AUSTRALIA – Nature’s Mimics
Australia Post issued a minisheet incorporating three stamps from an issue released on October 5, 2021. With the theme of Nature’s Mimics, the stamps feature just three of thousands of organisms that “employ modes of deception to extend their existence.” The bird shown in the selvage is a Superb Lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae), “Australia’s stellar vocal mimic, able to replicate both natural and human-made sounds.” The stamps depict the Leafy Seadragon (Phycodurus eques) which can change color depending on its environment on the top $1.10; the Tawny Frogmouth, (Podargus strigoides) on the $1.10 bottom left as it mimics a tree branch; and the $2.20 stamp features Macleay’s Spectre, (Extatosoma tiaratum) which mimics a swaying leaf and can imitate a scorpion to scare off predators. The minisheet and set of three stamps are available from here.
AUSTRIA – COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a factor in our lives for almost two years, making many things that were seldom seen into commonplace occurrences. Pre-pandemic, the face mask was rarely worn outside of hospitals but now it seems strange not to wear one. On September 16, 2021, Austria Post issued an innovative stamp in the shape of the ubiquitous FFP2 face mask. Made from two layers of non-woven material, the same as is used to produce the actual masks, the country name and denomination are shown as embroidery including complex ear loops. The face mask stamp is available from here.
CANADA – Newspaper Cartoonists
Canada Post highlighted the talents of five newspaper cartoonists with the release on October 8, 2021, of a booklet of ten domestic rate permanent stamps. According to Canada Post “Each stamp is embellished with an artwork that shows the unique style and perspective of one of 5 newspaper cartoonists: Serge Chapleau, Brian Gable, Bruce MacKinnon, Duncan Macpherson and Terry Mosher (aka Aislin).” All of these people have won the Canadian Journalism Competition. Designed by Réjean Myette, the booklet is available from Canada Post here.
Central African Republic – 80th Anniversary of Attack on Pearl Harbor
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Central African Republic, under the auspices of its philatelic agent, Stampera, released a sheetlet of four stamps and a souvenir sheet of one. Issued on October 8, 2021, the sheetlet depicts, from the top left, Japanese Admiral Chūichi Nagumo in front of a Japanese flag; an American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and numerous U.S. flags; a Mitsubishi A6M Zero over the Japanese Aircraft Carrier Akagi; and Admiral Husband E. Kimmel with an American B-18 A. The stamp on the souvenir sheet shows a Nakajima B5N flying over an exploding USS Arizona with USS West Virginia, a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and a D3A Val with U.S. and Japanese flags in the selvage. The stamps are available perf and imperf from here.
CYPRUS - Aircraft
Cyprus issued a set of three stamps highlighting landmarks in the history of aviation. The €0,34 features the 12 second flight of the Wright Brothers in December 1903 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The €0,75 stamp shows Charles Lindberg’s Spirit of St. Louis on the first trans-Atlantic solo flight from New York to Paris in 1927. The third stamp, €1, depicts a Bell X-1 aircraft piloted by Charles Yeager as it becomes the first aircraft to break the sound barrier in 1947. The stamps are available as singles or sheetlets of eight from here.
GUERNSEY – Centenary of the Royal British Legion
A set of four stamps was slated to be released throughout 2021, with the final stamp and a souvenir sheet with all four and a wreath of poppies issued on issued on Remembrance Day, November 11, 2021. Each of the £1 stamps features part of a wreath of poppies and a photograph with an armed forces connection: aircraft on the first two, soldiers on the third and a ship on the fourth. The commitment of the Armed Forces members is symbolized by the black and white images. The creation of the Royal British Legion after the First World War was to support ex-service personnel and their families. Available from here.
HUNGARY – Stamp Day
Magyar Post’s 94th Stamp Day and HUNFILA 2021, a joint event with the Budapest National Stamp Exhibition on May 28-30, 2021, is commemorated with a pair of stamp-on-stamp-on-stamp issues. The floral stamps shown on the stamps were first issued for the POLSKA ‘73 International Stamp Exhibition (50 years ago in 2021), which included the HUF 2 denomination of the Folk Costumes set issued in 1953 and the HUF 2 denomination of the Aircraft set issued in 1958. The second layer of stamps were issued in 1973. The 145 and 200 valued stamps are available from here.
NORFOLK ISLAND - Museum: Maritime Models
A pair of model ships important to the history of Australia’s external territory of Norfolk Island are depicted on a set of stamps designed by Stacey Zass. The $1.10 features teak-hulled HMS Sirius, the flagship of the First Fleet that established British settlement in Australia. She sailed to Norfolk in 1790 with the brig-rigged sloop, HMAT Supply ($2.20) transporting supplies, settlers, marines, and convicts. A storm made offloading dangerous and Sirius was wrecked, stranding her crew on the island for 11 months. Supply then became the main link to the colony, making 10 voyages during her career. The two gummed stamps are available from here.
SWITZERLAND – Swiss Post Art Collection
When Swiss Post announced the release of a special CHF 1.00 self-adhesive stamp it was done not with a statement of fact but rather a series of questions: “A blank canvas? Isn’t there a design missing? What is Swiss Post trying to tell us with this special stamp…?” Fortunately, the questions are also answered, as this is the first in a new series of stamps “dedicated to Swiss Post’s traditional art collection. Switzerland has never had a stamp made purely of canvas before.” The special blank stamp represents art that has not yet been created. This unique creation is available from here.