Guernsey Stamps Philatelic News May 2014

Philatelic News

Europa: National Music Instruments Sepac: Celebrating 50 Years of Britain in Bloom Alderney Final Panel of the Bayeux Tapestry

www.guernseystamps.com

May 2014 Vol 9 No. 14

Welcome

Dawn Gallienne Head of Philatelic

Welcome to the May issue of our Philatelic News.

This month we are celebrating the hobby of Postcrossing with a single stamp. A simple idea of exchanging postcards with strangers was developed by Paulo Magalhães in 2005 and now 14 million postcrossing postcards have been exchanged worldwide. Read more about this fascinating hobby on the opposite page.

This year’s Europa theme is National Music Instruments. It is a little known fact that the Channel Islands had its own musical instrument, the chifournie. Sometimes known as a hurdy gurdy this unusual looking instrument had disappeared from Guernsey by the nineteenth century, and from Jersey by the 20th century. Using augmented reality again, you can see and hear the instrument by holding your smart phone or tablet over the stamps (download the SEPAC or Lowe-Martin app from the App store).

Our SEPAC issue this year sees us celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Britain in Bloom. This beautiful set of six stamps showcase the recent Gold Winner’s Awards both in Guernsey and Herm.

Our Alderney issue features what could have been the final panel of the Bayeux Tapestry. Set up as a community project, hundreds participated in stitching Alderney’s version of the final panel, including The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. The miniature sheet for this issue shows the panel in it’s full glory and is printed on 100% combed cotton to give an authentic tapestry feel. The tapestry itself will be displayed in the Bayeux museum between July and September this year which is an achievement Alderney are quite rightly proud of.

I hope that you enjoy adding these May issues to your collection.

The Alderney Bayeux Tapestry Final Panel Miniature Sheet is printed on 100% combed cotton with a thread count of 167 x 167 and printed by French Security Printers, Cartor.

ALDERNEY’S FINAL PANEL OF THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY

www.guernseystamps.com

ORDER YOURS NOW

2014 STAMP PROGRAMME GUERNSEY 8 MAY 2014 EUROPA: NATIONAL MUSIC INSTRUMENTS

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

28 MAY 2014 CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF BRITAIN IN BLOOM (SEPAC)

Postcrossing Paulo Magalhães started the Postcrossing project in 2005. Paulo loved to receive postcards from friends and family across the globe and wanted to receive even more postcards from other countries too. He came up with the idea of connecting people worldwide through postcards. After just a few days people were already signing up to the website to take part. The hobby has had tremendous success and now, several years on 14 million postcards have been exchanged via Postcrossing.

It is easy to join in and you can be receiving postcards from around the world in just a few days.

Register on the website (for free!) and request an address. Mail a postcard to the address and wait to receive one back. Then register the postcard that you have received, on the website and request another address. Keep going for as long as you want to! It is that simple.

All of our account customers will receive the Postcrossing stamp FREE of charge with your May issues as a special thank you for your continued support.

Date of issue:

28 May 2014

Designer:

Bridget Yabsley

Printer:

BDT International

Value:

INT Letter 20g

Process:

Offset Lithography

Stamp size:

25.73mm deep x 30.5 mm wide

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

28 MAY 2014 POSTCROSSING

Single Stamp, Sheets of 50.

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

6 NOVEMBER 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 28 MAY 2014 ALDERNEY FINAL PANEL OF THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY

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

22 JULY 2014 FIRST BIRTHDAY OF PRINCE GEORGE

Set of 2 stamps (Se-tenant Pair), First Day Cover, Presentation Pack, Sheets of 10.

30 JULY 2014 THE LIFE OF IAN FLEMING

Sheet size:

277mm deep x 173mm wide

Paper:

110gsm unwatermarked PVA adhesive

Sheet:

50

Perforation:

13

Cylinder:

A

* (AR = Augmented Reality) See website for details

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.

6 NOVEMBER 2014 ALDERNEY CHRISTMAS

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

QUICK & EASY ORDERING

www.guernseystamps.com

EUROPA: NATIONAL MUSIC INSTRUMENTS Headquartered in Brussels, PostEurop is a trade association that represents European public postal operators. With fifty-two members spanning forty-nine countries and territories the association promotes the postal industry stimulating cooperation and innovation.

Each year a different theme is announced by PostEurop and each of the member postal authorities create unique stamp series’ based on the overarching topic.

For 2014 the subject is ‘National Music Instruments’ and the stamps produced by Guernsey Post feature some stunning photographic images of one of the Channel Island’s former favourite musical instruments – the chifournie.

Similar to the modern day hurdy gurdy the chifournie is an interesting instrument with its origins dating back to the tenth century.

Once playing an important role in island fetes, festivals and celebrations, sadly this interesting instrument’s melodies had disappeared from Guernsey by the mid-nineteenth century.

Sheets of 10 £36.10

Worn around the performers neck, the chifournie was played by turning a handle and sound was produced by a crank turned, rosined wheel rubbing against the strings. Like most other acoustic stringed instruments, it had a sound board to make the vibration of the strings audible.

It is believed that one of the earliest forms of this instrument was the organistrum, which originated in northern Spain as an instrument used for singing instruction in monastic settings. When it first appeared in Guernsey, we don’t know, though it features in many tales of folklore and island traditions.

Today we see traditional folk music and the hurdy gurdy enjoying something of a revival and musicians are using the captivating instrument in a variety of contemporary styles of music, so perhaps in some small way the sound of Guernsey’s chifournie lives on.

First Day Cover £4.81

Souvenir Sheet First Day Cover £4.81

Presentation Pack £4.51

Date of issue 8 May 2014 Designer The Potting Shed Printer Lowe Martin Values 40p, 53p, 55p, 63p, 71p, 79p Process Offset Lithography

Souvenir Sheet £3.61

Souvenir Sheet with Augmented Reality: See and hear the Chifournie being played by downloading the Sepac or Lowe-Martin App from the App store and hover your smart phone or tablet over your stamps!

Stamp size 45mm deep x 34mm wide Sheet size 100mm deep x 140mm wide Paper 100gsm unwatermarked PVA adhesive Sheet 10 Perforation 13 Cylinder A

50 Years of Britain in Bloom The Royal Horticultural Society’s Britain in Bloom is one of the largest horticultural campaigns in Europe, involving over one thousand communities across the UK each year. Cities, towns and villages involved create lasting improvements to their local environment for the benefits of those who live, work and visit there.

The campaign is unique, as its integrated approach to community improvement means that participants are not simply showcasing their horticultural skills but also their environmental responsibility and community participation: they tackle everything from graffiti and litter to conservation and sustainability within their communities.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Britain in Bloom campaign we are delighted to showcase just some of the Bailiwick’s recent Gold Award winners on our stamps.

Designer Andrew Robinson has created stamps using images captured by world renowned clematis nurseryman and breeder, Raymond Evison OBE VMH. The Bailiwick of Guernsey has enjoyed huge success at the Britain in Bloom Awards over the years. In 2013, Guernsey’s St Peter Port “The Sheets of 10 £37.30

Town”, won its first Gold Award from the local judges, having shown true community spirit with businesses fully supporting the floral team.

The team at St Martin’s Parish has won numerous Gold Awards over the years including the small town section in 2011, whilst St Pierre du Bois’ national Gold Award winning team has shown what can be achieved through restoration and community work on church land.

The tiny island of Herm, Guernsey’s neighbour, also won a Gold Award in the prestigious Champion of Champions category in 2013. With just 65 residents, the island was invited to join the ‘Champions’ category following its third Gold Award in 2012. Herm’s conditions are skillfully exploited by the knowledgeable gardeners, with tender plants from around the world combining successfully with the native species. The multitasking islanders and young school children enthusiastically engage with the environment, with recycling, biodiversity and conservation high on the agenda.

Set of 6 Stamps £3.73

Presentation Pack £4.63

First Day Cover £4.93

Date of issue 28 May 2014 Designer Andrew Robinson Printer BDT International Values GY Letter, GY Large Letter,

UK Letter, INT Letter 20g,

UK Large Letter, INT Letter 40g Process Offset Lithography Stamp size 27.94mm deep x 44.45mm wide Paper 110gsm unwatermarked PVA adhesive Perforation 13.75 Cylinder A

ALDERNEY’S FINAL PANEL OF THE It measures just less than 3 metres in length – so somewhat different in size to the original Bayeux Tapestry, which is almost 70 metres. Yet Alderney’s unique answer – and plausible conclusion - to the closing scenes of the Bayeux Tapestry has generated media interest from around the world, as well as having had a huge impact on the people involved in this remarkable community project – perhaps none more so than the project’s creator, Kate Russell.

On the 1st of February 2012, Kate, together with Pauline Black, who produced the Tapestry’s designs, completed their first stitches. These were followed by many thousands of stitches added by over 400 individuals - not only residents, but also visitors who were drawn to the island to witness this tremendous work of art.

Some 12 months later, Alderney’s version of the final panel was completed. Then, on Friday 5 April 2013, when the tapestry was officially unveiled on the island by the curator of the Bayeux Tapestry Museum, Mme Sylvette Lemagnen, and the President du Conseil de la Manche, Monsieur Jean François Le Grand, it received their unanimous seal of approval.

Sheets of 10 £36.10

Combed Cotton Miniature Sheet £3

We are thrilled that we have been able to create something very special and unique to celebrate this wonderful project - a replica of Alderney’s Final Panel as a Miniature Sheet stamp.

This has been achieved by printing the stamp sheet onto cotton, which we believe has never been done by any other postal administration in Europe.

Complementing the Miniature Sheet are six stamps which depict various scenes from Alderney’s Final Panel, including William dining with family members following his victory at the Battle of Hastings; the nobles of London submitting to his rule; William’s coronation at Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day in 1066; and the outline for the construction of the Tower of London, which is to be built using the famous white stone that William imports from Caen.

Currently on display in the Alderney Library, the panel will be taken to France on 24 June in preparation for an exhibition at the Bayeux Tapestry Museum from 2 July until mid-September 2014. To our knowledge, it is the first time an independently created finale to the famous original has been accepted for exhibition in the very same museum.

With special thanks to Jan Messent whose book ‘ The Bayeux Tapestry embroiderers’ story provided inspiration for the project.

BAYEUX TAPESTRY

Pack £4.51 Presentation

First Day Cover £4.81

Date of issue 28 May 2014 Designer Bridget Yabsley Printer Cartor Security Printing £4.51 Presentation Pack

Values 40p, 53p, 55p, 63p, 71p, 79p, £3 Process Offset Lithography Stamp size 30.6mm deep x 38mm wide M/Sheet size 48mm deep x 198mm wide M/Sheet stamp 40.6mm deep x 29.8mm

Souvenir Sheet First Day Cov er £4.81

Paper 100gsm unwatermarked PVA adhesive Sheet 10 Perforation 13.25 x 13 - Sheet 14.24 x 14 Cylinder A

Prestige Booklet £14.44

FATHERS DAY GIFT IDEAS Unique gift ideas to show your appreciation of the man who has everything!

ENDANGERED SPECIES JOEL KIRK PRINTS - £15 EACH

FFER IAL O SPEC e full set h Buy t rints and p 2 1 of 15% save

Beautifully illustrated limited edition prints by Joel Kirk from the Endangered Species Series Featuring the: Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey, Basking Shark, Florida Everglades, Mountain Gorilla, Blue Whale, Amur Leopard Face, Amur Leopard, Asian Elephant, Bengal Tiger in green foliage, Bengal Tiger in brown foliage, Giant Panda, Sumatran Orangutan.

Endangered Species Album £35.97

An attractive and convenient way to collect a complete collection of the Endangered Species series so far. Stunning artwork of the most beautiful and unfortunately Endangered animals like the Mountain Gorila, Amur Leopard, Bengal Tiger and Giant Panda.

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.

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.

Sponsor’s Benham

Sponsored date stamps available for 12 months from issue date.

LUNAR NEW YEAR: YEAR OF THE HORSE 2014 SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR YOUR COLLECTION TWO LIMITED EDITION PRODUCTS

The uncut press sheets of the souvenir sheet are supplied in a protective tube with a certificate bearing the issue number.

Limited Edition Uncut Press Sheet £23.00

1,000 limited edition sheets

Gold Foil Souvenir Sheet produced in 24 carat gold (99.9% pure) and mounted in an acrylic display stand with a certificate of authenticity.

1,000 limite editio d n

Gold Foil Souvenir Sheet £95.00

Issues currently available

Lunar New Year: Year of the Horse Date of issue: 8 January 2014

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

Alderney Ladybirds

Endangered Species: Sumatran Orangutan

Date of issue: 12 February 2014

Date of issue: 12 February 2014

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 Life of Beatrix Potter Date of issue: 31 July 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

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 www.ciss1950.org.uk