Dear Steven ,

Welcome to a new year, new material and a milestone- the 50th of these newsletters.

Samoa issued three postcards on December 9th. Each is comprised of two butterfly stamp images that were previously used as stamps. The value equals one of the three oversea postcard rates. See the images below. These are available here.

  

Botswana promoted "Say No to Gender Based Violence" in English and in Tswana postmarks applied only at the Sort Centre on some of the mail. These are available here.

PNG postal rates went up Jan. 1st.  K1.45 is now K1.50 and K6.60 is now K6.80. No other rates have changed. Make up rate stamps will be produced to use current stock.

Antigua is no longer using meter mail/ postage paid envelopes for the large businesses on the island. These envelopes are brought in trays and a general accounting is made and these are then postmarked with a date stamp and sent on their way- more about this GPO next month.

Some highlighted items this month are:

• USA Elvis- he left the building and got himself missent to Dominica.
• St. Helena- Driver's license and the Highway Code from 1968. 
• American Samoa- a postcard showing the Fita Fita barracks. 
• Western Samoa- a modern manuscript town cancel. 
• Commercial mail from British Indian Ocean Territory. 
• New Zealand Health cachets.