-2-
(b) Commemoratives In the UK Overseas Territories the bulk of
revenue from stamps is derived from the sales of commemorative thematic or special issues. At the time of writing the number of such issues each year averages four and it is recommended that the number should not exceed six. The events to be commemorated should preferably have particular relevance to th territory concerned and may be of historic, constitutional, geographical or economical nature. The more relevant to the territory the more popular will the stamps be with collectors. it is acceptable for regional as well as international and commonwealth events to be marked by special stamps provided th subject is linked in some way with the territory.
The number of denominations for these issues is normally withi the region of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 taking into consideration local postal needs. To exceed 5 or 6 will be regarded as attempt to exploit collectors, and continuance of this ill-advised practic may diminish the territory's reputation. The period of sale is up to 3 months with heavy over the counter sale for 2 or 3 weeks after which time it is preferable to transfer unsold stocks to a separate philatelic counter (or bureau) where they can remain available to the public. In some cases sales of commemoratives may continue both locally and abroad for 12 mont Whatever the practice of the issuing country the withdrawal date for a particular issue should be well publicised and public announcements made after which date the remaining unsold stocks should be destroyed under the supervision of a responsible officer and an affidavit of destructions should be retained by the rostal administration. In normal circumstance stamps should be invalidated five years after they are withdrawn from sale. Notice of invalidation should be given if "ossible in the official Gazette and should take effect not less than six months after the date of rublication. The notice should provide for a period of grace (normally not less than six months) during which time holders of invalidated stamps may exchange them for equivalanet stamps in the current series. There is no objection to the concurrent sale of commemorative and definitive stamms of the same denomination.
(c) Thematic Issues
These are very popular with collectors and specialisation in one or mor. themes is very common, e.g. natural history subjects in the form of indigenous flowers, trees, animals, birds, fish, etc; other subjects such as locomotives, ships, aircraft, spacecraft and other forms of transport abound and the theme of "Tourism" can do much to publicise recreational facilities in, and the beauty c the country concerned. The comments under (b) above with regard to the technical arrangements also apply to 'thematics
(d) Omnibus Issues
An omnibus issue is one with a common theme in which several countries join, each dealing with a particula facet of the theme. Certain events lend themselves very well to such issues: e.g. an accession to a throne, a coronation, a royal wedding or a very important landmark in a country's history, e.g. the American Bicentennial celebrations. Participation in global issues can help to put a small territory's stamps on the map' since collectors to complete their sets will need to purchase the stamps of all those countries participating in the issue. In the case of the omnibus issue the technical details as to number of denominations, length of time for sale of stamps, etc. will undoubtedly be uniform throughtout the particinating count ries