GREAT BRITAIN
Royal Mail of Great Britain finished off their own Star Wars trilogy with this third offering of stamps saluting a galaxy far, far away. A miniature sheet with six new first-class stamps brings together iconic Star Wars vehicles including: Poe’s X-wing fighter, a Jedi Starfighter, Jango Fett’s Slave I, a TIE Silencer, Anakin Skywalker’s podracer, and Stormtroopers’ mounted Speeder Bikes. Each vehicle has played its part in the saga’s three trilogies and spin-offs. In addition, ten more stamps depicting characters from the films were released to round out the series. These include: Count Dooku, Lando Calrissian, a Sith Trooper, Jannah, Grand Moff Tarkin, Darth Maul, Zorii, Wicket W. Warrick, Poe Dameron and Queen Amidala. Four of these characters make an appearance in the recently released film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The stamps were issued on November 26, 2019, and may be purchased online from shop.royalmail.com/special-stamp-issues/star-wars.
ISRAEL
Israel Post issued a sheet of stamps inspired by the Monsters exhibit at the Eretz Israel Museum and the book The Monsters Garden by Ephraim Sidon and Yossi Abulafia. The monsters featured on these stamps are framed as an attempt to deal with the fear of the unknown as experienced by many children; the monsters are presented as “funny, clumsy characters that, despite their frightening and threatening appearance, are actually good creatures that just want to be loved, encouraged and have friends like everyone else.”
On the left is Sanani (Hater), the third child in a family of five; on the center stamp is Kishta (Go Away) and on the right is Muglevi (Cowardly Heart).
This Exceptional Monster sheet was produced using hexachrome and was issued on November 26, 2019. The stamps are available online with six stamps on a sheet, tabs depicting other monsters, and the top three stamps inverted. More details about these monsters can be found at www.israelpost.co.il/
JAPAN
A sheetlet of 10 was issued by Japan in celebration of the enthronement of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan. Known in English as Emperor Naruhito, he was born on February 23, 1960, and ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne following the abdication of his father, Emperor Akihito, on May 1, 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. According to Japan's traditional order of succession, Emperor Naruhito is the 126th monarch. In Japan, the Emperor is never referred to by his given name, but rather is referred to as "His Majesty the Emperor" (TennÅ Heika). Naruhito's enthronement ceremony took place on October 22, 2019.
“Having previously succeeded to the imperial throne in accordance with the Constitution of Japan and the Special Measures Law on the Imperial House Law, I now … proclaim my enthronement to those at home and abroad,” the Emperor declared at the enthronement ceremony, called Sokui no Rei, which was attended by around 2,000 dignitaries from some 180 countries and regions. The stamps are available online at shop.post.japanpost.jp
TRISTAN DA CUNHA
Tristan da Cunha is beginning a Vagrant Species series, starting with four stamps issued on November 19, 2019. These animals are not native to the islands, and most have only been recently recorded as having landed there. The first part of the series consists of a 45p stamp showing a Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus americanus) which, unlike the Old World cuckoos, build their own nests and rear their own young. The 60p stamp features a Leopard Seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), the second largest species of seal, and a renowned predator that breeds in the Antarctic pack ice. The £1 depicts a Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta); this species is the largest hard-shelled turtle in the world. On the £2 value is the Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche carteri). This bird is a close relative of the Tristan variety but was not seen on the island until January 2019. These colorful stamps can be purchased online from www.tristandc.com
New worldwide stamps are presented for information and are not necessarily shown at the correct scale. The quality of images available at the time of release varies widely and we resize to achieve the best possible reproduction.