Post office releases new royal stamps

(CMR) The Cayman Islands Postal Service will close out the year 2021 with an impressive issue of special new stamps that should gladden the hearts of dedicated philatelists as well as the general public.

The issue brings together three stamp issues that were set to be published during the last quarter: celebrating Her Majesty The Queen’s 95^th birthday, remembering His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, and commemorating Christmas 2021.

The releases are all the more precious given that printing and shipping delays for all three issues brought them to the Cayman Islands weeks after the target release dates in October and November.

Now, all three stamp issues are available for purchase at all Cayman Islands Post Offices. However, the First Day Cover (FDC) for the Prince Philip issue is the only one currently available since the FDCs for the other two issues are still awaited.

The full set of stamps and First Day Cover for the Prince Philip stamp issue are available for purchase at the Philatelic Bureau located in the Seven Mile Beach Post Office on West Bay Road.

Denominations and other details for the three sets of stamps are as below:

His Royal Highness Prince Philip In Memoriam stamp:

Denominations: $0.20, $0.25 $1.00 & $1.60

Stamp Set: $3.05

First Day Cover: $3.85;

Souvenir Sheet: $2.00;

Her Majesty the Queen 95^th Birthday Issue:

Denominations: $0.25, $0.30, $0.80 & $1.50

Stamp Set: $2.85

First Day Cover: $3.65 (not yet available)

Souvenir Sheet: $2.00;

Christmas 2021 stamp issue:

Denominations: $0.25, $0.75, $0.80 $1.50

Stamp Set: $3.30

First Day Cover: $4.10 (not available yet)

Commenting on the stamp issues, Postmaster General, Ms Sheena Glasgow said: “The Christmas season is always a special time for us at CI Postal Service. So, I am delighted that we have been able to release another Christmas issue and the Royal Family stamp issues are always popular in philatelic circles. Unfortunately, conditions beyond our control – and indeed of our suppliers as well — delayed the release of these new issues. Nevertheless, better late than never and we are pleased we could offer them in time for increased Christmas season mail.”

The Postmaster General added, “Development work on our 2022 stamp issues is already underway so the Postal Service will continue to release stamp issues going into the future, as we have done in the past.”