Description

This interesting item is a presentation bubble pack that features a genuine copy of Lundy’s 1977 “Royal Visit” souvenir sheet in mint condition, together with reproductions – dated 1977 – of the illegal Lundy ½p and 1p coins that Martin Coles Harman attempted to circulate in 1929.

In Appendix 7 of his Lundy catalogue, Aitchison notes that it is not clear who produced this pack, but that it was not officially issued by the Landmark Trust.

The reference on the reverse to the island’s 2007 population indicates that the item must have been produced at least 30 years after the event that it supposedly commemorates.

Whatever its provenance, it is an attractive and collectable Lundy-related item that is not seen especially often.

About Lundy

Lundy is a three-mile-long island in the Bristol Channel, whose stamps are among the longest-established and most sought-after local issues.

Unlike many labels that bear the name of British offshore islands - such as Eynhallow or Staffa - Lundy's stamps have always performed a genuine local postal function. When the British General Post Office withdrew its services from the island in 1928, the then-owner Martin Coles Harman introduced the first Lundy stamps in 1929 to cover the cost of carrying mail to the mainland. Those and subsequent stamps are denominated in "puffins", with one puffin equivalent to one penny.

To avoid confusion, Lundy stamps initially had to be fixed to the reverse of any postal items. From 1962, Lundy stamps were allowed were allowed to be affixed to the address side of postcards - but still well away from the 'official' British stamp - with this policy extended to all mail in 1992. These days, mail from the island only requires a Lundy stamp, which now incorporates the Royal Mail charge - indicated by an additional metermark - alongside the extra "puffinage".

Since 1969, Lundy has been owned by the National Trust, but financed, administered and maintained by the Landmark Trust, who continue to issue Lundy stamps. As of 2024, over 400 Lundy stamps have now been produced over the past nine decades, and 40,000 items of mail are sent annually.

You can read more about the Lundy postal service on the Landmark Trust website.