Description

Imperforate “proof” sheetlet of 24 3p RSPB centenary stamps with a postally invalid label in the centre, issued by Lundy on 17 January 1989.

The issued sheetlet, created by the then Slough-based Lundy Philatelic Bureau, is one of the rarest modern Lundy issues, and this overprinted “proof” sheetlet, produced without gum, is even harder to find. Aitchison’s catalogue suggests that only 135 were ever released, and the number still in circulation now will inevitably be fewer than that.

Listed in Jon Aitchison’s Lundy catalogue as number 273(i).

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

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.