Pressing Iron of Burma on a Romanian Stamp

The Muzeul Recordurilor Româneşti (Museum of Romanian Records) issued a series of stamps on the theme of pressing irons in two parts. The second part was released on 1 September 2012, to coincide with the International Congress of Pressing Iron Collectors, a triennial event. The 14th edition of this congress was held in Sinaia, Romania, and for the first time the meeting was hosted in the country during that autumn.

Souvenir Sheet

The issue comprised 2,758,800 stamps illustrating pressing irons from Belgium, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States of America, and Burma (Myanmar). The Burmese pressing iron is shaped in the form of the mythical bird Hamsa (Hinthar), a motif that has also appeared frequently on Myanmar postage stamps.

Maxicard

The Romanian issue was produced in several philatelic forms, including a postage stamp, a souvenir sheet, and a maximum card. On the official maximum card, the pressing iron is shown complete with its carved wooden curved handle, which bears a resemblance to Chinese sculptural art, particularly representations of the goddess Guanyin. On the stamp design itself, however, only the iron body is depicted, without the handle.

First Day Cover

The Muzeul Recordurilor Româneşti® is known for holding the largest collection of pressing irons in the world, and this thematic stamp issue formed part of the celebrations highlighting this remarkable collection. 

Thanks to Kevin for sharing this information about the stamp.

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

Royal Mail Issues "DEC Myanmar Earthquake Appeal" Slogan Postmark

At 12:50:52 Myanmar Time on 28 March 2025, a devastating earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale struck the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. The epicenter was located near Mandalay, the nation’s second-largest city. It was the most powerful earthquake to hit Myanmar since 1912 and ranks as the second deadliest in the country's modern era. The quake caused severe destruction throughout Myanmar and led to significant damage in neighboring Thailand. Urgent humanitarian assistance is needed for those affected.

In support of relief efforts, Royal Mail has teamed up with the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to help raise awareness and encourage public donations. To mark this campaign, a special slogan postmark is being used on UK mail. The slogan features the message "DEC Myanmar Earthquake Appeal" enclosed in a box, with the line "DONATE NOW AT DEC.ORG.UK" printed directly beneath.

Mockup slogan dated 05-05-2025

The Norvic Philatelics Blog has shared several examples of this postmark, seen on mail processed at Mount Pleasant Mail Centre and dated 2 April 2025, Bristol Mail Centre dated 3 April 2025 and Peterborough Mail Centre on 5 April 2025. The example I acquired was processed from North & West Yorkshire on 2 April 2025.  According to Norvic Philatelics Blog, the postmark may have been used for a short period only, probably until 10 April 2025.

Malaysia Assumes 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship with Commemorative Stamps: A Note for Burmanica Collectors

On January 1, 2025, Malaysia officially took over the ASEAN chairmanship, marking its fifth time leading the regional bloc since ASEAN’s founding in 1967. To commemorate this occasion, Malaysia issued two special stamps and a miniature sheet, celebrating its leadership role.

For Burmanica collectors, a key highlight of this issue is the depiction of the Myanmar flag on the margin of both the stamp sheet and miniature sheet, alongside the flags of other ASEAN member nations.

Additionally, official First Day Covers (FDCs) and Maximum Cards were released. One of the maxicard designs features the Myanmar flag, making it a notable item for collectors. While the flag does not appear directly on the stamp itself, its presence on the margin adds significant value to the Burmanica collection.

This issue presents a great opportunity for collectors of ASEAN-themed philately.

Ajman Stamp Featuring Burmese Bird Discovered

A stamp from Ajman, issued on April 27, 1971, has been found featuring the Burmese bird, the "Hooded Racket-tailed Tree-pie." Part of the "Topical Asiatic Birds" series, this 1 Dirham stamp beautifully displays two hooded tree-pies. Recently, Myanmar also issued a stamp featuring the Hooded Tree-pie, and both stamps are shown below.

Personalized Burmanica Stamps from Austria

I recently discovered some Burmanica-themed personalized stamps from Austria. While these are not official postage stamps, they are personalized creations and therefore do not qualify for inclusion in the official Burmanica stamp catalog. Consequently, I have decided to document these stamps in this blog post.

Seller described it was produced in 2023

Both stamps feature the word ÖSTERREICH and a face value of 100. The first stamp displays segments of the Berlin Wall adorned with paintings of Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Among them is a portrait of Aung San Suu Kyi. The second stamp portrays the ancient city of Bagan in Myanmar, capturing its serene landscape.

Peace Nobel Price serial on Berlin Wall segments

Given that these are personalized stamps, numerous variations may exist, showcasing various aspects related to Burma. However, they are not officially recognized as part of the Burmanica collection.

Burmese Chess Pieces on Vietnam Stamp

A previously undiscovered Vietnamese stamp featuring a Burmese chess piece has come to light. Back in 1983, Vietnam released a fascinating set of stamps showcasing chess pieces from around the world. The collection included seven stamps and one miniature sheet. These stamps were printed on watermark paper with a perforation of 12¾ and were issued on May 9th.  The stamp size is 31 x 46 mm and printed using offset printing method.  Total of 396,000 sets were issued.

Vietnam Stamp with Sit-ke piece

Among these stamps was one particularly captivating piece with a denomination of 30xu. It proudly displayed the sit-ke (general) and ya-hta (chariots) chess pieces from Burmese traditional chess, which bears a striking resemblance to the queen and rock in international chess receptively. The history of Burmese traditional chess dates back to AD 8, and it has its unique rules and playing style. The game is deeply rooted in the four warfare elements that were crucial to the ancient Burmese kings. These military elements consist of the Elephant division, Cavalry division, Chariot division, and Infantry division.

Miniature Sheet alongside with other chess stamps

It is fascinating to see how the stamp highlights a piece from this ancient and captivating chess tradition. The image of the stamp featuring the sit-ke and ya-hta chess pieces alongside the actual Burmese chess piece can be observed below. Additionally, the other stamps that depict various Burmese chess pieces have been meticulously documented in this post. This discovery captivates philatelists and chess enthusiasts, unveiling Vietnam's stamp history and the cultural heritage of Burmese traditional chess.

Republic of Guinea Issues UNESCO Stamps Featuring Bagan and Other World Heritage Sites

 In 2020, the Republic of Guinea issued a commemorative set of four stamps to celebrate the 75th anniversary of UNESCO. The stamp designs feature iconic world heritage sites, including Angkor Wat, Colosseum, Giza pyramid complex, and Bagan. The stamps were released on October 26, 2020, along with an imperforated version and first-day covers (FDCs).

However, the release of the stamps was marred by controversy with the fact that the Guinea post administration's authorized representative, Philatelic agency Stamperija Ltd., had produced the stamps instead. Despite this controversy, the stamps remain a unique and interesting addition to Burmanica collection, showcasing some of the world's most iconic landmarks and the important work of UNESCO in preserving them.

Imperf Sheet

Asia Pacific Postal Union 60th Anniversary Stamp issued by Pakistan

Pakistan Post issued a new stamp to commemorate 60th anniversary of Asia Pacific Postal Union on 28 Dec 2022.  The design depicts the flags of the member nations of the postal union and Myanmar flag is one of them.   Thanks, Kevin, for sharing the information to me.  The stamp and FDC are shown below.

FDC

Salient Features

Size of stamp: 56 x 56 mm

Size of print: 52 x 52 mm

Number in a sheet: (3x7) 21 stamps

Perforation: 13C

DenominationL Rs. 20/-

Colours: CMYK

Printing Technology: Lithography (Offset)

Paper: 100 GSM W/M Gummed Paper

Gum: PVA

Quantity: 200,000

Printer: National Security Printing Company, Karachi

New Sri Lanka stamp features Myanmar Flag

 A new addition to the Burmanica collection is the circular shaped stamp issued by Sri Lanka post.  It is to commemorate 60th anniversary of Asia-Pacific Postal Union and Myanmar is one of the members.  As of 2022, APPU has 32 member countries.

Specifications

Date of Issue: 1 Apr 2022

Dimension: 30 x 30 mm

Sheet Composition: 20

Print Color: Four Color Process

Print Quantity: 300,000

Denomination: LKR 45

Shape: Circle

Stamp depicting a Mural from Bagan

One stamp issued in 2011 is missing from my list of Burmanica stamps.  That is the Mozambique stamp featuring the religious arts of the world.  The set includes two souvenir sheets; one with 6 stamps and the other with a single stamp.  

Out of six stamps, one features Buddhist arts.  Face value is 16.00 MT.  Two souvenir sheets in this set are displayed below.

Ne Win on stamp for the first time

Bangladesh Post issued 100 stamps contained in 17 miniature sheets to commemorate the life of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of the country, on his birth centenary.  The sheets are contained in a commemorative stamp booklets.  Only 2000 booklets are produced.  Theses were scheduled to release on 17 Mar 2020, but actually released on 4 Apr 2021.

One of the stamp include the portrait of notorious Ne Win, was President of Myanmar, sitting with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman during one of the official meeting on 28 Apr 1974.  The denomination is Tk. 10.  It is 69th stamp out of 100.  Ne Win was never seen on world stamps before and this is the first time seeing this.  But his name appeared on some commemorative postmarks of Pakistan during his visits.  Together with this stamp, other five in sheet features USA President Gerald Ford, Senegal President Leopold Sedar Senghor, France Intellectual Andre Malroux, Saudi Arabia King Faisal,  U.A.E King Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

These stamps of are printed from The Security Printing Corporation (Bangladesh) Ltd., Gazipur, in four color offset printing with 12.5 perf while the size is 55 mm x 70 mm.

Burmanica stamps recently issued by Tajikistan

Tajikistan issued a souvenir sheets set to feature world's religions.  The set includes Christianity (Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Lutheranism), Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism.  The SS featuring Buddhism includes six stamps - three designs with two languages.  The first stamp directly related to Myanmar is Shwedagon Pagoda stamp.  The English version of the stamp is shown below.

The second stamp featured the Myanmar golden temple in Lumbini, Nepal which is the birthplace of Buddha.  Although the place depicted on stamp is in Nepal, it was build using Burmese style decorated floral designs.  

The full sheet is also displayed below.  The issued date is 7 Dec 2020.  FDC and imperforated version of such sheets are also recorded.

Vietnam issues 2020 ASEAN stamp

Approaching the ASEAN days which is 8th August, Vietnam Post confirmed the issuance of 2020 ASEAN stamp featuring flags of ASEAN nations.  The stamp will be issued on 7th august 2020. The title is as ""Vietnam welcomes ASEAN 2020" and its face value at 4000 d.  No news about ASEAN issues was heard from other nations.

As the stamp design also shows the flag of Myanmar, it will be a latest addition to Burmanica collection and ASEAN collection.

Source: Duc Long Nguyen's post on ASEAN Philatelic Network Facebook group

Royal Mail issues End of Second World War MS, one stamp featuring Taukkyaun War Memorial

Royl Mail issued the commemorative Miniature Sheet focuses on memorials honouring servicemen and women who gave their lives to serve their country, as well as victims of the Holocaust.  Four stamps feature memorials in Jerusalem and Rangoon, as well as Runnymede and Plymouth in the UK, on a Miniature Sheet carrier bearing the title in stone carved lettering.

Taukkyan War Memorial

The date of issue is 8 May 2020 which represents the day, exactly 75 years ago, that the Allies formally accepted the surrender of Nazi Germany’s armed forces.

   Stamp specifications

Stamp size: 60mm x 30mm
Miniature Sheet size: 192mm x 74mm
Design: Hat-trick Design
Printer: International Security Printers
Print process: Lithography
Perforations: 14.5 x 14.5
Phosphor Bars as appropriate
Gum: PVA

HayPost issued stamp featuring Kyaw Hla Aung

HayPost, the national postal operator of Armenia, issued the postage stamp featuring Kyaw Hla Aung for his winning Aurora prize on 16 Oct 2019.  Face valued is 350 AMD, together with the stub of 150 AMD as a donation coupon.  A sheet consists of six pairs of stamp and stub.  Total of 12,000 copies were produced.

Stamp with stub

FDC

Postcard

Aung San Suu Kyi inspired Gandhi, the stamp says

The Central African Republic issued a miniature sheets set to commemorate 150th anniversary of Gandhi.  On the sheets, it featured some famous people who inspired on Gandhi's life and teachings.  Aung San Suu Kyi is also featured. 

The sheet was released on 23 May 2019.  In addition to Aung San Suu Kyi, Albert Einstein, Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Martin Luther King, and Mahatma Gandhi are featured on the sheets.  On the stamps, Gandhi and Einstein are featured.  

New Thailand stamp with Padauk Flower

Thiland Post issues new stamp on 1st June 2019 for the commemoration of ASEAN chairmanship of Thailand.  The single stamp issues featured bouquet of national flowers of ASEAN countries tied with the Thai flag ribbon.  Face value of each stamp is at 3 bath and one sheets contains 10 pcs.

Stamp design

Sheet

First Day Cover by Thailand Post

Aung San Suu Kyi stamp of 2019 from S.TOME & PRINCIPE

New stamp featuring Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was found in online markets.  The stamp was issued S.Tome & Principe on 10th April 2019.   The unusual shaped miniature sheet shows the Nobel Laureates around the world, on the world map.  Sao Tome & Principe is an island country in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa.

Full listing of stamps featuring Aung San Suu Kyi can be found here.

Bagan stamp from Canouan island

I recently found out that Canouan issued one stamp with Bagan scenary in 2013.  It was issued as the souvenir sheet of 6 stamps featuring sites and scences of the world.  Canouan is a small island in the Caribbean archipelago nation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  The issue date is 7 July 2013 and the perforation is at 20.  It will be added to the list of Bagan stamp described at this post.

Single Stamp

Souvenir Sheet