europa, cept, norden and sepac stamps information blog
Monaco
Date of Issue: 9th May 2025
one stamp (2.10 €)
the stamp is issued in a mini-sheet of 10 stamps
The stamp depicts the Observatoire cave, where the first traces of occupation date back to between 250,000 and 20,000 years ago, alongside discoveries made on Monegasque territory since prehistoric times: a biface, a lynx skull, an amphora, gold coins and a bracelet.
Jersey - Sepac
Date of Issue: 27th March 2025
one stamp (3.- GBP) out of a set of eight [!] stamps (only this stamp is bearing the official Sepac logo).
this stamp is issued in a mini-sheet of 10 stamps
the Sepac stamp is also issued in a souvenir-sheet with the full set of 8 stamps
Isle of Man
Part of the broader Age of the Sea Kings collection created in collaboration with Manx artist Juan Moore and historian Professor R. Andrew McDonald, which explores the maritime kingdom that thrived between 1079 and 1265, the EUROPA stamp focuses on the significant reigns of Rognvald and Olaf. These were key figures in the medieval Kingdom of Man and the Isles whose leadership defined the history of the Isle of Man and its surrounding islands.
Rognvald and Olaf Godredsson: Brothers locked in a fierce struggle for the throne, culminating in the Battle of Tynwald in 1229.
San Marino
Date of Issue: 11th February 2025
one stamp (2.45 €)
These stamp is issued in a souvenir-sheet of 4 stamps
The stamp depicts the so-called ‘San Marino Whale’ (scientific name Titanocetus sammarinensis), an extraordinary cetacean dating back to the Miocene period, whose fossil remains were found in 1897 in a stone quarry near the summit of Mount Titano. The exceptional find aroused the interest of the international scientific community. The original finds are kept at the G. Capellini Museum of Palaeontology and Geology in Bologna, while the right hemimandibula, a cast of the skull, ribs and left hemimandibula are on display at the San Marino Natural History Museum
Liechtenstein
Date of Issue: 1st April 2025
two stamps (2x 1.90 CHF)
both stamps are issued in a souvenir-sheet of 4 stamps (2 of each)
The subjects used are four of a total of ten votive figures. The solid cast bronze figures were found in 1932 in redeposited layers on the south-eastern slope of the Gutenberg castle hill in Balzers. They date from the Late Iron Age (500-100 BC) and are unique in their thematic composition. Together with compact layers of ash and animal bones, the figurines point to a nearby cremation site. Historians assume that the figures were offered there as symbolic sacrifices to a super-natural power.
The Gutenberg votive statuettes show influences from the Celtic and Rhaetian cultures and can be assigned to the three themes of war, fertility and animals. The very different quality of the depictions and the inconsistent composition of the bronze indicate different workshops and production times.
