Tuesday, 24 June 2025

Myanmar Post Reissues Third Stamp Sheetlet on Costumes of Six Eras

As anticipated, Myanmar Post continues its monthly stamp releases. For June, it has reissued the sheetlet from the costume series originally released in 2021 and 2022, with the new issue dated 20 June 2025. The complete series comprises 12 stamps across six issues, each depicting male and female costumes from six historical eras: Pyu Costumes, Bagan Costumes, Ava Costumes, Konbaung Costumes, Amarapura Costumes, and Yatanabon Costumes.


In this reissue, the stamp designs have been refreshed. The layouts differ from the previous versions, with noticeable changes in the size and arrangement of country names, denominations, text elements, and the vignettes themselves. The sheetlet measures approximately 152 mm x 216 mm (6 x 8.5 inches) and has a total print run of 30,000 sheets.

There are unconfirmed reports suggesting that unsold sheets from post offices have been recalled by Myanmar Post for redistribution to ASEAN countries. However, this information has not been officially verified.

Tuesday, 6 May 2025

Myanmar Post Reissues Second Stamp Sheetlet on 10 Arts Series

Just one week after releasing the first sheetlet, Myanmar Post has issued a second reprint—this time featuring the Myanmar Traditional Arts stamp series originally released in 2020. This move suggests that additional sheets from other popular series, such as Endemic Birds, Costume Series, and Butterflies of Myanmar Series, may also be reissued soon. Collectors will have to wait and see what comes next.

The original Myanmar Traditional Arts series began with the Panbe stamp (The Art of Blacksmithing) issued on 24 July 2020, and concluded with the Panyun stamp (The Art of Making Lacquerware) on 18 December 2020. In this new sheet format, the stamps are arranged in their original release order—five stamps on the top row and five on the bottom. The sheet’s margin is labelled “10 Traditional Art Forms of Myanmar”.

Untrimmed sheet with Mandalay GPO First Day Cancellation (U Sein Min)

However, the reissued sheet has drawn criticism. It is sold untrimmed, with a large blank margin beneath the stamps. The full sheet measures 9 x 7 inches (approx. 229 x 178 mm), and the excess blank area is large enough to accommodate another two rows of stamps. This forced collectors to manually trim the sheets using paper cutters or knives to mount them on covers for first day usages—resulting in inconsistent sheet sizes on different covers. No official first day cover (FDC) was issued for this release.

A total of 50,000 sheets were printed, with each pack containing 50 sheets. The official date of issue is 5 May 2025. Due to the oversized format, collectors have resorted to using larger cacheted envelopes, which may exceed the size allowed by standard postal regulations.

Collectors have also noted that the printing quality appears lower than that of the original 2020 stamps. Additionally, two distinct types of perforations have been observed: rough and sharp, adding further variation for specialists to examine.

The first day cancellation was rather messy. It attempted to squeeze illustrations of all ten traditional art forms into a single circular design by dividing it into ten equal segments. This approach resulted in a cluttered appearance. A similar design was used for the 12 Seasonal Festivals and Flowers sheetlet issued last month—this time with 12 segments, making the cancellation even more crowded and difficult to discern.

I have identified a color error involving missing cyan ink. This issue affects the right four stamps on the sheet, while the rest of the sheet appears normal. The image below shows a side-by-side comparison of the standard stamps and the error stamps.

My comparative study reveals that the new 2025 reissue is not a direct reprint of the original 2020 version but a redesigned mock-up. Unlike the 2020 stamps, which featured smaller text and a larger central image, the 2025 version displays enlarged text and a reduced main image. Additionally, the shadow effect in the title of the art, present in the original design, has been removed. The illustration below highlights these differences.




Monday, 5 May 2025

From the Arakan to the Album: Bhanbhagta Gurung on Royal Mail's WWII Stamp Issue

Royal Mail issued a set of ten stamps on 1 May 2025 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, celebrating the heroic efforts of individuals who served during the conflict. Among them is a stamp featuring Bhanbhagta Gurung, who served with the Gurkhas in Burma.


Sergeant Bhanbhagta Gurung (1921–2008), born in Nepal, served with distinction in Burma during the Second World War. He joined the Gurkha Rifles in 1940 and was part of Operation Longcloth in 1943, the first long-range mission deep into Japanese-occupied Burma. In 1945, during fierce fighting near Tamandu, he displayed extraordinary bravery in clearing enemy positions under fire—a feat for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. His heroic actions in Burma remain one of the most celebrated examples of Gurkha valour in the campaign. In recognition of his courage, the Gurkha training block at Catterick Camp in Yorkshire was named in his honour in 2000.


Royal Mail also released a collector’s sheet, featuring tabs alongside the stamps that depict images highlighting their roles. The tab accompanying the stamp of Bhanbhagta Gurung includes a map of operations during the Arakan Campaign in Burma. Similarly, the tab with the stamp honouring Mahinder Singh Pujji features an image of a fighter aircraft returning from a sortie over the Arakan.



Both the stamp featuring Bhanbhagta Gurung and the complete collector’s sheet make meaningful and attractive additions to any Burma-themed philatelic collection. The technical details about the stamp are as below.


Stamp format: Landscape
Stamp size: 37mm x 35mm
Design: Supple Studio
Stamps per Sheet: 50
Printer: Cartor Security Printers
Print process: Lithography
Perforations: 14 x 14.5
Phosphor: Bars as appropriate
Gum: PVA

Thursday, 1 May 2025

New Book Release: Postage Rates of Burma (Myanmar) 1937–2024

New Book Release: Postage Rates of Burma (Myanmar) 1937–2024
By Ko Toe – Launching 2 May 2025

Ko Toe is proud to announce the release of his new book, Postage Rates of Burma (Myanmar) 1937–2024, a comprehensive reference documenting postage rates from the colonial period through to the present day. These rates have been meticulously gathered from a wide range of sources—including Acts, research articles, postal guides, official leaflets, and travel guides—in both Burmese and English. This meticulously researched volume will be an invaluable resource for postal historians and collectors interested in Burma’s philatelic and postal history.


Book Details

  • Total Pages: 220

  • Binding: Hardcover with thread binding

  • Contents: Full-colour printing on 100 gsm coated paper

  • ISBN: 978-981-94-2908-0

  • Edition Size: Limited to 100 copies

  • Price: SGD 50

To purchase a copy, please contact the author directly via email [toekyawkyar@gmail.com]. Trackable registered shipping by SingPost is SGD 44. 



Thursday, 24 April 2025

Myanmar Post to Re-Issue Festival Stamp Series as a Sheetlet

In 2019, Myanmar Post issued a stamp series celebrating the country's twelve monthly festivals, each accompanied by the seasonal flower associated with that month. Each stamp represented one festival and flower, with sheets containing 30 stamps of a single design.

The series is now being re-issued as a single sheetlet containing all twelve stamps. While the designs remain unchanged, the new format brings all twelve together in one unified layout. The sheetlet, measuring approximately 203 x 221 mm (8 x 8.7 inches), contains twelve stamps of 200 Kyats each, making the total face value 2,400 Kyats per sheet. The official release date is 28 April.  Total production is 50,000 sheets.

Interestingly, while the Burmese calendar traditionally begins with the month of Tagu—usually falling in April—the original 2019 series began with Pyatho, which fell in January that year. Although the sheetlet’s April release appears coincidental, the arrangement of the stamps on the sheet follows the original order: from left to right, top to bottom, starting with Pyatho.

However, this move has drawn criticism from collectors. Since the stamps themselves are identical to the original 2019 versions and lack any distinguishing features or overprints, removing them from the sheet makes it nearly impossible to tell them apart from the original issue. This could lead to confusion in stamp classification. Some collectors have suggested that an overprint, a revised face value, or the inclusion of the year of issue in the stamp design could have helped distinguish the re-issue.

The sheetlet bears the title “Twelve Seasonal Festivals and Flowers”.  No official First Day Cover (FDC) will be issued, but first day cancellations will be available. Each packet contains 50 sheetlets.

As previously reported in the report for the month of Tabaung, there was an unintentional error in the original stamp design regarding the scientific name of the Tharaphi flower. The correct scientific name for Tharaphi is Calophyllum amoenum, but it was mistakenly labeled as Calophyllum inophyllum, which actually refers to the Ponenyat flower. To address this mistake, the scientific name on the stamp for the month of Waso was replaced with the common name "Alexandrian laurel," which, during the design stage, was noticeably not italicized. However, in the final issued stamp, Myanmar Post italicized the name.

In this 2025 re-issue, it appears Myanmar Post may have used the original design file, resulting in the non-italicized common name being retained—an outcome that is arguably more correct.

Sunday, 13 April 2025

Costumes ~ Ava Era

Stamps featuring Ava era costumes are the third sets in the costume series and were issued on 8 Dec 2021.  The set includes two stamps depicting man and woman in Ava era costumes.  At Yangon GPO, Mandalay GPO and Naypyitaw CPO, the envelopes with cachet are sold at 200 Kyats each.  In addition to the envelopes, the folding card with the design facts is also sold at 200 Kyats each.



Technical Information

Date of Issue: 8 December 2021
Denomination: 200 Kyats
Perforation: 14
Colour: 4
Quantity: 300,000 Pieces
Printing Process: Offset
Stamp Composition: 50 Stamps per Sheet
Stamp Size & Format: 30 mm x 42 mm (Vertical)
Printer: Security Printing Works (Myanmar)
Stamp Designer: Professor Myat Tun Aung, Aung Than Hitay
Historical Perspective Adviser: Dr. Chit San Win
Art From Adviser: Academy Zinyaw MgMg (Film), Thiha Lwin (TMH)

Thursday, 10 April 2025

Myanmar - Russia Tiger Population Preservation Stamps 2022

The 2nd International Tiger Forum was held in Vladivostok, Russia, on September 5, 2022. The forum aimed to evaluate the outcomes of the Global Tiger Recovery Programme since its launch in 2010 and to discuss future strategies for tiger conservation, with a special focus on the Amur tiger. To commemorate the event, Myanmar Post issued three postage stamps along with three first day covers (FDCs).  Empty first day covers (without stamps or cancellations) were sold for 400 Kyats each.

Additionally, Myanmar Post released a large-format special edition FDC in a limited run of only 200 covers, which were presented as gifts to officials. A notable stamp error was discovered by U Maw Lwin Sein—on one sheet, the bottom row of five stamps was imperforate due to a missing row of perforation.




Technical Details of Stamps

Date of Issue: 5 Sep 2022
Printer : Security Printing Works (Myanmar)
Printing Process : Offset
Stamp Size and Format : 42 mm x 30 mm (Horizontal)
Color : 4
Perforation : 14
Denomination : K200
Sheet Composition :  50 Stamps per Sheet
Quantity : 100,000 pc per design
Designer : The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Conversation of Myanmar


First Day Covers

Official FDC 1

Official FDC 2

Official FDC 3