Guernsey:-

  18 May - Aurora,

  20 May - Princendam,

  21 May - Britannia,

  23 May - Aidaura,

  24 May - Queen Victoria, 

  26 May - Brilliance Of The Seas,

  30 May - Seven Seas Explorer,

  31 May - Silver Spirit,

  6 June - Crystal Serenity,

  7 June - Royal Princess and Queen Victoria,

  10 June - Azamara Journey and Magellan,

  14 June - Ventura,

  17 June - Celebrity Eclipse,

  19 June - Royal Princess,

  21 June - Saga Sapphire,

  22 June - Zuirdam,

  26 June - Marco Polo,

  28 June - Columbus,

  30 June - Queen Elizabeth,

  1 July - Royal Princess and Brill of the Seas (sic),

  12 July - Azamara Journey,

  16 July - Britannia and Crystal Serenity,

  18 July - Black Watch and Columbus,

  22 July - Oriana,

  25 July - Magellan and Royal Princess,

  19 August - Celebrity Silhouette,

  2 September - Arcadia and Magellan,

  18 September - Norwegian Jade,

  27 September - Nautica.

  

  🇹🇹 More surcharged stamps have emerged from the postal service of Trinidad And Tobago. Five miscellaneous previously issued stamps have been surcharged with various values as depicted below. See also Blogs 1273, 1309 and 1312. Rating:- ***.