Guernsey Stamps Philatelic News February 2014

Philatelic News

Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse 2014 Endangered Species: Sumatran Orangutan Alderney Ladybirds www.guernseystamps.com

February 2014 Vol 9 No. 13

Welcome Happy New Year to you all and welcome to the first issue of our Philatelic News for 2014.

Our stamp programme kicks off with a new series celebrating the Lunar New Year. Beautifully illustrated

by Chrissy Lau, The Year of the Horse is a striking set of stamps inspired by traditional Chinese patterns and symbols. This issue includes two limited edition products - uncut press sheets and gold foil souvenir sheets. These limited edition products are not part of your standing order so be sure to order yours before they sell out!

Now listed as critically endangered, the Sumatran Orangutan is the latest to join our ever popular Endangered Species series. With its human like behaviour, shaggy red coat and big brown eyes, Joel Kirk has once again beautifully captured the essence of this fascinating mammal.

Stunningly illustrated by Petula Stone the humble Ladybird is the last to join our fascinating Alderney Invertebrate series. We hope you have enjoyed this series.

These 3 issues will all be issued in time for Spring StampEx 2014 and we look forward to seeing you there. In the meantime, please do look at what the rest of our 2014 stamp programme will bring.

Available now: Limited Edition Year of the Horse 2014 gold foil souvenir sheets produced in 24 carat gold (99.9% pure) and mounted in acrylic display stand.

Images not available at time of print.

For more information please look at our web site: www.guernseystamps.com

LINE N O BUY AY TOD

Don’t miss out on this fantastic collection of Guernsey and Alderney stamps.

Featuring all issues of 2013, this Guernsey Post year book makes a beautiful addition to any collection.

2013 Davo and Lindner Album pages now available, please order on the stock sheet included or buy online.

www.guernseystamps.com

2014 STAMP PROGRAMME GUERNSEY 8 JANUARY 2014 LUNAR NEW YEAR: YEAR OF THE HORSE 2014

Set of 6 stamps, First Day Cover, Presentation Pack, Sheets of 10, Souvenir Sheet, Souvenir Sheet First Day Cover, Limited Edition Souvenir Sheet Gold Foil, Limited Edition Uncut Press Sheets.

AND YOUR FAVOURITE STAMP ISSUE OF 2013 IS....

ENDANGERED SPECIES: GIANT PANDA

12 February 2014 ENDANGERED SPECIES: SUMATRAN ORANGUTAN Miniature sheet, First Day Cover, Presentation Pack.

8 MAY 2014 EUROPA: NATIONAL MUSIC INSTRUMENTS

Set of 6 stamps, First Day Cover, Presentation Pack, Sheets of 10, Souvenir Sheet, Souvenir Sheet First Day Cover.

28 MAY 2014 CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF BRITAIN IN BLOOM (SEPAC) Set of 6 stamps, First Day Cover, Presentation Pack, Sheets of 10.

30 JULY 2014 MARINE LIFE II: CRUSTACEANS

Set of 6 stamps, First Day Cover, Presentation Pack, Sheets of 10, Miniature Sheet (AR), Miniature Sheet First Day Cover, Miniature Sheet Presentation Pack.

30 JULY 2014 SCENES OF GUERNSEY (NVI SELF STICK)

Mint Set GY x 5, UK x 5, First Day Cover, Presentation Pack, GY Booklets of 10, UK Booklets of 10, GY Booklets of 100, UK Booklets of 100

Thank you to the many who entered our competition. The winner of the 2014 Islands of Guernsey Calendar is Mr Roy Gibbons from Alberta, Canada.

Congratulations!

Keep an eye open for news stories, competitions and special offers on our Facebook page and get the chance to see our new issues here first. www.facebook.com/ guernsey.philatelic Follow Guernsey Stamps on Twitter: www.twitter.com/guernseystamps

QUICK & EASY ORDERING

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29 OCTOBER 2014 GUERNSEY CHRISTMAS STAMPS Set of 7 stamps, First Day Cover, Presentation Pack.

11 NOVEMBER 2014 CENTENARY OF THE GREAT WAR

Set of 6 stamps, First Day Cover, Presentation Pack, Sheets of 10, Miniature Sheet, Miniature Sheet First Day Cover, Miniature Sheet Presentation Pack, Limited Edition Presentation Folder.

ALDERNEY 12 FEBRUARY 2014 ALDERNEY INVERTEBRATES - LADYBIRDS

Set of 6 stamps, First Day Cover, Presentation Pack, Sheets of 10, Souvenir Sheet, Souvenir Sheet First Day Cover.

28 MAY 2014 ALDERNEY FINAL PANEL OF THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY

Set of 6 stamps, First Day Cover, Presentation Pack, Sheets of 10, Prestige Booklet, Limited Edition Miniature Sheet on Cotton.

30 JULY 2014 THE LIFE OF IAN FLEMING

Set of 6 stamps, First Day Cover, Presentation Pack, Sheets of 10, Miniature Sheet, Miniature Sheet First Day Cover, Miniature Sheet Presentation Pack, Limited Edition Gold Miniature Sheet.

30 JULY 2014 FIRST BIRTHDAY OF PRINCE GEORGE

Set of 2 stamps, First Day Cover, Presentation Pack.

29 OCTOBER 2014 ALDERNEY CHRISTMAS

Set of 7 stamps, First Day Cover, Presentation Pack.

11 NOVEMBER 2014 CENTENARY OF THE GREAT WAR

Miniature Sheet, Miniature Sheet First Day Cover, Miniature Sheet Presentation Pack.

YEAR OF THE HORSE 2014 We are delighted to have produced our first series of stamps celebrating the Chinese New Year and, specifically, the Year of the Horse 2014.

The stamp designs are the work of Sydneybased artist Chrissy Lau, who has several years’ commercial experience and, importantly, understands Chinese art and was able to produce intricate designs for the stamps.

We spoke to Chrissy about the project and here’s what she had to say…

“I was so pleased when I was approached by Guernsey Post to work on its first Chinese New Year stamps. Although I was originally born in England I’m of Chinese heritage - and I take a good deal of inspiration from this when it comes to specific design projects.

“As 2014 is the Year of the Horse we wanted to represent this across the stamps. People born in this year are considered to exude stability

and strength and this is conveyed in the stamps by the strong visual impact of the silhouette designs.

“I was inspired by the striking designs and patterns used in Chinese paper cutting so I wanted to emulate this. The stamps are quite small in size so it was important to create something that would instantly catch your attention and hold your gaze.

“Turning to the colours, in Chinese culture red symbolises good fortune and joy. It’s commonly used in celebrations, especially Chinese New Year – and it was the only colour that could represent this collection of stamps. Gold is used to symbolise wealth, prosperity and happiness.

It is traditionally used in imperial service so it exudes a luxurious quality.

“Given my heritage it was very important to me that I created symbolically significant designs, which I feel has been achieved through the intricate use of patterns and colour.”

Limited Edition Uncut Press Sheet £23.00 *

Unique to this issue, we are producing two Limited Edition products, including uncut press sheets of the souvenir sheet. Supplied in a protective tube with a certificate bearing the issue number. These are sure to be popular so order yours today!

Also available: * Limited Edition gold foil souvenir sheets produced in 24 carat gold (99.9% pure) and mounted in acrylic display stand.

Images not available at time of print.

For more information please look at our web site: www.guernseystamps.com

* Please Note: The two Limited Edition Products are not issued as part of customer standing order *

First Day Cover £4.81

Souvenir Sheet First Day Cover £4.81

Presentation Pack £4.51

Date of issue 8 January 2014 Designer Chrissy Lau Printer Lowe Martin Values 40p, 53p, 55p, 63p, 71p, 79p Process Offset Lithography

Souvenir Sheet £3.61

Stamp size 30.5mm deep x 40mm wide Sheet size 100mm deep x 140mm wide Paper 100gsm unwatermarked PVA adhesive Sheet 10 Perforation 13.3 Cylinder A

Sheets of 10 £36.10

Endangered Species: Sumatran Orangutan The orangutan really is ‘King of the Swingers’ it is the world’s largest treedwelling animal and is superbly adapted for the high life.

The Malay word orangutan literally means “person of the forest.” These long-haired, orange coloured primates, found only in Sumatra and Borneo, are highly intelligent and are close relatives of humans.

Sumatran Orangutans spend up to 90 percent of their time in the trees of their tropical rain forest home. They even sleep aloft in nests of leafy branches made fresh each day. They use large leaves as umbrellas and shelters to protect themselves from the rain and the sun.

The apes are well suited to their arboreal lifestyle with a male orangutan’s arm span stretching some two metres from fingertip to fingertip. This reach is considerably longer than his standing height of about 1.2 metres, in fact when orangutans do stand; their hands nearly touch the ground.

6 ft

Size comparison average 6ft human and Orangutan

Foraging for food during the day, the orangutan’s diet mainly consists of fruit, leaves and honey though they also eat insects and, on rare occasions, meat.

Orangutans are more solitary than other apes.

Mothers and their young, however, share a strong bond. Infants will stay with their mothers until they develop the skills to survive on their own.

Because orangutans live in only a few places, and because they are so dependent upon trees, they are particularly susceptible to logging in these areas. Unfortunately, deforestation and other human activities, such as hunting and road building have placed the orangutan in danger of extinction.

To celebrate the latest in our Endangered Species series which features the magnificent Sumatran Orangutan we’ve pulled together some more interesting facts on this perceptive primate:

Sumatran Orangutan Fact file Scientific name:

Pongo abelii

Diet:

Omnivore

Average lifespan in the wild:

30 to 40 years

Size:

1.2 to 1.5 metres

Weight:

33 to 82kg

Miniature Sheet £3.00

Date of issue 12 February 2014 Designer Joel Kirk Printer Cartor Security Printing

First Day Cover £4.20

Values £3 Process Offset Lithography Stamp size 71.4mm deep x 59.6mm wide Sheet size 84mm deep x 118mm wide Paper 100gsm unwatermarked PVA adhesive Perforation 14 x 14.25

Presentation Pack £3.90

Cylinder A

ALDERNEY LADYBIRDS For the past six years we have produced stamps which depict some of the fascinating invertebrates to be found in the tiny yet diverse island of Alderney.

The ladybird is the latest subject in our invertebrates series and, as with all our invertebrates issues, it has been beautifully illustrated against the landscape of Alderney by renowned artist Petula Stone. Probably the most familiar of all beetles, there are over 5,000 species occurring worldwide. In Alderney, the familiar 7-spot is the most common, followed by the 2-spot and the Orange species. Also found in the island but to a lesser degree is the Harlequin, which is a recent colonist originating from Asia.

In 2008 the series began with butterflies, which are arguably one of the world’s best loved creatures. Beautiful, elegant and particularly

delicate, our stamps depicted six species found in Alderney, including Painted Lady, a famous long distance migrant which visits Alderney every year, and the evocatively named Green Hairstreak which can be found in most areas where gorse grows in the island, but is rather an elusive species. A very popular series, our Souvenir Sheet and accompanying First Day Cover have sold out but other products are available.

The following year we depicted bees, which - quite rightly – are seen as man’s friend, pollinating our trees to produce fruit and creating honey, which has been enjoyed for thousands of years. There are around 15,000 different types of bee in the world, of which 170 are found in the Channel Islands. The six species featured on our stamps highlight the variety of bees found in Alderney, including the Tawny Mining Bee and the Honey Bee. (Continued overleaf)

Sheets of 10 £36.10

First Day Cover £4.81

Souvenir Shet First Day Cover £4.81 Date of issue 12 February 2014 Designer Petula Stone Printer BDT International Values 40p, 53p, 55p, 63p, 71p, 79p Presentation Pack £4.51

Process Offset Lithography Stamp size 30.56mm deep x 38mm wide Sheet size 100mm deep x 140mm wide Paper 100gsm unwatermarked PVA adhesive Sheet 10

Souvenir Sheet £3.61

Perforation 13.75 Cylinder A

Dragonflies were the subject of our 2010 issue, of which some 16 species have been recorded in Alderney. Mannez pond in the east of the island is a particularly good place to see them; Petula Stone uses this background with great effect for one of the stamps depicting Quesnard lighthouse, which dominates the scene as a Red Veined Darter dragonfly makes its approach.

moths were depicted in 2012. Our stamps feature six of the 10 species of tiger-moth which can be found in Alderney. Four of those depicted - the Garden, Cream-spot, Jersey Tiger and the Cinnabar - are deeply unpleasant to eat, their aposematic colours acting as an effective warning to predators.

In 2011 we turned to the often spectacular and striking hawk-moth. Of the 17 species of hawk-moth occurring in the British Isles a remarkable 14 have been found in Alderney.

Of the nine British resident species, seven can be found in the island including the Elephant, the Poplar and the Privet, which are depicted on our stamps.

Alderney’s landscape is home to several hundred species of beetle, which is the subject of our 2013 issue. However, the beetles we have depicted on our stamps are distinctive insects, which visitors may encounter whilst walking in Alderney. They include the beautiful Rose Chafer which is found on flower heads during the summer and the very attractive Green Tiger beetle which occurs in most coastal areas of Alderney.

Arguably some of the most brilliantly coloured insects to be found in the British Isles, tiger-

With very special thanks to Alderney Wildlife Trust for its assistance with this series.

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 ÂŁ50.

Please allow a minimum of 4 weeks notice. All sponsored handstamps will be shown in our Philatelic News 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.

Issues currently available

When Santa got stuck up the Chimney Date of issue: 13 November 2013

SEPAC: 100th Anniversary of the West Show Date of issue: 24 September 2013

Europa: The Postman’s Van Date of issue: 8 May 2013

Raymond Evison 25 Years of Gold

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Date of issue: 13 November 2013

Date of issue: 13 November 2013

The Royal Birth Date of issue: 24 September 2013

200th Anniversary of The Guernsey Press & Star Date of issue: 31 July 2013

The 60th Anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation Date of issue: 29 May 2013

The Life of Beatrix Potter Date of issue: 31 July 2013

Herm Island Date of issue: 29 May 2013

See stock list for Guernsey self sticks, Raymond Evison Wild Flora Guernsey definitives 1 and Coral and Anemones Alderney definitives.

All correspondence to: 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

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 www.ciss1950.org.uk