Ascension

March 2026 News

by Richard Zimmermann

New countries are slowly making surface regarding some 2024 and 2025 omnibus series:

Stamps from Mauritania relative to the UPU 150th anniversary (apparently 4 stamps, only one seen so far – T20241009), and the 80th anniversary of the Arab League (4 stamps – T20250322) became available. Dates of issue are unknown. Only bad quality images are available so far. Note that the currency used on these Mauritanian stamps is wrongly expressed in “RMU” instead of the correct “MRU”, making these issues questionable. Additional information is welcome. At the same time Saudi Arabia issued also two stamps, one related to this same Arab League 80th anniversary (T20250322), but issued one year later, on March 22, 2026, and the other related to the Arab Postal Day (T20250803) and issued on March 14, 2026. Thanks to Kenneth Sequeira, Dubai and Ali Ahmed Med Achour, Algeria, for this information. Source of the Mauritania stamps’ illustrations is Busch Collectibles.

During the year 2025, we also forgot to mention the joint issue between the three United Nations offices of Geneva, New York and Vienna related to the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. As usual, when only these three offices are involved, we cannot consider those stamps as joint, but the catalogue mentions (in italics and gray color) all issues of these offices when design and illustrations are identical. So, we will complete the catalogue with this information (provided by Jaap Sarelse, the Netherlands), but file it under N20251024. Issue date was October 24, 2025 and mixed first day covers were also made available.

From Adam Paish (UK): To celebrate the centenary of the birth of the late Queen Elizabeth II, similar commemorative mini-sheets will be issued, each containing four different stamps, by the postal administrations of Ascension Island, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and Tristan da Cunha. The stamps depict photographic images by the British society photographer Marcus Adams (1875-1959) and are scheduled for release on April 21, 2026. The Bahamas postal administration also plans to release a set of four stamps in the same photographic style on April 16, 2026, but these may not be in an identical sheet format. This is not a true joint stamp issue, but definitely worthy of mention and will be described without details (omnibus series [PO]) in the catalogue. 

New Zealand, Gibraltar and the United Kingdom have also released or will be releasing stamps to mark the anniversary, and no doubt other countries will follow.  

Among the true joint issues, two were confirmed, but are involving Uruguay, another country from where it is difficult to obtain information. On March 26, 2026, Uruguay issued stamps jointly with Mexico (125 years diplomatic relations) and on March 30, 2026 with Indonesia (handicrafts) (Information provided by Kenneth Sequeira, Dubai and Enzo Cafaro, Italy). The Indonesia stamp designs have been available for a couple of months and the picture of the Uruguayan stamps related to Mexico became available recently, but all other information in particular from Mexico, is still missing. The catalogue pages will be updated as soon as information is more complete (it may take another two weeks).

Endurance and Churchill

by Richard Zimmermann

The ‘Discovery of Endurance’ stamps were slated for release on March 23, 2023, but the release was cancelled without explanations. Adam Paish (UK) informed us that finally these stamps were issued on November 5, 2024: the Falkland Islands Post Office in Stanley has placed the British Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands and South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands stamps and souvenir sheets on sale (see earlier description). 

For some inexplicable reason, the copyright holders of the images on which the designs are based would not allow any information about their release to be disseminated prior to the day of issue. The Heritage Trust holding the image rights is the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust. Its ‘Endurance22’ expedition, which successfully located Shackleton’s vessel, has licensing agreements with National Geographic (which is now controlled by the Disney organisation), as well as contractual arrangements with other media organisations. So, copyright issues remained until the stamps were finally recently released. All first day covers of this issue are dated from November 5, 2024. As a consequence, these stamps were reintroduced in the catalogue under the heading [D20241105].

Adam Paish (UK) reported also information about the Sir Winston Churchill (born on November 30, 1874) 150th birthday stamps to be released in November and December 2024. These include a United Kingdom (Royal Mail) issue on November 30, 2024. Territorial issues have been announced for the Falkland Islands (issue date: November 27, 2024), Tristan da Cunha (issue date: December 11, 2024) and Ascension Island (issue date: December 16, 2024), although the latter is in a different format. New stamp issues of all three postal administrations are coordinated by the same sales, marketing and distribution arm of Isle Of Man Stamps & Collectables, which took over operations from Pobjoy Mint (Falkland stamps) following its closure in late 2023. It may be possible that almost all Commonwealth countries may celebrate this anniversary, but unfortunately, even these first stamps cannot be considered as joint (different design, different dates). Let us see first what other countries will have to offer, before closing definitely this chapter.

King Charles III coronation

by Richard Zimmermann

From Adam Paish, UK: The postal administrations of Ascension Island, the Bahamas, the British Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and Tristan Da Cunha released a mini-omnibus commemoration for the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in the form of a set of four stamps in sheet format and one souvenir sheet containing a single stamp from each territory. The official date of issue was August 21, 2023 (for the Falklands and British Antarctic Territory stamps) and September 7, 2023, for those of the other territories. Other postal administrations (such as Bermuda, Saint Helena and Gibraltar) have also released similarly styled Coronation commemorative sets and/or souvenir sheets, but these are not part of this coordinated issue.  This issue is reported in the catalogue as Parallel Omnibus series [OP] under the name [O20230907] and not detailed (as all omnibus series). 

The postal services of the Eastern Caribbean states (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent And the Grenadines) have also announced events to mark the 40th anniversary of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), the central bank for the Eastern Caribbean dollar, which included a stamp design competition, and the winning designs – three values in all – were publicised widely in the regional media back in February. At the time, it was stated that each postal administration would issue the stamps in the denominations most used in its respective territory, and that they would be available in September or October 2023. The ECCB marked 40 years of service to the governments and people of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Community on October 1, 2023. However, there has been no recent news about the stamps: perhaps the project was quietly shelved ?

QEII commemoration

by Richard Zimmermann

The postal administrations of Ascension Island, the British Antarctic Territory, the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and Tristan Da Cunha have scheduled a joint commemoration of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the form of a set of two stamps in sheet format and one miniature sheet containing the two stamps from each territory. The initial press release indicates a planned release date of February 15, 2023 (information provided by Adam Paish, UK). It is to expect that around the anniversary date of her death, several countries will issue commemorative stamps. It is not unlikely that joint issues or at least common or borrowed design stamps could be created on that occasion and this one is just the first example.

Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton

by Richard Zimmermann

On January 5, 2022, the British Antarctic Territory, the Falkland Islands and the South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands have issued a series of stamps in honor of Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton at the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his death. Shackleton is well known for several Antarctica expeditions including an heroic behavior to save his team stuck in the ice. He died on January 5, 1922 at age 47 from a heart attack while starting a new Antarctic expedition and he is buried on the South Georgia Island. The twelve pictures used for these stamps are based on black and white or colorized photographs of Shackleton taken at different ages, with team, with ship or map, including also some pictures of his grave. This issue is considered as a territorial parallel issue [D/PD].

Adam Paish (UK) mentioned very recently that these three countries associated to Ascension, Bahamas and Tristan da Cunha will issue four stamps each and a souvenir sheet to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elisabeth II. Exact dates of issue are not known yet, but Bahamas seems to be the first and plans to issue stamps on March 17, 2022. This issue will be considered as an omnibus parallel issue [O/OP].

Blue Belt Programme (2)

by Richard Zimmermann

Adam Paish (UK) completed the information regarding the Blue Belt program with the designs of the stamps from the British Antarctic Territory (issued November 23, 2021) and Tristan da Cunha (issue date November 29, 2021), as complement to the stamps from Ascension Island and the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands already issued on November 9, 2021.

Blue Belt programme

by Richard Zimmermann

From Adam Paish (UK): The British government’s flagship ‘Blue Belt Programme’ has been supporting a number of UK Overseas Territories with the protection and sustainable management of their marine environments since 2016. The territories currently involved in the initiative are: 

  • Ascension Island
  • Saint Helena
  • Tristan da Cunha
  • British Antarctic Territory
  • British Indian Ocean Territory 
  • Pitcairn Islands
  • South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands

On November 9, 2021, the postal administrations of Ascension Island and South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands each released four stamps and a souvenir sheet (containing slightly different versions of the stamps) to publicise the programme. Stamps of similar designs will be released by Tristan da Cunha and the British Antarctic Territory as part of this issue, but no release date for these has yet been announced. The other territories are not expected to participate.