Description

Set of four Lundy stamps from 1974, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

The stamps were originally issued in a se-tenant sheetlet format, with a selvedge (selvage) all the way around – as illustrated here – but this particular item is just the set of four individual stamps, offered at a significant discount to the sheetlet price.

Nevertheless, this is one of the most scarce Lundy sets – only 11,000 were printed, compared to the typical 20,000 to 50,000 of other Lundy issues around that time – meaning that the individual stamps, while slightly less collectable, are still useful for filling a gap in the album.

Listed in Jon Aitchison’s Lundy catalogue as numbers 208-211.

U/M / Unmounted Mint / MNH / Mint Never Hinged.

About Lundy

Lundy is an 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.

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 alongside the extra "puffinage".

Since 1969, Lundy has been owned by the National Trust, and financed, administered and maintained by the Landmark Trust, who continue to issue Lundy stamps. As of 2023, 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.