Description

Souvenir pack featuring the first ever set of stamps for Staffa, issued in 1969 and variously depicting Queen Victoria and the composer Mendelssohn – who composed the concert overture The Hebrides after visiting Staffa in 1829 – alongside local scenes and the island’s coat of arms.

The set of four comprises 1d, 5d, 1s6d and 1s9d values, and though the pack is sealed, we would assume that the stamps are glued or hinged to the backing.

About Staffa

Staffa is a real island in the Inner Hebrides - owned since 1986 by The National Trust for Scotland - but the stamps that bear its name have a somewhat colourful history.

Staffa's first issue, in 1969, was both rather attractive and had a local flavour - featuring local scenes and the island's coat of arms - but subsequent issues, released until 1986, soon got a little out of hand in terms of their relentless volume, dubious design quality, and questionable local relevance.

Just like the stamp issues in the 1970s and 1980s that purported to come from Eynhallow, Nagaland or Dhufar, Staffa's stamps were produced by the controversial English stamp dealer Clive Feigenbaum. They were issued with the permission of the island's owner at the time, but, unlike local carriage labels from other islands such as Herm or Lundy, were produced primarily for collectors, and are not thought to have ever performed any postal function. 

Still, while not 'proper' postage stamps - and therefore falling into the category of Cinderellas - Staffa issues are still collected as a philatelic curiosity in their own right.