GUERNSEY STAMPS
& COLLECTABLES BULLETIN
FEBRUARY 2016 VOL 10 No 5
ENDANGERED SPECIES PHILIPPINE EAGLE LUNAR NEW YEAR: YEAR OF THE MONKEY ALDERNEY: LONGIS NATURE RESERVE GUERNSEY POST & GO BAILIWICK LIFE
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Welcome Welcome to our first Philatelic News of 2016. On behalf of the team here at Guernsey Stamps we wish you a very Happy New Year. Our 2016 stamp programme kicks off with the third instalment of our Lunar New Year series: The Year of the Monkey, once again beautifully illustrated by Chrissy Lau.
2015 Yearbook A beautiful hardback book containing all stamps, souvenir and miniature sheets of 2015 for both Guernsey and Alderney. This price of the Yearbook is £75.41 - which is the face value of the stamps included. You don’t pay any extra for the book.
For Alderney we feature some fascinating flora and fauna found at the Longis Nature Reserve and we also see the return of our Endangered Species series, this time featuring the very impressive Philippine Eagle. We will, once again, be attending StampEx in February and launching our second Post & Go set of stamps ‘Bailiwick Life’. Featuring animals such as the Guernsey Cow and Golden Guernsey Goat this issue will also be available from our head office kiosk at Envoy House in Guernsey.
2015 Davo and Lindner Album pages now available, please order on the stock sheet included or buy online.
SPONSORED HANDSTAMPS Sponsored handstamps are now available. We can produce to your design a handstamp marking a specific date. We will then cancel your Philatelic items for you using this handstamp. This service is available for £50.
Sponsor’s Benham
Please allow a minimum of 4 weeks notice. All sponsored handstamps will be shown in our Stamp Bulletin and will be available for up to one year from the date specified. If you require the items to be mailed from Guernsey you must ensure that they bear the correct amount of postage. Only Guernsey or Alderney stamps will be cancelled. It is your responsibility to ensure your design does not infringe others Intellectal Property rights. We reserve the right to refuse any design we deem to be inappropriate.
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Sponsored date stamps available for 12 months from issue date.
How to Order By post Complete the order form and send to: Guernsey Philatelic Bureau FREEPOST GU267 Envoy House La Vrangue St Peter Port Guernsey Channel Islands GY1 5SS By phone Please call us on +44 (0) 1481 716486 between 8.30am and 5pm Monday to Friday Online You can also order securely online at www.guernseystamps.com FREEPOST GU267 Guernsey Philatelic Bureau Envoy House La Vrangue St Peter Port Guernsey Channel Islands GY1 5SS Tel: +44 (0)1481 716486 Fax: +44 (0)1481 712082 E-mail: philatelic@guernseypost.com www.guernseystamps.com The Royal Philatelic Society If you wish to join or find out more contact: John Triggs Email: jtriggs@cwgsy.net Tel: 01481 725847 Channel Islands Specialists Society
Anyone wishing to join the CISS, buy one of the Society’s excellent publications, or find out more, should write to: Moira Edwards 86 Hall Lane Sandon Chelmsford Essex CM2 7RQ
2016 STAMP PROGRAMME GUERNSEY 20 JANUARY 2016 LUNAR NEW YEAR: YEAR OF THE MONKEY 2016 17 FEBRUARY 2016 ENDANGERED SPECIES: PHILIPPINE EAGLE 9 MAY 2016 EUROPA: THINK GREEN 25 MAY 2016 VICTOR HUGO: TOILERS OF THE SEA 25 MAY 2016 SEPAC: SEASONS 27 JULY 2016 RAMSAR: HERM 27 JULY 2016 500 YEARS OF POSTAL HISTORY 6 NOVEMBER 2016 GUERNSEY CHRISTMAS STAMPS 11 NOVEMBER 2016 STORIES FROM THE GREAT WAR: PART 3
ALDERNEY 17 FEBRUARY 2016 ALDERNEY - LONGIS NATURE RESERVE 25 MAY 2016 ALDERNEY - HISTORY OF THE BRITISH MONARCHY 14 SEPTEMBER 2016 ALDERNEY - 950 YEARS: BATTLE OF HASTINGS 6 NOVEMBER 2016 ALDERNEY - CHRISTMAS STAMPS POST & GO 17 FEBRUARY 2016 GUERNSEY BAILIWICK LIFE OVERPRINTS: STAMPEX SPRING 2016 and ENVOY HOUSE
Don’t forget! - Free postage and packing for Standing Order customers. Please contact the Philatelic Bureau to open your account today.
www.ciss1950.org.uk
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Year of the Monkey 2016 NEW ISSUE: Set of six stamps: £3.62 Issue date: 20 January 2016 As part of our series to mark the Chinese Spring Festival, also known as Lunar Chinese New Year, our latest stamps celebrate the Year of the Monkey, which begins on 8 February 2016 at the start of the Spring Festival. For our third series we again turned to the talents of Sydney-based artist Chrissy Lau, who is able to draw upon her Chinese heritage for inspiration and produce beautiful, intricate designs for the stamps. We spoke to Chrissy to find out about the designs she has created... A key focus of the six stamps is monkeys with peaches, which symbolise longevity. Peaches are a common feature of Chinese imagery and are associated with the most famous monkey, the legendary” Sun Wukong, from the classic epic Chinese novel Journey to the West, who is said to have stolen the peaches of immortality of the Jade Emperor’s sacred garden.
Presentation Pack: £4.52
The presentation pack gave me scope to create a larger scene and really highlight the monkeys’ charisma and show their playful characters. There are eight monkeys playing in a pine tree; the number eight is auspicious in Chinese culture because it sounds like the Chinese word for wealth and prosperity, whilst the pine tree symbolises a person who will enjoy lifelong wealth and longevity. The monkeys are holding peaches and balancing them on their heads.
First Day Cover: £4.82 Also available: Souvenir Sheet: £3.62 First Day Cover Souvenir Sheet: £4.82 Limited Edition Uncut Press Sheet: £23.00 Limited Edition Gold Foil Souvenir Sheet: £95.00
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For the First Day Cover illustration, I took inspiration from Chinese ceramics and plates for the floral Chinese pattern on the body of the monkey, which is seen in a leaping pose holding peaches. Similarly, the monkey on the Souvenir Sheet is in an active, moving pose whilst carrying peaches. The pattern on the monkey’s body is a Chinese floral design with flames to represent 2016’s fire monkey. In Chinese culture red symbolises good fortune, joy and happiness. It is often used in celebrations, especially Chinese New Year - and I wanted it to be the main colour for the stamps. Gold is used to symbolise wealth, prosperity and happiness.
Sheets of 10: £36.20
Date of issue Designer
20 January 2016 Chrissy Lau
Printer
Lowe-Martin
Values
42p, 56p, 57p, 62p, 68p, 77p
Process Stamp size S/Sheet Paper Sheets Perforation Cylinder
Offset Lithography 30.5mm deep x 40mm wide 100mm deep x 140mm wide 110gsm unwatermarked PVA Adhesive 10 13.3 A
42p Stamp: The Three Plenties Monkey 56p Stamp: The Fire Monkey 57p Stamp: Aristocratic Monkey 62p Stamp: Noble & Successful Monkey 68p Stamp: Mother & Baby Monkey 77p Stamp: Three Wealthy Monkeys
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Endangered Species: Philippine Eagle NEW ISSUE: Miniature Sheet: £3.00 Issue date: 17th February 2016
The Philippine Eagle was named the national bird of the Philippines in 1995. It is one of the largest and most endangered eagles in the world and it is estimated that only a few hundred pairs remain in the wild. The first specimen of this majestic bird of prey was collected in 1896 on the island of Samar by British naturalist and explorer John Whitehead. It was given the name Pithecophaga for “monkey-eating” and “jefferyi” to honor Whitehead’s father, Jeffery. This impressive raptor with a wingspan of almost two metres cuts a magnificent figure as it soars through the air. A breeding pair of eagles requires somewhere between 25 to 50 miles of rainforest to survive, but continued deforestation due to logging and development has pushed this eagle to the brink of extinction. The Philippines, the only country where the species exists, has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world with 90 percent of primary forest lost already. Mining activities and hunting pose further threats to the survival of this spectacular bird. The Philippine Eagle is protected by law in the Philippines and movement of this species is also restricted and controlled by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), killing a Philippine Eagle is punishable by twelve years in jail and heavy fines. The Philippine Eagle Conservation Programme is working to help this species, developing educational campaigns, protecting and monitoring nests and establishing breeding programmes, with the aim of reintroducing chicks into the wild. Despite these efforts, however, if the many detrimental factors affecting the Philippine Eagle continue at the current rate the future of this striking bird is uncertain.
www.guernseystamps.com
Presentation Pack £3.90
First Day Cover £4.20
Date of issue Designer Printer Value Process Stamp size M/Sheet Paper Perforation Cylinder
17 February 2016 Joel Kirk Cartor Security Printing £3 Offset Lithography 71.4mm deep x 59.6mm wide 84mm deep x 118mm wide 110gsm unwatermarked PVA Adhesive 14 X 14.25 A
Did you know? It is belived that the Philippine Eagle stays with the same mate for life, only if their mate is killed, will they search for a new partner. Scientific name: Pithecophaga jefferyi Diet: Carnivore Average lifespan in the wild: between 30 & 60 years Body length: 2.5 - 3.3 feet Wingspan: up to 1.9 metres Weight: 4.5 - 8.1kgs
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Alderney: Longis Nature Reserve NEW ISSUE: Set of six stamps: £3.62 Issue date: 17th February 2016
Also available: First Day Cover: £4.82 Souvenir Sheet: £3.62 Sheets of 10: £36.20
The Longis Reserve is home to around 16 distinct habitats across a total area of 90 hectares, a little over onetenth of Alderney’s total land area. As well as over 10 miles of minor and major footpath, there are beaches, ponds, grasslands and woodland, rich with wildlife. The Reserve lies mostly on land belonging to the island’s government (States of Alderney); however it also includes sections of privately owned hillside. The landscape is managed almost exclusively by the Alderney Wildlife Trust’s conservation volunteers, led by its Reserves and Conservation Officers. The staff and volunteers’ daily tasks include monitoring both resident and visiting populations of bird and invertebrates, such as moths, as part of the newly created Alderney Bird Observatory. Simple tasks such as filling bird feeders and making sure the site’s paths and facilities are all in order also take over a thousand hours’ labour every year. Large areas of Longis’ important coastal and dune grassland are managed through the Trust’s small Alderney Conservation Grazing Project (AGAP) herd. This is made up of Guernsey cattle supplied largely by Alderney’s only remaining farm, Kiln Farm Dairy. AGAP is the longest established Conservation Grazing Herd in the Channel Islands and its animals are used all over Alderney’s eastern coastline, thanks to pop up electric enclosures complete with mobile stiles, which enable walkers to continue to use the Reserve’s paths. Once every year a large section of Alderney’s only reed bank (Phragmites australis) has to be cut, to ensure it stays healthy and provides the island’s most important wetland bird and invertebrate habitat. This is done by hand and machine with around 0.5 hectares being cut annually. Alongside this cutting the island’s two bird hides, situated at Longis and Mannez, also receive a major overhaul, as do all the other minor information points and sections of raised path and boardwalk.
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The Trust’s Reserves team also cuts some 10 hectares of bracken, which traditionally would have been cropped for bedding but is now running rampant and threatens to encroach on and wipe out more sensitive grasslands. Today bracken is controlled through a combination of repetitive cutting carried out by volunteers, together with the trampling efforts of the AGAP herd. Another plant requiring control is the invasive Hottentot Fig. This South African species, imported to Alderney to help cover WWII bunkers, is now the dominant species on more than 100 hectares of sensitive coastal habitat and endangers some of the island’s rarest plants. Currently, it is only kept under control thanks to the volunteers’ painstaking efforts to carefully remove it by hand.
Presentation Pack: £4.52
First Day Cover Souvenir Sheet: £4.82
The Reserves team also runs a wonderful programme of visitor and educational events including pond dipping, moth trapping and bird watching. If you’re fortunate enough to visit the Reserve then look out for one of our helpful team members, as they try to make themselves available to assist whenever they can.
Date of issue Designer
17 February 2016 Two Degrees North
Printer
BDT International
Values
42p, 56p, 57p, 62p, 68p, 77p
Process Stamp size S/Sheet size
Offset Lithography 39.56mm deep x 25.73mm wide 100mm deep x 140mm wide
42p Stamp: Eelgrass 56p Stamp: Glanville Fritillar
110gsm unwatermarked PVA adhesive
57p Stamp: Yarrow Broomrape
Sheets
10
62p Stamp: Meadow Pipit
Perforation
13
68p Stamp: Sand Crocus
Paper
Cylinder
A
77p Stamp: Greater White-Toothed Shrew
www.guernseystamps.com
Guernsey Post and Go Powered by Royal Mail NEW ISSUE: Set of 6 £3.62 Issue date: 17th February 2016
Guernsey recently became the second postal administration to join the Royal Mail Post & Go family and in September obtained our own Post & Go Kiosk, which is located at the Envoy House HQ. Philatelic customers now have the opportunity to purchase ‘G’ Series Guernsey Post & Go stamps with the Envoy House overprint along with a range of Post & Go ‘B’ Series products. Royal Mail first trialled this new form of self-service postage machine in 2008 with the first self-adhesive Post & Go stamps, which were overprinted with the postage on demand and featured the profile of The Queen as used on UK definitive stamps. In 2010 pictorial Post & Go designs were introduced and, in February this year Guernsey Post released its first series of Guernsey Post & Go stamps featuring the Guernsey Flag. As with Royal Mail, Guernsey Post & Go stamps carry unique identification numbers depending on the machine and session number of where they were issued.
www.guernseystamps.com
Our latest issue of Guernsey Post & Go stamps includes six fantastic images of animals, all of which are associated with the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The first of the stamps features a donkey, partly in recognition of the fact that people of Guernsey are sometimes referred to as donkeys! The inclusion of the donkey in this set is also to pay homage to the original Guernsey golden donkey, which is now extinct. Other animals with island connections pictured on the stamps include the Guernsey golden goat, the iconic Guernsey cow, the Atlantic grey seal, the puffin and the unusual blonde hedgehog. The new Bailiwick Life Guernsey Post & Go stamps are available in six tariff weight steps: local letter, local large letter, UK letter, UK large letter, EUR letter up to 20g and ROW letter up to 20g. They will be released at Stampex Spring 2016 and will also be available from the Envoy House kiosk.
Presentation Pack: £4.52
First Day Cover: £4.82
Date of issue
17 February 2016
Designer
Andrew Robinson
Printer
Walsall Security Printing
Values
GY Letter, UK Letter, GY Large, EUR Letter, ROW Letter, UK Large Six colour digital printing in coil strips. Value & location identifier printed in thermography within a Royal Mail Series II machine
Process
Stamp size Paper Perforation
25mm deep x 56mm wide Self-adhesive Simulated
The ‘B Series products available are: Mint and CTO sets, Presentation Packs, First Day Covers. Envoy House Set: G Series Strip and Collectors set. Guernsey Flag: New Product:Mint & CTO: 500 Years of Postal History overprint from Spring Stampex 2016
www.guernseystamps.com
Islington Design Centre
17 - 20 February 2016 Guernsey Post Office
Come and say hello at our Guernsey Post stand (no 55). View our latest stamps and other collectable items. You can also find us on the Royal Mail Post & Go stand as we launch the second in the series of Guernsey Post & Go. More details inside.
FREEPOST GU267 Guernsey Philatelic Bureau Envoy House La Vrangue St Peter Port Guernsey Channel Islands GY1 5SS Tel: +44 (0)1481 716486 Fax: +44 (0)1481 712082 E-mail: philatelic@guernseypost.com www.guernseystamps.com
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