Lundy - Are These Real Stamps?

I have the following stamps that indicate them as from Lundy.



I was going to post a question asking if another member knows of these issues as I could not find the country 'Lundy' listed in my Scotts 2009 catalogues.

Then I remembered good old Wikipedia......I found out that Lundy is an island in the Bristol Channel, UK. Here is a copy of the information on their stamps that I found very interesting and decided to share with other SCF members.

Lundy Stamps
Owing to a decline in population and lack of interest in the mail contract, the GPO ended its presence at the end of 1927. For the next couple of years "King" Harman handled the mail to and from the island without charge. On 1 November 1929 he decided to offset the expense by issuing a series of private postage stamps, with a value expressed in "Puffins". The printing of Puffin stamps continues to this day. They have to be put on the bottom left hand corner of the envelope, so that the mainland sorting offices can process them: their cost includes the standard Royal Mail charges for onward delivery. Puffins are a type of stamp known to philatelists as a "local carriage label". Issues of increasing value were made over the years, including air mail, featuring a variety of people. Many are now highly sought-after by collectors.

Lundy Island continues to issue stamps with the latest issues being in 2008 (50th birthday of MS Oldenburg) and 2010 (Island wildlife). The value of the early issues has risen substantially over the years. The stamps of Lundy Island serve to cover the postage of letters and cards from the island to the nearest GPO post box on the mainland for the many thousands of annual visitors, and have become part of the collection of the many British Local Posts collectors. These stamps appeared in 1970s in the Rosen Catalogue of British Local Stamps, and in the Phillips Modern British Locals CD Catalogue, published since 2003.

Labbe's Specialized Guide to Lundy Island Stamps serves as a definitive guide to the issues of Lundy Island including varieties, rarities and special philatelic items.

These are consider labels or Cinderella stamps: used sometime for Local Post. Since the regular post doesn't have a service to the island, people use these stamps to send a letter to the nearest post office on the coast. Some collectors like those stamps but you won't find Local Post stamps in Scott cat. There is a market for those stamps; there is Lundy auctions on ebay. Daniel

A good example of a real local post.
Nice stamps.
The three Imperfs are cut-outs from a miniature sheet as far as I can tell from the scan.
There is a small possibility they are bogus, but the former appears most likely.

Do you have more?

Londonbus1

Hi Londonbus1. I only have versions of these four (4), I have a couple of each of the small stamps. As you state that to be original they would have to be cut-outs, then I would guess that they are bogus.

I have no need for these stamps, so if someone wants them then let me know at they can have them for the price of the postage.

stamporator,
I'd love to take you up on the offer, but you need 50 posts before you can buy, sell, and trade. Keep on posting.

The stamp at left is the 2nd stamp from the 6-stamp Malaria set of 1962.

The 3 stamps at right "might" be cut from the Tighearna reproduction S/S of 1942. The designs were slightly modified. Most obvious is the break in at the corners of the white framelines that surround

"9 PUFFIN 9"

Your 9 puffin stamp is consistent with the design from that sheet. There were 4 imperforate stamps on that sheet, with the 1/2 puffin stamp appearing twice. The 1970 Tighearna reissue was in mono-color, so it could not be from that.

I say "might", because the print quality of the stamps you scanned is noticeably poorer. But you might have stamps from late in the print run; I am not familiar enough with Lundy to tell you. The other reason I say "might" is because the 1942 Tighearna reproduction S/S is NOT a common item. Also, I see what appears to be a die line to the left of the 1/2 puffin stamp; I've not seen that before and don't understand why that would appear on a S/S stamp. Do you have the 2nd 1/2 puffin stamp (you only showed 3 stamps)?

I know of no other "official" reproductions of those stamps. But I am not a specialist in Lundy.

Hope that info helps.

Yes, I have checked with Ian Luggar and my catalogue and they are indeed from the 1942 Imperf Miniature sheet. Cat No L11. The minaiature sheet [Tighearna,L14].

The bogus stamps are extremely poor quality and there is no record of the Blue 2 puffin example.

Londonbus1