Guernsey 1999 - focus

Guernsey

27th April 1999 - "Nature reserves and Parks"
design: Colleen Corlett
printer: Walsall Security Printers

This Summer I’ve visited for the first time the Channel Islands. As a Europa stamps collector I learnt to know very well the islands of Jersey and Guernsey through their stamps issues. This I decided to see it all in real !

The Channel Islands are an archipelago composed by five main islands. The three biggest islands issue stamps : Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney. The first two also issue Europa stamps but Alderney don’t. The other two main islands: Sarq and Herm don’t issue stamps… or better said, don’t issue stamps anymore.

In 1999 Guernsey issued a set of four stamps, two bearing the Europa logo featuring the nature of the island of Herm. It’s one of the rare Europa issue featuring a stamp on stamp !


The island of Herm is part of the bailiwick of Guernsey and is rent to a tenant ! During twenty years, from 1949 until 1969, the tenant of Herm decided to produce the island's own stamps. You can see some of those stamps on the 1999 Europa stamps of Guernsey. Those private issues from the islands of Herm were available with or without perforation and were triangular.



One more intersting thing about Herm stamps is that they also issued Europa stamps ! Well, not official ones but stamps with the word "Europa" written on it. Those "bogus" Europa stamps were issued in 1962 and 1963. They also over printed stamps with the word "Europa" in 1961, 1964, 1966


If you are interested in those Herm stamps, you can find them on auction websites are at around 7€ for a full set of 12 (you can find other Herm issues as well). You can also visit this website dedicated to Herm's stamps (sell also some sets).

source of the images : http://www.ibolli.it/indexes/cept/index.php & http://www.hermstamps.co.uk

1999

Europe

Issue n° 44 - 1999

"Nature reserves and Parks"

Number of countries : 57
Debuting countries : none
Returning countries : none
Withdrawing countries : none

Note : Gibraltar was the only country not to use the official logo that year.

Moldova used that year the official logo but with a different R letter. I already wrote about that in an earlier message.

source of the image : http://www.ibolli.it/indexes/cept/index.php

more here in the Europa stamps History - Part IV

Eurovision Song Contest 1999
Jerusalem (Israel)
Winner: Charlotte Nilsson "Take me to your heaven" (Sweden)

my personal favorite that year: Bobbie Singer "Reflection" (Austria)

the Europa stamps history - IV

Europe

The Europa stamps history

part IV - The new Europe
(1990-1999)

The Iron curtain has fallen. The Europa stamps borders extend more to the east of the European continent.

Due to the end of the USSR and Yugoslavia, the nineties we will see many new countries joining the Europa stamps collection.

In 1990 (35 countries ; 78 stamps) the CEPT count new member countries already but they registered to late to take part at the Europa stamp issue dedicated that year at the post office buildings. Hungary issued two stamps on the same topic but without the official CEPT logo that would have made real Europa stamps of them.

In 1991 (40 countries ; 83 stamps) the common theme was European aerospace and the first year that five countries, who were behind the Iron curtain some years before took part at the Europa stamps issue! Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland & Romania where those five first ex-Communist countries to join.


In 1992 (42 countries ; 90 stamps) it was time to celebrate the 500 years of the discovery of the Americas by Columbus and the last year the CEPT logo was in use on Europa stamps. Albania took part for the first time producing an expensive first souvenir-sheet! Croatia was that year the first republic of ex-Yugoslavia to issue Europa stamps.

In 1993, the CEPT decided to concentrate on telecommunication issues only and the Europa stamps issues coordination was transmitted to PostEurop the association of European public postal operators. Since then a new logo is in use on Europa stamps :


In 1993 (45 countries ; 92 stamps), the first year with the new Europa logo, the common theme was contemporary art. Lithuania, Moldova, Slovenia took part for the first time that year. Slovakia and the Czech Republic for the first time as two independent states and the Vatican took part again for the first time since 1969!

That year two unofficial issues appeared. The first one from: Belarus; although the new logo was introduced that year they used the old one on there stamps. The other one from the Croat post of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was the first postal administration of Bosnia to issue Europa stamps but they weren't recognized by the UPU at that time, that's why their issue is also considered as unofficial.



In 1994 (48 countries ; 85 stamps) the new countries came from the North! Åland, Greenland, Estonia and Latvia took part for the first time. The theme was great discoveries that year.

The European construction leads to peace and welfare on the European continent. In 1995 (48 countries ; 90 stamps) it was time to celebrate the 50 years of the end of World War II. The Europa stamps celebrate it through the peace and freedom theme. Russia took part for the first time that year, but also Bosnia and Herzegovina. What a symbol for a country who suffered so much of the war during the 90's!

In 1996 (52 countries ; 89 stamps) it was time to celebrate the famous European women. New country to take part that year: Macedonia, it was also the last of the ex-republics of former Yugoslavia to issue Europa stamps.

In 1997 (54 countries ; 96 stamps) it was time for a theme that produced plenty of beautiful stamps: tales and legends. Armenia and the Ukraine took part for the first time and also the Serb post of Bosnia and Herzegovina but with an unofficial status. The next year, 1998 (56 countries ; 94 stamps) had festivals and national celebrations as common theme. Azerbaijan, Georgia took part that year for the first time as Belarus but for the first time with a legal issue. In 1999 (56 countries ; 100 stamps), nature reserves and parks.

Part I - The early years (1956-1959)
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Part II - The birth of the CEPT (1960-1973)
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Part III - The common themes (1974-1989)