1999. 🇮🇶 Iraq Commemorates Its Centenary.

 

🇮🇶 Given the events of the first 20 years of this 21st century, the British involvement in the Middle East in the first part of the 20th Century has to be recognised as laying a road which lead directly to those events - wars and terrorist outrages - which haunted us most of all in the modern world before the COVID-19 pandemic took over as the present subject of our greatest concern. This involvement included setting up the State of Iraq, previously Mesopotamia, which this year commemorates its Centenary and the postal service of which has just released a stamp issue to celebrate this notable anniversary even though its hundred years of life have been frequently very troubled.

  The early history of Iraq and the British involvement with it and the stamps associated with the period of British rule are covered in Blog 424 (16 June 2014) and I will not therefore cover old ground again here but the new stamps (1 stamp from a sheetlet of 16 and 1 miniature sheet), issued by the Iraq postal service on 20 December 2021, are indeed very colourful and attractive and make an interesting footnote to a collection of stamps covering the British imperial period which lasted from the period of military occupation in the First World War (starting with Basra in November 1914), through to the establishment of King Faisal I on 22 August 1921)  and then to the ending of the League of Nations Mandate on 3 October 1932 when Iraq became a fully independent state. The right hand border of the sheetlet includes a portrait of King Faisal. Rating:- *****.

  🇱🇰 Sri Lanka Post issued a single stamp on 18 December 2021 to commemorate the State Vesak Festival. Rating:- ***.

🇧🇩 The stamp issued by Bangladesh Post on 27 July 2021 (see Blog 1916) to commemorate the 50th Birthday of Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed Joy, the son of the country’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina and a prominent politician in his own right, was withdrawn from sale very quickly after its issue on the orders of Sheikh Hasina from an unknown reason. The stamp has now been reissued in a redrawn format as shown below (the upper illustration shows the redrawn stamp):-

1998. 🇬🇬 Guernsey Post Comes Up With New Daft Gimmick For The Platinum Jubilee.

 

🇬🇬 Guernsey Post will issue a set of 6 stamps inscribed ‘Alderney’ on 4 February 2022 to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. So far so good. Unfortunately those who plan stamp issues at Guernsey Post have come up with the daft idea of also issuing a set of the same stamps but printed only in black and white. These black and white versions will be available in a limited edition of 5000 (presumably 5000 of each stamp) but will not be sold and instead a single value will be placed randomly in each of the first 4000 stock sets of coloured stamp. Collectors will then be expected to “look for opportunities to swap, sell and purchase the other stamps within the philatelic community to complete their sets”. Frankly, I can’t be bothered to chase around after these black and white products because anyone with half a brain can see where this will all end up - ordinary collectors having to pay out extortionate prices to buy single limited edition stamps to complete their collection.

   For good measure Guernsey Post will also release a miniature sheet and a Prestige booklet along with the basic stamp issue. As I write, it seems, those who plan stamp issue programmes are rubbing their hands in glee at the money to be made from philatelically commemorating The Queen’s landmark jubilee.

🇮🇳 News of more My Stamps from India Post. As usual they are sold in sheetlets of 12 with attached labels and at a premium price:-

31 October 2021 - 75th anniversary of Amul, a large dairy industry enterprise - 1 stamp.

25 November 2021 - Centenary of the Harcourt Butler Technical School, Kanpur - 1 stamp.

29 November 2021 - Centenary of the Nawab Ali Shah Zoological Gardens, Lucknow - 1 stamp.

19 December 2021 - 60th anniversary of the seizure of Goa, the former Portuguese colony, by Indian forces. Illustrations awaited.

🇫🇯 Fiji Post issued a set of 4 stamps and 1 miniature sheet on 18 December 2021 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Fijian postal service. Rating:- *****.

1997. 🇧🇸 Bahamas Christmas Issue.

🇧🇸 The postal service of Bahamas will issue a set of 4 stamps on 20 December 2021 as this year’s Christmas issue. The colourful issue was designed by Andrew Robinson and lithographed by Cartor and the stamps are perforated 13.5. Rating:- ****.  

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

🇧🇩 Bangladesh Post issued a single stamp on 16 December 2021 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s victory in the War of Independence against Pakistan. An interesting and historic issue. The design features the Father of the Nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the present prime minister Sheik Hasinah. Rating:- ****.

🇮🇳 India Post issued a single stamp on 16 December 2021 to also commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Bangladesh war and the liberation of the Bangladeshi capital, Dacca, Indian forces having played an important role in support of the fight of the Bangladeshis against the forces of the government of Pakistan. The issue is titled Swarnim Vijay Diwas which is the name given to the victory over Pakistan when Dacca fell, 93000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered and Bangladesh came into existence. Another historic commemoration. Rating:- ****.   

1996. 🇧🇹 Bhutan’s Dedication Week Issue.

 

🇧🇹 Bhutan Postal Corporation Ltd issued 5 miniature sheets on, I think, 14 December 2021 commemorating the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, in an issue titled ‘Dedication Week’. A colourful and interesting issue. Rating:- ****.

🇵🇰 Pakistan Post issued a single stamp on 9 December 2021 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Hangor Day. The Hangor was a Pakistan Navy submarine which during the 1971 war with India sank the Indian ship INS Khukri at a time when the Indian Navy was thought to be preparing for an attack on the port of Karachi. The stamp uses a design “supplied by the customer” (the Pakistan Navy?) and was lithographed by National Security Printing Corporation Karachi and is perforated 13. Rating:- ****.

🇵🇰 In Blog 1967 I depicted the sheetlet of 18 stamps and 2 miniature sheets issued by Jamaica Post to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Jamaica Post Office. I now depict these items again but with much better quality illustrations. Sadly, it’s worth noting that the total face value of the sheetlet of 18 is 4980 Jamaican dollars, equal to £24.26p which is clearly excessive though equally we must remember that new issues from Jamaica are highly infrequent and that this set appears to be the only issue of 2021 from Jamaica Post.

1995. 🇬🇧🇫🇰🇬🇸 South Atlantic And Antarctic Territories To Commemorate Sir Ernest Shackleton.

🇬🇧🇫🇰🇬🇸 The postal services of British Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands and South Georgia And The South Sandwich Islands will each issue a set of 4 stamps on 5 January 2022 to commemorate the Centenary of the great British South Atlantic and Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. Thanks to Juliet Warner of Pobjoy Stamps for news of this issue. Unfortunately I have not been able to download all the details of these issues. As is usually the case with the new issues of this group of territories these are excellent designs commemorating an important historical figure. Rating:- *****.

  🇹🇷 The postal service of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus issued a pair of stamps on 9 December 2021 to commemorate two anniversaries - the Centenary of the national anthem of Turkey and the opening of the village of Maras. The issue was designed by GK Sonmezer and printed by Devlet Basimevi. Two interesting stamps completing this year’s programme from this territory. Rating:- ***.

1994. 🇬🇧 Royal Mail Plans 15 Sets In 2022.

 

  🇬🇧 Details of the 2022 Royal Mail programme of new issues are now to hand having been kindly sent to me by a reader of this Blog (to whom, thanks). A Royal Mail pamphlet was passed on to the reader by their local post office which had not received any instructions that it should not distribute the pamphlet. There are to be 15 issues, many predictable and many featuring subjects which have appeared at least once before on ‘British’ stamps. Most appealing potentially, I think, is the issue featuring the glorious stamp designs of the maestro, David Gentleman. I assume this issue is connected to the London 2020 International Philatelic Exhibition and in that context it is a very apt issue.

The 2022 Programme is therefore:- 

20 January - The Rolling Stones (veteran popular music group) (already announced)

4 February - To be announced (presumably the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II)

18 February - The stamp designs of David Gentleman 

8 March - The FA Cup (150th anniversary of the First FA Cup final).

23 March - Heroes of the COVID-19 Pandemic

7 April - Migratory birds

5 May - Unsung heroes, Women of World War II

2 June - Cats. 

1 July - To be announced

28 July - Commonwealth Games hosted by Birmingham

1 September - To be announced 

29 September - The Royal Marines (there have previously been issues commemorating The Royal Navy, The Army and the Royal Air Force).

19 October - To be announced (Almost certainly an issue to commemorate the Centenary of the BBC founded on 18 October 2022 - an opportunity to feature lots of popular programmes I should think).

3 November - Christmas

24 November - Tutankhamen (Centenary of the discovery of the pharaoh’s tomb by Howard Carter and Lord Caernarvon).