[press release]
Go on a Reef Safari for Stamp Collecting Month
This August for Stamp Collecting Month, Australia Post is calling on Australians to go on a Reef Safari with the release of five beautiful stamps showcasing some of the diverse and threatened species found on the Great Barrier Reef.
Coinciding with the third International Year of the Reef (IYOR), a campaign by the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), this year’s Stamp Collecting Month asks collectors to take a closer look at how we can preserve this UNESCO World Heritage site.
Jane Cohen, Australia Post General Manager of Consumer, said Stamp Collecting Month is an exciting way for young students to engage in thought-provoking themes.
“In the International Year of the Reef, we’re encouraging children to learn more about the environment and biodiversity of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef through the special Reef Safari stamp issue. The five stamps highlight the beauty and diversity of species living in the largest coral reef system in the world – the Grey Reef Shark, Green Sea Turtle, Nautilus, Olive Sea Snake and Emperor Angelfish,” said Ms Cohen.
“As one of the world’s seven natural wonders and one of our most popular tourist locations, the Great Barrier Reef is home to billions of organisms, corals, and marine life. Sadly, climate change has placed the reef under pressure like never before, and we hope these stamps can highlight the things we can do to make a difference.”
Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Director of the Global Change Institute and Professor of Marine Science at The University of Queensland, reinforced the need for climate action as well as the importance of educating the community about the threats.
“Urgent protection is needed to save the reef, or Australia and the world risk losing a global treasure that provides enormous economic, social, and environmental benefits to hundreds of millions of people. Time and time again, we are seeing devastating impacts on coral reefs when sea temperatures warm even for short periods. If average global temperatures increase by 1.5 degrees above the pre-industrial period – a point just decades away – many scientists think that most coral reefs will become unviable. We must put the brakes on climate change for the sake of coral reefs,” he said.
The stamps and associated products will be available from 1 August in participating Post Offices, via mail order on 1800 331 794, and online at auspost.com.au/stamps while stocks last.
Online education resources such as lesson plans for primary school classes, information on each species featured, and more can be found at auspost.com.au/scm 
The Hague, 20 July 2018 The guilder was succeeded by the euro on 1 January 2002, following 700 years of loyal service. On 23 July, PostNL is issuing 10 stamps featuring 10 special guilder coins and guilder notes.
PostNL has issued five new stamps featuring Meneer de Uil (Mister Owl) from De Fabeltjeskrant (The Daily Fable). The stamp sheetlet represents the first in a series of stamps comprising a total of 25 characters from the old children’s programme that was so popular.
Updated August 1st:
The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.58″x1.41″ 
The B&W pictorial postmark measures 2.03″x1.43″
Updated October 10th:
The Digital Color postmark measures 2.92″x1.29″
The B&W pictorial measures 2.98″x1.37″
Photo by Lloyd A. de Vries, taken May 5, 2017.
The Digital Color postmark measures 2.71″x1.46″
The B&W pictorial measures 2.36″x1.43″
It measures 2.47″ x 1.49″. Here is the B&W pictorial postmark:
It measures 2.94 x 1.44″.
I’m often critical of the USPS, but this decision makes no sense to me. The justices say the agency made $2.1 billion from the sale of 4.9 billion stamps. That’s the gross, at 44 cents per stamp. The printing cost is a small fraction of the selling price, but a stamp represents a payment, whether it’s a tax on alcohol or playing cards, or, in the case of postage stamps, for delivering a piece of mail.
Most of us would be thrilled to see our work on a postage stamp, nationally distributed through more than 30,000 retail outlets and ending up in millions of homes and businesses.
The mistake, as well as other incorrect stamp designs (the wrong African-American cowboy’s picture, putting the Grand Canyon in the wrong state, and, of course, the Korean War Veterans Memorial stamp), are affecting my part of stamp collecting: The USPS now triple-checks everything, runs it all past attorneys, then triple-checks everything again, and first day cover collectors and servicers are getting information about new issues later and later. “Even though George Washington had no children of his own, have we checked all the descendants of his stepdaughters to see if we have permission to use ‘Washington’ in a postmark?”
The Forever stamps, showing frosty, colorful ice pops on a stick in a variety of shapes and flavors, went on sale earlier this summer, and are the first scratch-and-sniff stamps ever issued by the U.S. Those attending will be able to come away with these stamps, and possibly sticky fingers, too.
