down by Post Office chiefs -- in favour of special stamps to celebrate her 100th.

Post Office coordinator of philatelic services Yvonne Smith confirmed that Bermuda had turned down the chance to be involved in a 12-strong collection of colonies and ex-colonies which banded together to produce four commemorative stamps.

Ms Smith said: "Bermuda was invited to take part -- but we thought we would do it for next year.

"We thought we would wait and do it next year to celebrate her 100th birthday.'' The Ministry of Finance has overall control of the Post Office -- and its potentially money-spinning commemorative stamp issues.

Minister of Finance Eugene Cox did not return calls from The Royal Gazette .

But Shadow Finance Minister Grant Gibbons appeared to suggest that holding off until next year could be an over-optimistic move.

He said: "Hope springs eternal, I suppose.'' But Horst Augustinovic, chairman of the Stamp Design Advisory Committee, which turned down the offer, was looking on the bright side.

He said: "The Queen Mother is in good shape. I don't think it's much of a gamble.'' Mr. Augustinovic added that Bermuda was already committed to five special issues this year -- one more than normal.

He said: "Our programme was pretty full already -- and there are some other Royal anniversaries next year we want to tie it into.

"And she'll be 100. It'll be even better.'' The stamp collection -- entitled "The Queen Mother's Century'' -- will be unveiled on August 16.

The special issue is being handled by the London-based Crown Agents Stamp Bureau.

Each of the 12 countries involved will have a set of four stamps featuring photographs of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, with different members of the Royal Family.

Tiny jurisdictions like St. Helena, Tristan Da Cunha and Tuvalu and South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic are taking part in the scheme.

In the Caribbean area, the Caymans and the ex-colony of the Bahamas have also signed up, while the former UK possessions of Fiji and Samoa will be issuing their own stamps.

Ms Smith said: "When you're planning for a stamp, you plan in advance and that's what we chose to do -- put it in for the year 2000.'' The last major Royal issue was a commemorative stamp to mark the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

A special first day cover and stamp sales are understood to have been a very successful issue for the Post Office.

The Queen Mother, the former Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, married future King George V -- who only took over the throne after his brother Edward VIII abdicated to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson in the 1930s. Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne in 1953.