100 Years of Liechtenstein stamps - 2012 LIECHTENSTEIN

1^st February 2012 marks the hundredth anniversary of the appearance at the country’s then five post offices (Balzers, Triesen, Vaduz, Schaan and Nendeln) of the first three Liechtenstein definitives. These three stamps, printed on chalksurfaced paper and with face values 5, 10 and 25 Heller, bore the image of the then reigning Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein (1840 – 1929). The inscription “K.K. Austrian Post in the Principality of Liechtenstein“ referred to the fact that the Liechtenstein Post Office established on 1^st January 1912 under an agreement made in October 1911 remained under Austrian administration. With the special issue “100 Years of Liechtenstein Stamps“ Philately Liechtenstein highlights this special anniversary. The graphic designer HP Gassner charged with designing the issue was given the brief not to create a purely nostalgic stamp, but to produce a contemporary design based on a traditional approach. What came of this is a series showing the four Princes who have reigned since the appearance of the first Liechtenstein stamp, each portrayed against a differently coloured background on which the years from 1912 to 2012 appear in Roman numerals. The first Liechtenstein stamps appeared during the reign of Johann II, known as “Johann the Good” (face value CHF 1.00), whose portrait also adorned the first stamp. Johann II died in 1929 and was succeeded by his brother Franz I (face value CHF 1.40), who reigned for nine years as Regent of the small Principality. Being without issue, he was succeeded on his death by his greatnephew Franz Josef II (face value CHF 2.20), to whom the discharge of governmental responsibilities had been entrusted since 1930. Franz Josef II, who as first Regent made Vaduz his principal place of residence, was the father of the present Prince Hans Adam II (face value CHF 2.80). Prince Hans Adam II assumed responsibility for the affairs of state after the death of his father in 1989, passing it in turn to his son Alois in 2004.

National Parks - 2011 IRELAND

These are Glenveagh National Park in Co Donegal; Ballycroy National Park in Co Mayo; Connemara National Park in Co Galway; the Burren National Park in Co Clare; Wicklow Mountains National Park in Co Wicklow and Killarney National Park in Co Kerry.

Ireland's exceptional national parks are known for their unrivalled natural beauty, with a wide variety of landscapes, including bogs and grasslands, heaths, woodlands, lakes, hills and valleys. The parks also have many species of flora and fauna, and provide delightfully tranquil surroundings.

The National Parks & Wildlife Service is charged with conserving a range of habitats and species in Ireland. The organisation is responsible for developing the scenic landscapes of the national parks, in an environmentally friendly way, to encourage the public to visit and enjoy them.

Classic Locomotives of England - 2011 UK

1st Class – BR Dean Goods Class 2532
A Newbury bound British Rail local service Dean Goods Class locomotive at East Garton photographed in 1951.

60p – Peckett Type R2
This Peckett 1689, named Thor was built in 1925 for the Tunnel Cement company of West Thurrock, Essex. The locomotive spent its entire life at Thurrock – where the photo was taken, and it was scrapped there in March 1965.

88p – L & YR 1093 J4 No 1100
The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Class J4 locomotive photographed here at Liverpool Exchange Station in 1909 is pulling the 2.10 to Hull.

97p – BR WD No 90662
During the Second World War heavy freight ‘Austerity’ locomotives were built for military service.  Before the Normandy Landings, the army had very little use for these locomotives, so they were loaned to the ‘Big Four’ railway companies. After June 1944, ‘Austerity’ locomotives were shipped out to France. Eventually British Rail had 733 of these locomotives.

Crown Jewels - 2011 UK

2011 marks the 350th Anniversary of the coronation of King Charles II. As most of the crown jewels had been broken up during the time of the Cromwell’s Commonwealth a new set had to be created for the occasion. The only piece shown here that pre-dates Charles’s coronation is the anointing spoon.

While many nations have royal jewels, the British Crown Jewels are unique. Known around the world as a dazzling collection of objects representing royal sovereignty, the Crown Jewels are also remarkable due to their continuity of use: the collection is still used in a coronation ceremony that has changed little in a thousand years.

1st Class – The Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross
From 1661 and so called because it is surmounted by a cross. In 1905, it was redesigned to incorporate the Great Star of Africa, the second largest cut diamond in the world. During the coronation, the monarch bears the sceptre with the cross in the right hand.

£1.10 – Coronation Spoon
Dating from the 13th century the spoon was the only part of the royal regalia to escape destruction by Cromwell. At the coronation ceremony it is used to annoint the sovereign with holy oil.

1st Class – St Edward’s Crown
Again from 1661 the cross has 444 precious stones and is the one with which monarchs are crowned when they ascend the throne. This is the one reputed to have been made with gold recovered from the throne of Alfred the Great.

68p – Rod & Sceptre with Doves
Again 1661 it is topped with a dove symbolizing the Holy Ghost. During the coronation, the monarch bears the sceptre with the dove in the left hand. The smaller of the two sceptres with the closed wings of the dove is used by the Monarch’s consort.

68p – Queen Mary’s Crown
The Crown of Queen Mary was the consort crown of Mary of Teck, Queen Consort of King George V. It was manufactured for the coronation of George and Mary in 1911. Since Queen Mary’s death on March 24, 1953 her consort crown has remained unworn.

76p – The Sovereign’s Orb
The Orb was created for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661. It is a hollow gold sphere weighing 42 ounces. The Orb is a religious symbol; it represents the Monarch’s role as defender of the faith and as Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

76p – The Jeweled Sword of Offering
The Jewelled Sword of Offering was made for the Coronation of King George IV. It is the only sword actually presented to the Sovereign during the Coronation (by the Archbishop of Canterbury, to signify that the royal power is at the service of the church).

£1.10 – Imperial State Crown
The Imperial State Crown was made in 1937 for King George VI. Among the stones are several famous ones, including the Black Prince’s Ruby and the Cullinan II diamond, also known as the Lesser Star of Africa. It is worn after the conclusion of the Coronation ceremony when the monarch leaves Westminster Abbey and at the annual State Opening of Parliament.

London Stage Musicals - 2011 UK

Royal Mail looked back at more than seven decades of popular stage musicals to establish which shows were the most suitable for the set. Criteria included the shows’ origin, writers and composers, longevity and success. A conscious effort was taken to represent the evolving nature of musical theatre, and to include shows based upon successful films and songs from popular artists’ back catalogues

1st Class – Blood Brothers
This 1983 musical by Willy Russell is one of the longest-running plays of all time, with the 1988 West End production still running after over 20 years

1st Class – Oliver!
With music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, Oliver! first appeared in the West End in 1960, and enjoyed a long run that launched the careers of several child actors. The original London production of Oliver! opened in the New Theatre (now the Noel Coward Theatre) on 30 June, 1960 and ran for 2,618 performances.

 1st Class – We Will Rock You
A jukebox musical is based on the songs of Queen and named after their hit single of the same name. The show was written by Ben Elton in collaboration with Brian May and Roger Taylor. Opening in the West End in 2002 it has been extended indefinitely making it the longest running show ever at London’s Dominion theatre.

97p – Billy Elliot
Music by Elton John and lyrics by Lee Hall based on the smash hit film, Billy Elliot. Set in the North East of England against the background of the historic 1984/85 miners’ strike, Billy pursues his passion for dance in secret to avoid disapproval of his struggling family. The show opened in London in May 2005.

1st Class – Monty Python’s Spamalot
Music and lyrics by Eric Idle and John Du Prez based on the screenplay of the Pythons’ film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and includes three songs from the 1975 film. The musical tells the legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and their quest for the Holy Grail and features a chorus line of dancing divas (and serfs), flatulent Frenchmen, killer rabbits and a legless knight.

97p – The Rocky Horror Show
Written by Richard O’Brien The Rocky Horror Show premiered at the Theatre Upstairs in June 1973, before establishing itself at the Comedy Theatre in the West End until September 1980, closing the play’s initial run of 2,960 performances

97p – Me and My Girl
Me and My Girl is a musical with book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose and music by Noel Gay. It takes place in the late 1930s in Hampshire, Mayfair, and Lambeth. The musical had a successful original run on the West End in 1937 and very successful revivals in both London and New York in the 1980s. The show stopper, “The Lambeth Walk”, was the subject of a news story in The Times of October 1938: “While dictators rage and statesmen talk, all Europe dances - to The Lambeth Walk.”

97p – Return to the Forbidden Planet
A jukebox musical by director Bob Carlton based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the 1950s sci-fi film Forbidden Planet (which itself drew its plot loosely from The Tempest). Return to the Forbidden Planet started life with the Bubble Theatre Company as a production for open-air performance in a tent. A revised version of the musical opened, indoors, at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool in the mid-1980s. It later moved to the Tricycle Theatre in London. After some rework a final version opened the Cambridge Theatre in London’s West End in September 1989.

150th anniversary of Burke and Wills expedition - 2010 AUSTRALIA

The 150th anniversary of the Burke and Wills expedition, the first south - north crossing of the continent is celebrated today with the release of a collectable souvenir stamp set by Australia Post.

Australia Post Philatelic Group manager, Noel Leahy, said, "As our most celebrated Australian pioneers we remember Burke and Wills as men who were willing to risk their lives to chart Australia's unknown interior and impart their knowledge for the betterment of our country. Our 150th anniversary stamp set retells the story of their ill-fated expedition in four collectable stamps to honour the great personal sacrifice they made in their endeavor". The four stamps in the anniversary set include:

1. Crossing Australia - featuring an image of Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills. Burke and Wills hoped to be the first Europeans to cross Australia from the south to the north. While the explorers reached the Gulf of Carpentaria, the expedition ended in tragedy.
   
   
2. Leaving Melbourne - a jubilant scene of Melbourne well wishers at Royal Park as the expedition leaves the city. The party set out for the interior with Burke riding his grey horse "Billy", Landells and the naturalist Ludwig Becker on camels, and the sepoys leading four or five camels by hand.
   
   
3. Return from the Gulf - a journey of some 700 miles from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria was made on a daily ration of four ounces of flour, sticks of dried meat and a few biscuits. Not being enough to sustain four men, the expedition's horse and one of the camels supplemented their diet. This however was not enough to save Gray, who died on 17 April 1861.
   
   
4. Towards Mount Hopeless - having arrived back at Cooper's Creek only to find their support party had left that morning they struck out for the South-Australian cattle station at Mount Hopeless. During the difficult journey to Mount Hopeless, the Aboriginal people became key players. They provided Burke, Wills and King with sustenance, however they moved camp often, leaving the explorers behind. Finally the European explorers struck out on their own for Mount Hopeless, only to turn back because of lack of water. But it was all in vain as on or about 28th June 1861 both Burke and Wills had perished. King, however survived and was found on 15 September 1861 by a search party from Melbourne.

South magnetic pole - 2009 AUSTRALIA

January 2009 marks the centenary of the first expedition to the South Magnetic Pole, and the recent stamps issued by Australia on 8 January 2009 commemorates that milestone in polar science and exploration. Historical images from the expedition tell the narrative of the journey, in combination with the typography, which forms a graphic element of the story. The bold white text represents the vast Antarctic landscape and its staged incline across the designs symbolises the increasing difficulty of a journey and the endurance required of the men. The sparse visual approach to the design also conveys the idea of the men at the mercy of the elements.

Lost soldiers of Fromelles - 2010 AUSTRALIA

The Royal Australian Mint continues its commemorating the Lost Soldiers of Fromelles. The battle occurred in France on July 19-20 in 1916. Fromelles was a combined operation between British troops and the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). It would be the first occasion that the AIF saw action on the Western Front. The Australian War Memorial describes the battle as "the worst 24 hours in Australia's entire history." Known as Australia’s bloodiest day, during the 1916 battle the 5th Division suffered 5533 casualties. There was speculation for many years regarding the existence of an unmarked and forgotten mass grave near Fromelles, containing the remains of Allied soldiers killed during the battle and subsequently buried by the Germans. In 2007, a non-invasive geophysical survey, commissioned by the Australian Government, was conducted by Glasgow University Archaeological Research Department (GUARD). The survey gave readings consistent with pits containing the remains of hundreds of soldiers. A subsequent metal detector survey led to the discovery of Australian Army artefacts at the site. Ninety two years after the battle, a mass grave of British and Australian Soldiers was rediscovered in Pheasant Wood, a portion of the soldiers missing in action. After an identification process, our lost soldiers will be laid to rest with dignity and full military honours in individual plots at a new War Cemetery, situated as close as possible to where the soldiers were found. The coin design is based on the Cobbers Statue which stands in Fromelles and was developed in partnership with the Australian Fromelles Project Group.

Kokoda - 2010 AUSTRALIA

Kokoda in Papua New Guinea holds a special place in Australia's military history. The Kokoda Track Campaign was fought here between July and November 1942 between Japanese and Allied - primarily Australian - forces in the then Australian territory of Papua. Australia Post's issuing policy normally restricts stamp issues to celebrating anniversaries in multiples of 50 (i.e. 50th, 100th etc.), however for joint issues special consideration is applied

The Kokoda campaign, remembered as Australia's toughest battle against the Japanese in World War II, is being commemorated with a new stamp.

Australia Post and Papua New Guinea Post have issued a joint Kokoda stamp in honour of the soldiers who fell fighting along PNG's notorious Kokoda Track.

In a first between the two nations, five stamps have been released depicting the relationship forged during the Kokoda Campaign of 1942, during which more than 600 diggers died.

Australia Post Philatelic Group manager Noel Leahy said the stamp issue built on the bonds forged in war.

"A remarkable bond was formed in 1942 that continues to this day," he said.

"This is one of Australia's most dramatic wartime involvements and we felt that to commemorate it was extremely important.

"We're also thrilled to be doing a joint issue with PNG.

"This is the first time we have done this and we hope it further demonstrates Australia's growing relationship with PNG," he said.

Australia Post said two stamps portray the difficult conditions and the close bonds forged through the battle's adversity.

Another shows the memorial along the Kokoda Track, at Isurava.

One of Australia's most prolific stamp designers, Brian Clinton, who also designed a 2008 Anzac Day commemoration stamp, illustrated the Kokoda five.

Robin Hood - 2010 AUSTRALIA

Celebrating the release of the new Robin Hood movie starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett, this pack features two sheetlets of 10 Russell Crowe stamps and 10 tabs. There is no Cate Blanchett stamp in the sheetlet as Australia Post advises the licensing agreement was not taken up by Cate Blanchett's screen management company.

Gummed Sheetlet Stamps
The sheetlet stamp is a very close match to the original issue 22 January 2009, but is new for two reasons:

• the stamp has an attached tab
• the stamp is printed by a new printer

The background is not white, rather light blue-grey as it was with the original stamp. A white background version of the Russell Crowe stamp does exist from the AFI Film Lovers Pack.