Description

— New stock added —

Set of six Lundy stamps from 2021, produced in se-tenant pairs and commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Lundy Field Society – “an independent, voluntary group which has been studying all aspects of Lundy’s archaeology, history and natural history since 1946″.

The lowest pair of values (65p x2) show an LFS member and an educational group against the backdrop of Marisco Castle and the island’s east side.

The middle values (90p x2) depict Lundy’s underwater scenery, with an LFS diver alongside Atlantic grey seals, a spiny lobster, sea fans, and a kelp forest.

The two high values (175p x2) show the then Lundy island owner Martin Coles Harman, and Lesley Arthur Harvey, who first proposed what would become the Lundy Field Society. The Soay sheep and wheatears depicted on these stamps are both subject to LFS study.

Listed in Jon Aitchison’s Lundy catalogue as numbers 399-404. An earlier Lundy issue, from 1996, commemorated the Lundy Field Society’s 50th anniversary.

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.