Majority of Guernsey stamps bought by collectors

Monday, 5 October 2026 19:30

By Euan Mahy

Head of Philatelic at Guernsey Post, Bridget Yabsley.

Around three quarters of the new stamps issued by Guernsey Post are snapped up by philatelists.

In November 2025, following a consultation, a raft of Guernsey Post boxes were sealed up, because they were underused in the digital era.

Yet the States owned company still produces around eight new sets of stamps each year.

Sark and Alderney stamps are produced in Guernsey in more limited numbers but can only be posted from those islands.

Head of Philatelic Bridget Yabsley says their principal buyers are stamp collectors:

"We have a large number of stamp collectors and we need to continue servicing their interest; it's about a quarter are used for retail and three quarters are for collectors."

She says although the UK is their biggest collectors market, there is interest in Guernsey stamps worldwide:

"Our main database is the UK, being a Crown Dependency, but we have collectors throughout Europe and as far afield as Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and China.

"Our stamps promote Guernsey throughout the world, and they're known as a high quality stamp."

Bridget says that people used to collect first day covers whatever the illustrations, but that is less common:

"It's changing to be more thematic, so if someone likes lighthouses or boats, they'll collect stamps from anywhere in the world with those themes, so we try to tap into that collector market as much as anything else."

As head of philatelic, Bridget is responsible for planning and commissioning new stamps and the artwork is key. She says she works up to one year in advance and has a group of illustrators and photographers that she uses regularly.

When a new design is ready it goes through a rigorous checking process, including by the Bailiff and the Lieutenant Governor and ultimately Buckingham Palace for Royal approval:

"We're reliably told the late Queen was an avid stamp collector and the Crown has the biggest collection of stamps in the world, as they have the Commonwealth issues as well.

"There was a room where all the new stamp designs were laid out and the Queen would look at them and make comment or not, but she saw them all."