This year’s SEPAC theme is Historical Maps on Stamps , which should make collectors happy. SEPAC (Small European Postal Administration Cooperation) sponsors an annual thematic competition between its 13 member states. Unfortunately it has an annoying habit of not updating their Facebook page or website. It takes a bit of scrabbling and scrolling through posts to find relevant information. At least their news releases are timely. Seriously SEPAC, hire a communications person to keep your site up-to-date, especially competition info – it’s a year and a half out of date. Hell’s Bells, contact me and I’ll do it for you!
Maps are a popular theme among collectors. So much so, it has it’s own subcategory Cartophilately. If this area interests you, your first stop should be The CartoPhilatelic Society (mapsonstamps.org). The next site you need to bookmark is Gilad Aharoni’s impressive website: Gilad’s Maps on Stamps. The site boasts over 16,000 stamps in a searchable database.
Now, about the contest. I’ve tried to find fun details about each to highlight it’s importance to the issuing country. This was a fun little project and I haven’t finished with it. I’m still researching about each map and cartographer. As I find information, I’ll share it with you.
A few stamps are due in Sept. When they are all issued, I’ll post a small poll to find the best of Historical Maps 2021. SEPAC will announce a winner for this competition but, who knows when. I’ll keep watching their news releases to find out more.
SEPAC MAPS ON STAMPS – HISTORICAL MAPS 2021
Åland Islands
The nautical chart from 1747 was drawn up by Swedish pilot officer Jonas Hahn (1703–59). Located approx. 10 nautical miles off Mariehamn, Rödhamn consists of the islands Långö, Ljungskär, Gloskär and Rödö, beyond them lies the Sea of Åland. Rödhamn has served as a sheltered harbour for seafarers throughout the centuries and is, today, a popular marina.
From Ålands Post
Artist: Swedish Military Archives, Nautical Chart Department, Ålands skärgård 26 by Jonas Hahn
Designer: Julia Perander/Strax
Release date: March 25, 2021
Faroe Islands
1 stamp, 2 mini sheet, FDC, cancel
The stamp displays Sebastian Münster’s Gemeine beschreibung aller Mittnächtigen Länder/Schweden/Gothen/Nordwegien/Deñmarck/rc. (also called Septentrionales regiones) printed 1578. Learn more about Sebastian Münster Of Maps and Men ……. and Monsters. Sebastian Münster’s Cosmographia (1554). | Worcester Cathedral Library and Archive Blog (wordpress.com). It’s a fun read and you’ll be treated to some interesting maps.
Sebastian Münster (1488-1552) from his Cosmographia. Image copyright the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral (UK)
Designer: Kim Simonsen
Release date: April 26, 2021
Gibraltar
SEPAC – historical maps on stamps
presentation pack
FDC
5 stamps, presentation pack, FDC, cancel
Better images coming
- 60p stamp – mid 19th c map by cartographer William Hughes (1818-1876)
- 90p stamp – French map from the 14th siege The Great Siege of Gibraltar (24 June 1779 – 7 February 1783)
- £1 stamp – 1823 by R.H. Laurie, Map & Chart feller titled ‘A plan of the town and fortifications of Gibraltar’
- £1.15 stamp – 1726 New plan of the Garrison of Gibraltar with its fortifications
- £4 – French map of Gibraltar from the 13th Siege. “This map is particularly fascinating as it depicts firing lines from the Spanish batteries and the British defences. The top left section depicts two ships attacking Spanish lines noting ‘English ships detach from Vice Admiral Wager’s squadron, firing on the Spaniards during their attacks’. Wager was with the fleet under Sir George Rooke that captured Gibraltar in 1704” PRE-ORDER Historic Maps Set | Stamps | 2021 | Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau (gibraltar-stamps.com)
Gibraltar National Archives has a nice selection of old maps online called Mapping our Past Early Cartography (nationalarchives.gi) It’s a good starting point to learn more about maps of Gibraltar. The Archives also has an interesting, brief article titled The Art of Cartography Mapping Our Past Exhibition (nationalarchives.gi).
Designer: Stephen Perera using maps from the Gibraltar National Archives
Release date: Sept. 9, 2021
Greenland – more SEPAC maps on stamps
1 stamp, block, sheet of 10, 2 FDCs, cancel
Design based on Gustav Holm’s and G. C. Amdrup’s shipping route maps from 1884-85 and 1900 and various maps of the coast northeast of Tasiilaq.
Designer: Nuka K. Godtfredsen
Release date: June 8, 2021
Guernsey – even more SEPAC historical maps on stamps
6 stamps in booklet, 6 sheets of 10, FDC, cancel
The 17th c “Garnsey” (Guernsey) maps on these 6 stamps were created by British cartographer John Speed (1552-1629) .
- 50p: S Michaell The Vale, Chasteau de Vale and S Sampson
- 70p: Herme, Great Sarck, Little Sarke and Brehoe
- 73p: S. Martyn, The Towns & Cornet castle
- £1.00: The British Garnsey
- £1.15: Tortuville, S. Andrew, S Peters de Boys and S. Saviour
- £1.20: S. Peters de Boys, Roke Hayue, Hanoys and The Howe
Release date: Sept. 1, 2021
Iceland
In 2020, Icelandic Post announced they would no longer be issuing new designs. They will be selling existing stocks and when necessary, reprinting older stamps.
Isle of Man
TBA
Jersey
Cartographic history of Jersey over the last five centuries
John Norden 1595. Anna Castle has an very approachable, and well written article on cartographer Norden. Elizabethan: John Norden, cartographer | Author Anna Castle
Jan Jannson 1646. Jannson (1588-1664) was a Dutch mapmaker and publisher. His name is alternately written Johannes Janssonius in some sources. Jannson’s map skills appear on Malta’s SEPAC entry.
Nicholas Dobree 1746. Dobree was commissioned by the Lord High Admiral of Great Britain to chart the dangerous waters around the Channel Islands, after the disastrous wrecking of the HMS Victory in 1744. The ship sank off the coast of Guernsey with the loss of her entire crew of 1150. In 2008, the Odyssey Marine Exploration team found the wreckage. World’s Mightiest Warship Discovered (Underwater Archaeology) – World Archaeology (world-archaeology.com)
Lempierre 1796. I could find no information.
White 1826. Admiral Martin White RN (@1779-1865) Martin White RN – Jerripedia (theislandwiki.org) . Co-author of A survey of the island of Jersey, and its surrounding dangers.
Harry Clark 1930. Clark produced a tourist’s road map of Jersey. Still looking for information.
6 stamp, FDC, souvenir sheets of 10, presentation pack, blocks, pairs, postcards
Designer: Jersey Post
Release date: Feb. 17, 2021
Liechtenstein
1 stamp, souvenir sheet of 9, FDC, cancel
Map of the upper Rhine Valley by Swiss cartographer and engineer Hans Conrad Gyger (1599-1674).
Hans Conrad Gyger (1599-1674)
Designer: Sereina Hatt, Vaduz
Release date: June 7, 2021
Luxembourg
1 stamp, FDC, cancel
16th century Map of Luxembourg – Jakob van Deventer (1500 – 1575).
van Deventer was a cartographer commissioned by Spanish kings Charles V and Philip II.
Jakob van Deventer mapped all the cities in the Netherlands for Philip II. His work was largely unknown until the 19th century. He mapped between 250 and 260 cities from all over the Netherlands, north Germany and France and Luxembourg.
To properly illustrate the city he measured up various points in the city and joined them together. He thereby made use of triangulation. He went and stood somewhere in the city and chose two points that he could see. He measured the distance between the two points and his stand point and measured the angle between the two lines. This way he could calculate what the distance was between both endpoints of the lines. This was a new method. Maps by Jacob van Deventer – Het Utrechts Archief (google.com)
Designer: IDP+Partners (L)
Release date: Sept. 14, 2021
Malta
4 stamps, FDC, cancel, presentation pack
- .20 Giovanni Giacomo De Rossi an Italian printer and cartographer, published in Rome in 1686 titled ISOLA DI MALTA GOZZO COMINO E COMINOTTO
- .50 Dutch cartographer Johannes Jansonnius, published around 1650 titled INSVLAE MELITAE Vulgo MALTE Nova et accurata Description
- .63 French cartographer Bernard Antoine Jaillot and published in 1734 titled CARTE PARTICULIERE DES ISLES / DE MALTE du Goze et du Cuming
- 1.25 German cartographer Georg Matthaus Seutter the Elder published in c.1725 titled MELITE vulgo MALTA cum vicinis GOZA, quae olim GAULOS, et COMINO insulis
Designer: Malta Post
Release date: May 28, 2021
Monaco
1 stamp
Map of Monaco 1914
Designer: Joël Tchobanian
Release date: July 19, 2021
Vatican City
No SEPAC issue listed in their stamp list for 2021
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