europa, cept, norden and sepac stamps information blog
Gibraltar - Sepac
Date of Issue: 16th September 2025
one stamp (1.- GBP) out of a set of 6 stamps (only this stamp bears the Sepac logo)
this stamp is issued in a miniature-sheet with the five other stamps of this set
this stamp is also issued in a mini-sheet of 9 stamps
Gibraltar
Date of Issue: 8th May 2025
two stamps (1.96 & 3.16 GBP) and one souvenir-sheet of 2 stamps (1.96 & 3.16 GBP)
The Gibraltar Neanderthal skulls are among the most significant fossil discoveries related to Neanderthals. The first skull, known as the Forbes’ Quarry Skull or Gibraltar 1, was discovered in 1848 at Forbes’ Quarry, on the northern face of the Rock of Gibraltar. This find predated the famous discovery of Neanderthals in Germany’s Neander Valley (1856), but its importance wasn’t fully recognised at the time. The skull is that of an adult female and exhibits classic Neanderthal features such as a large brow ridge, a long, low skull, and a robust build. It remains one of the best-preserved Neanderthal skulls ever found.
A second skull, Gibraltar 2, was found in 1926 close to Forbes’ Quarry, at Devil’s Tower Cave and belonged to a Neanderthal child. This discovery provided valuable insights into the growth and development of Neanderthals. Studies of the Gibraltar Neanderthals suggest they were among the last surviving populations of their species, with evidence indicating that Neanderthals lived in the region until around 32,000 years ago, long after they had disappeared from much of Europe.
Gibraltar’s caves, particularly Gorham’s Cave, on the Rock’s eastern side, have provided further evidence of Neanderthal life, including hearths, tools, and even possible engravings that suggest symbolic behavior. The region’s mild climate and rich marine resources may have contributed to the Neanderthals’ prolonged survival. Today, the Gibraltar skulls are housed in the Natural History Museum in London, and Gorham’s Cave is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for its importance in understanding Neanderthal history.
Recent research on the Gibraltar Neanderthals has shed light on their diet, behavior, and cognitive abilities. Isotopic analysis of remains from Gorham’s Cave suggests that these Neanderthals had a diverse diet, including marine resources such as shellfish, fish, and seals, challenging earlier notions that Neanderthals were primarily big-game hunters. Additionally, discoveries of charred plant remains indicate they also consumed roasted vegetables. Perhaps most intriguingly, an engraving found in Gorham’s Cave, a cross-hatched pattern etched into the rock, has been interpreted as possible evidence of symbolic or artistic behavior, suggesting that Neanderthals were capable of abstract thought. These findings contribute to the growing understanding that Neanderthals were not the brutish, primitive beings they were once thought to be, but rather intelligent and adaptable hominins capable of complex survival strategies.
Europe - Sepac
24.04.2024 Jersey - 1 stamp (2.95 GBP) - out of a set of 5 stamps
08.05.2024 Åland - 1 stamp (Europa value)
24.05.2024 Greenland - 1 stamp (25.- DKK)
27.05.2024 Faroe Is. - 1 stamp (33.- DKK)
03.06.2024 Liechtenstein - 1 stamp (1.90 CHF)
20.06.2024 Monaco - 1 stamps (1.96 €)
25.06.2024 Gibraltar - 1 stamp (1.- GBP) - out of a set of 6 stamps
25.07.2024 Guernsey - 1 stamp (2.71 GBP) - out of a set of 4 stamps this issue has been withdrawn
10.09.2024 Luxembourg - 1 stamp (E50g value)
16.09.2024 Malta - 1 stamp (1.91 €) - out of a set of 4 stamps
no issue of the Isle of Man
no issue of the Vatican
Gibraltar - Sepac
Date of Issue: 25th June 2024
one stamp (1.- GBP) out of a set of 6 stamps (only this stamp bears the Sepac logo)
this stamp is issued in a miniature-sheet with the five other stamps of this set
Gibraltar
Date of Issue: 25th April 2024
two stamps (1.96 & 3.16 GBP) and one souvenir-sheet of 2 stamps (1.96 & 3.16 GBP)
2. Orca (Orcinus orca) - IUCN Red list - Wikipedia article
Europe - Sepac
21.03.2023 Jersey - 1 stamp (0.98 GPB) - out of a set of 6 stamps
30.05.2023 Greenland - 1 stamp (23.- DKK)
05.06.2023 Liechtenstein - 1 stamp (1.80 CHF)
03.07.2023 Monaco - 1 stamp (1.80 €)
19.07.2023 Guernsey - 1 stamp (2.42 GBP) - out of a set of 4 stamps
27.07.2023 Åland - 1 stamp (lokalpost value)
08.08.2023 Malta - 1 stamp (1.50 €) - out of a set of 2 stamps
11.08.2023 Faroe Is. - 1 stamp (31.- DKK)
12.09.2023 Luxembourg - 1 stamp (1.40 €)
no issue Gibraltar
no issue Isle of Man
no issue Vatican
Gibraltar
Date of Issue: 30th March 2023
two stamps (1.98 & 3.16 GBP) and one souvenir-sheet of 2 stamps (1.98 & 3.16 GBP)
NOTE - On the 4th of July 2023, Gibraltar issued a set of 6 post & go stamps depicting the 2nd Europa stamps design and bearing the Europa logo - price 7.95 GBP
Europe - Sepac16.05.2022 Faroe Is. - 1 stamp (29.- DKK)
24.05.2022 Jersey - 1 stamp (0.91 GB) out of set of 6 stamps
31.05.2022 Greenland - 1 stamp (20.- DKK)
07.06.2022 Liechtenstein - 1 stamp (1.80 CHF)
14.06.2022 Monaco - 1 stamp (1.65 €)
22.06.2022 Guernsey - 1 stamp (1.10 GBP) out of a set of 4 stamps
06.09.2022 Åland - 1 stamp (1.90 €)
13.09.2022 Luxembourg - 1 stamp (E50g value)
13.09.2022 Malta - 1 stamp (0.37 €) out of a set of 4 stamps
no issue Gibraltar
no issue Isle of Man
no issue Vatican
Gibraltar
Date of Issue: 25th February 2022
two stamps (1.96 & 3.16 GBP) and one souvenir-sheet of 2 stamps (1.96 & 3.16 GBP)
The Pillars of Hercules is the ancient name given to the promontories that flank the entrance to the Straits of Gibraltar. The Northern Pillar is the Rock of Gibraltar and the Southern Pillar, Abila Mons, has been disputed throughout history, with the two most likely candidates being Monte Hacho in Ceuta and Jebel Musa in Morocco.
According to Greek mythology, when Hercules had to perform twelve labours, one of them (the tenth) was to fetch the Cattle of Geryon of the far West and bring them to Eurystheus; this marked the westward extent of his travels. Alost passage of Pindar quoted by Strabo was the earliest traceable reference in the context: The pillars which pindar calls the - Gates of Gades when he asserts that they are the farthermost limits reached by Heracles. SInce there has been a one-to-one association between Hercules and and Melqart since Herodotus, the Pillars of Melqart in the temple near Gades/Gadeira (Modern Cadiz) have sometimes been considered to be the true pillars of Hercules.
According to some Roman sources, while on his way to the garden of Hesperides on the island of Erytheria, Hercules had to cross the mountain that was once Atlas. Instead of climbing the great mountain, Hercules used this superhuman strength to smash through it. By doing so, he connected the Atlantic ocean to the Mediterranean Sean and formed the Strait of Gibraltar. One part split mountain is Gibraltar and the other is either Monte Hacho or Jebel Musa. These two mountains taken together have since then been known as the pillars of Hercules, though other natural feautres have been assoicated with the name.
Diodors Sicukus, however, held that, instead of smashing through an isthmus to create the Straits of Gibraltar, Hercules narrowed an already existing strait to prevent monsters from the Atlantic Ocean from entering the Mediterranean sea.
In some versions, Hercules instead built the two to hold the sky away from the earth, liberating Atlas from his damnation.
NOTE - In 1981, Gibraltar used the same legend for their Europa stamps issued on the theme "Folklore and Feasts"!
NOTE - On the 5th of September 2022, Gibraltar issued a set of 6 post & go stamps depicting the 2nd Europa stamps design and bearing the Europa logo - price 7.95 GBP
Gibraltar - Sepac
Date of Issue: 8st Septembre 2021
one stamp (1.- GBP) out of a set of 5 stamps (only this stamp bears the Sepac logo)
Europe - Sepac
17.02.2021 Jersey - 1 stamp (0.70 GBP) out of a set of 6 stamps
25.03.2021 Åland - 1 stamp (4.- €)
26.04.2021 Faroe Is. - 1 souvenir-sheet (27.- DKK)
28.05.2021 Malta - 1 stamp (0.50 €) out of a set of 4 stamps
07.06.2021 Liechtenstein - 1 stamp (1.50 CHF)
08.06.2021 Greenland - 1 stamp (19.- DKK)
19.07.2021 Monaco - 1 stamp (1.50 €)
01.09.2021 Guernsey - 1 stamp (1.- GBP) out of a set of 6 stamps
08.09.2021 Gibraltar - 1 stamp (1.- GBP) out of a set of 5 stamps
14.09.2021 Luxembourg - 1 stamp (1.05 €)
no issue Isle of Man
no issue Vatican
Europe - Sepac
This folder will be on sale by any of the Sepac countries philatelic offices !
Gibraltar
NOTE - On the 14th of September, Gibraltar issued a set of 6 post & go stamps depicting the the 2nd Europa stamps design and bearing the Europa logo - price 7.95 GBP
Europe - Sepac Gibraltar
