Description
— New stock added —
An attractive ‘Jason Island’ fantasy stamp from 1970, depicting Grand Jason Island and Steeple Jason Island, alongside gentoo penguins and a portrait of the then-owner, Len Hill.
U/M / Unmounted Mint / MNH / Mint Never Hinged.
About Jason Island
Jason Island sounds like a made-up place, but it – or, to be more precise, the Jason Islands in plural – does exist. It is an archipelago that is part of the Falkland Islands, comprising numerous islands of which Steeple Island and Grand Island are the largest.
This stamp was produced by the then-owner of the Jason Islands, Len Hill, to mark Conservation Year 1970 and to raise funds to support the development of a private bird sanctuary on the islands, alongside running his existing Birdland park at Bourton-on-the-Water in the UK. Hill later produced his own banknotes, with the same fundraising purpose, given the high costs involved in managing both his Jason Islands and UK enterprises.
After Hill passed away, the islands later entered the care of the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, while Birdland continues to attract visitors under new ownership in Gloucestershire.
For more information about the Jason Islands and their only stamp issue, this excellent article by Peter Symes is worth a read.
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