Featuring the Island’s crest, Jersey Post’s pioneering new £5 stamp has three holographic effects and changes colour when viewed from different angles.
The three leopards on the crest have been bevelled and embossed so that they stand out and their spots also change colour when the stamp is moved.
The names of the Island’s 12 parishes are also printed in micro text in the stamp’s background waves, but can only be seen using a magnifying glass.
Islanders will also be able to buy ten new stamps depicting the crest of Jersey in a range of colours, which the postal company says was chosen to reflect a contemporary Jersey community.
Melanie Gouzinis, Jersey Post’s head of philatelic, said she was proud of the company’s achievement and that the stamps followed on from the success of other holographic productions the company had issued.
‘To be issuing another world-first stamp is a brilliant achievement for Jersey Post,’ she said.
‘Jersey stamps are known throughout the world for their innovative printing techniques and exciting designs – the £10 Definitive stamp, issued in 2012, features “Equanimity”, the first official holographic portrait of the Queen, and we are delighted to issue a suitably fine £5 stamp to sit alongside it in our Definitive range.’
The stamps will be available to buy from all branches of Jersey Post next Wednesday and presentation packs can be pre-ordered at www.jerseystamps.com.
- The animals which feature on the stamps are, in fact, known as leopardised lions. The lion is the beast most often found in heraldry and early English heraldry holds that any lion in a walking position is in fact a leopard.
- In 1906, the then Bailiff, Sir William Venables Vernon, in his correspondence with the Lieutenant Governor claimed that the Island’s arms were ‘leopardised’ lions.
- There is also a suggestion from Norman sources that early ‘leopardised’ lions were creatures with the head of a lion and the body of a leopard.
- Another theory as to the cause of this sort of representation is that in monochrome heraldic representation the metal or (gold) is shown in code as dots on a white background. Mistaken copying and colouring gave rise to spotted lions instead of gold lions.
Jersey stamps – a brief history
- Jersey Post has issued its own stamps since becoming an independent postal administration operator in 1969.
- Over the years Jersey Post has produced stamps on a wide range of topics including the Island’s heritage, special anniversaries, traditions, flora and fauna and Jersey’s links to celebrated figures and world events.
- The Philatelic Bureau is always looking for topical issues to base stamps on and recent local subjects which had worldwide appeal have included the Titanic, The Grand National winner Corbiere, Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell and Military Vehicles.
- Man of Steel, issued in 2013, was inspired by Jerseyman Henry Cavill’s role as Superman in the blockbuster movie Man of Steel. Each stamp in the issue features a different print technique to echo the Man of Steel’s super powers.
2000 – The first stamp in Europe to be issued using 24 carat gold (the previous £10 Definitive stamp)
2002 – The first stamp in the world to be issued using 24 carat gold, 9 carat gold and 99.99% silver (the £3 Golden Jubilee stamp)
2012 – The first stamp in the world to be issued incorporating a real diamond (Souvenir Miniature Sheet commemorating The Queen’s Accession)
2012 – The first stamp in the world to feature a holographic portrait of the Queen (the current £10 Definitive stamp)
- Jersey is no stranger to holographic firsts – in 2004, Jersey Heritage commissioned a holographic portrait of the Queen, entitled Equanamity, to mark the 800th anniversary of Jerseys relationship with the British Crown.
- In 2012, to mark the Queens Diamond Jubilee, Jersey Post decided to use the portrait on a new commemorative stamp. The £10 Definitive stamp, which is still in use, was the first stamp in the world to feature a holographic portrait of the Queen.
- The portrait, by artist Chris Levine, was the product of two sittings with the monarch where more than 10,000 individual photographs were made using a tracking camera.
- Jersey’s government gave a copy of a holographic portrait of the Queen to the National Portrait Gallery, where it currently hangs
