Guernsey 2024 stamps manage to cover everything from dragons to little fluffy bunnies, and it its only April!

What else do the folks at Guernsey Post have in mind for us?  As usual, the year starts with their annual Lunar New Year set by Chrissie Lau. She will be wrapping up the current cycle next year, so I hope Guernsey finds new projects to showcase her substantial talents.  Their second issue is one of my perennial favourites – the annual Post and Go stamps. I have a particular fondness for this type of stamp, mostly because we don’t have this style of stamp here in Canada. Somehow, I feel cheated.  Not sure why I like them so much, but I’m always on the lookout for new ones. 

I’m quite happy with the details I’ve sourced on the artists this year. Guernsey, like fellow Channel Island Jersey, does a extraordinary job supporting local artists, and having details available. This year, I spent time finding newspaper articles etc. to help bump up the info. Stamps are more exciting when artists are given their due. 

One upcoming set I’m eager to see is the UPU: 150th Anniversary. This will be a theme shared by countries around the world, and hopefully will be creative enough to merit a page of their own. The Universal Postal Union oversaw the creation of international cooperation between postal services throughout the world. Without their work, mail delivery would have remained piecemeal and chaotic. It now has 192 members and continues its work. Hmm, that would be an interesting article. Looks like we’ll be seeing a 150th celebration here. 

Enjoy the year.
Catpaw

January

Year of the Dragon 🐉

6 stamps, souvenir sheet, 2 FDCs, cancel, 2 presentation packs, 6 sheets of 10, uncut press sheet, souvenir gold replica (100 copies)
offset

Designer: Chrissy Lau
British born and Australian based artist Chrissy Lau is well known for her annual Lunar New Year stamps. Lau, a graduate of law school, took a chance on turning her love of art to a full-time graphic arts career in 2013, winning her first postage commission in 2014 for Guernsey’s Year of the Horse set. Next year, she will have completed a full Lunar cycle with the Year of the Snake stamps. 

She has also designed Lunar stamps for Christmas Island starting with the 2021 Year of the Ox.

Growing up, everyone was so encouraging about my drawings and always told me how creative I was but I never considered it as a career. There was an insane amount of reading to do at uni, so I drew more and more to keep myself sane. After uni I decided to see if I could sell my drawings. I still didn’t have the courage to pursue illustration full-time, so I continued with commissions at night whilst juggling various day jobs.
Deeper Meanings Behind the Art: Chrissy Lau on Zodiac Stamps and More (postcrossing.com)

Release date: January 24, 2024

February

Post and Go: Guernsey Coat of Arms

6 stamps, FDC, cancel, presentation pack
digital printing

The Coat of Arms of Guernsey 

• GY Letter: Cup & Saucer – Fort Grey
• GY Large: Coastal Wild Flowers
• UK Letter: Curious Guernsey
• UK Large: Fishing at dawn
• EUR: Castle Breakwater Lighthouse
• ROW: Rockpooling at Cobo

Designer: Anni Bisson
German transplant Bisson made Guernsey her home in 2006. This is her first stamp design. 

Release date: February 14, 2024

150th Anniversary of the GSPCA (Guernsey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)

6 stamps, FDC, cancel, presentation pack, 6 sheets of 10
offset

150 years of helping Guernsey’s animals | Bailiwick Express 

Designer: Chloe Sarre
Chloe also designed the 2022 Guernsey and Alderney Christmas Stamps.  

It’s been a long time in the making. Last August I started working on these stamps. By November, they received Royal Approval from the palace. In December they were sent to the security printers and today they are finally released!

We decided to feature animals that differ from our more traditionally popular canine and feline friends, to showcase the wide variety of other animals that the GSPCA cares for.  

Release date: February 14, 2024

March

Celebrating 200 Years of the RNLI

6 stamps, FDC, cancel, presentation pack, booklet
offset 

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has been saving lives at sea since it was founded in 1824.  Since then, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have rescued over 144,000 people, and it continues to provide lifesaving services to those in need.

The RNLI celebrates its bicentenary in 2024 and has planned a series of events and activities to mark this milestone.
Celebrating 200 Years of the RNLI (guernseystamps.com)

This is a joint set with Jersey and Isle of Man 

Designer: RNLI Creative

Release date: March 4, 2024

May

Clematis Gold: Diana’s Delight

1 stamp on souvenir sheet, FDC, cancel, stamp pack
offset

Designer: Gillian Barlow
This is the 3rd Clematis stamp Barlow has designed for Guernsey Post. She also works with the Florilegium Society at the Royal Botanic Gardens Inc. 

Release date: May 14, 2024

Guernsey NFT 1 –  Golden Guernsey Goats🐐 

Billy Goat & Nanny Goat
Artist Chris Griffiths

Blockchain: Polygon 
Copies: 15,00

Each stamp will have a digital twin.

The physical stamp images were hand drawn by Chris Griffiths. The NFT artwork will include hats, glasses, different coloured jumpers, also created by Griffiths using vector format. 

It was really nice to be able to have fun creating the original golden Guernsey goat characters wearing their Guernsey jumpers for the physical stamps and then continue that fun with the designs for all of the elements for the NFTs, including things like laser eyes, UFOs, yellow submarines etc. “  Chris Griffiths

The Golden Guernsey Goats is an endangered species. It has lived on the Island for about 200 years, with them first popping up in a guide book which identified them as “golden cow, goat and donkey”. 

One hundred years ago, a Guernsey woman named Miriam Milbourne rediscovered golden goats among the scrub herds in the Island and later began to keep them. Registration of the animals began in The Guernsey Goat Society’s general herd book in 1922. 

During the Occupation in WW2, Miriam went to great lengths to keep her goats safe, hiding them indoors to ensure they weren’t taken and slaughtered by German Forces. She then began a breeding programme in the 1950s, and after her death, her animals passed into the care of a trust. What are the Golden Guernsey Goats? | Visit Guernsey 

Visit Guernsey (link above) has more information on the goat, and the island itself. A nice site to visit. 

Billy Goat

Copies: 7,500
common:
rare: 
ultra rare: 
epic: 
legendary:

Nanny Goat 

Copies: 7,500
common:
rare: 
ultra rare: 
epic: 
legendary

Release date: July 24, 2024

4 stamps, FDC, cancel, stamp pack, 4 sheets of 10
offset

SACC is celebrating its 100th year of activity.  What we do | Guernsey Arts

• Celebration by Ann Hunt
• Fermain Bay by Louise Le Pelley
• Rocquaine Bay by Liz Potter
• New Pupil by Nelli Begg

SEPAC: Main Tourist Attraction

4 stamps, FDC, cancel, 4 postcards, 4 maxi cards, stamp pack, 4 sheets of 10
offset

Main Tourist Attractions includes a rare maxi and post card set. 

• Lighthearted illustrations of various attractions across the island.
• Lihou Island, situated on the west coast of Guernsey
• Herm Island, Situated 20 mins east of Guernsey
• St Peter Port seafront and harbour
• The Island of Sark and Brecqhou, situated 55 mins east of Guernsey

Designer: Caroline Cummins
Cummins started Little Paper Gallery (in St Martin’s) in 2011. She specialises creating hand drawn cards and postcards that highlight the beauty of Guernsey.
Illustrated cards and prints of Guernsey – (littlepapergallery.com)

Release date: July 25, 2024

October

UPU: 150th Anniversary

4 stamps, FDC, cancel presentation pack, 1 maxi and 1 postcard
offset

The 65 pence stamp depicts the founding members of the General Postal Union, which later became known as the Universal Postal Union. Held in Bern, Switzerland in 1874, delegates from 22 countries signed the Treaty of Berne which brought together a complex maze of postal services and regulations.

In 1906, the UPU created the International Reply Coupon (IRC) during the Rome Congress (£1.20 stamp). IRCs may be exchanged between the countries of which the administrations have agreed to participate. Since they became available in 1907, the appearance of the IRC has changed several times, with nine different models and 21 iterations.

Located in Berne, home to the UPU’s headquarters, the UPU Monument Around the World was created by the French sculptor René de Saint-Marceaux (£1.36 stamp). It was inaugurated on October 4, 1909, after de Saint-Marceaux won an international competition in which more than 120 artists participated.

The central image of the monument – the five women passing letters around a globe – was adopted as the UPU emblem several decades ago and symbolises international postal communication.

UPU 150th Anniversary

Designer: Andrew Robinson supplied the landscape artwork, the UPU design is a mutual design used across the world

Release date:  October 9, 2024

Guernsey Christmas – The Snowman

7 stamps, FDC, cancel, presentation pack
offset

Each snowman in this series is visiting a different location on the islands.

• 60p – St Saviours Reservoir, watching Santa fly by
• 65p – Torteval Church, sledging down the valley
• 88p – Vazon Bay, winter seaside fun
• £1.20 – Fort Grey, flying with the birds
• £1.36 – Fermain Bay, paddleboarding
• £1.68 – The Fairy Ring, the fairies come out to play
• £1.74 – St Peter Port Lighthouse, watching the shooting stars

Designer: Caroline Veron
Guernsey native Vernon passion is illustrations for children. 
” I absolutely love pouring over all of the gorgeous children’s books with my little girl. I like to create fun and colourful pieces with a splash of magic! “
Caroline Veron | Guernsey Arts

Release date: October 29, 2024