Lundy Puffin postage stamps
Lundy puffin postage stamps are widely known amongst the stamp collectors. The history behind the stamps of Lundy is similar to stamps of Herm Island.
The short history of Lundy puffin postage stamps
In late 1927, the British GPO ceased their post office activities at Lundy due to low activity and interest. For the next couple of years the owner of island (or “King of Lundy” as he preferred) M.C. Harman (1885-1954) handled the mail to and from the island without charge using MV Lerina.
On November 1, 1929 Harman decided to offset the expense by issuing a series of private postage labels with a value expressed in “Puffins”; one puffing being equivalent of the British penny. The rest, as they say, is history…
Besides postage stamps, Harman was also inspired to issue his own coins. There are two Lundy coins, the puffinand the half-puffin, with Mr. Harman’s bust on the obverse and a puffin on the reverse. One hundred thousand copies of coins were ordered at private mint in Birmingham. . The coins lead Harman in trouble with the British authorities in 1931 for unauthorized minting of money.
Lundy stamps from my collection
Below are images of (used) Lundy postage stamps I have in my collection. As I do not have a printed catalogue for Lundy stamps, I have gathered the information from various online sources. I am very well aware that some information may be wrong. But please, drop in a comment and “educate me” 
Let us begin from the start… The ½ Puffin pink and the 1 Puffin blue values were issued on November 1, 1929. Stamps were printed by Bradbury Wilkinson and Co Ltd half a million copies each.
1929 Lundy Puffin stamps - ½ puffin red and 1 puffin blue
Bradbury Wilkinson and Co Ltd did also the 6, 9 and 12 Puffin higher values introduced on the 9th July 1930. Below is an image of the imperf 9 puffin brown (on the right) as well as the ½ puffin imperf (on the left, I suspect this to be a complete bogus).
1929/30 Lundy imperf stamps. The imperf stamps originate from 1942 Tighearna miniature sheet, and have been forged in large numbers.
Next on the line, I have the 1939 “Standing Puffin” design. These were issued in values of 2,3 and 4 puffins.
1939 Lundy Standing Puffin design
In 1940 it was time for “V + Plane” Puffin overprints from the previous issues marking the 5th anniversary of airmail postage. I am interested to know what plane is on the overprint (please drop me a line if you have suggestions / knowledge).
1940 Lundy Plane +V Overprint
Few years later, 1943, Lundy issued the “IX Anniversary of Airmail” puffin overprints. This time also the colored frame design is overprint.
1943 Lundy Airmail IX Anniversary
Finally, a simple “BY AIR” overprint issued in in 1950.
1950 Lundy "BY AIR" overprint
Closing words
These stamps are by no means the end of Lundy locals. New Lundy locals (puffins and other topics) come out every once and then. In total there are over 300 different stamps issued.
You might also be interested of related posts about Private and local postage stamps, Stamps and postal history of UK.
As to the overprint plane, google “Hawker Hurricane” and see if you think the lines are the same. I don’t know, but I think so.
CJ
Hi CJ,
actually I’ve been thinking the same possibility for 1940 set, but…HH was a single-seat fighter aircraft. Why on earth would it be displayed on airmail stamp? 1940 was though a year after UK joined the WW2… Lots of guesswork & if’s here…
-keijo-
Very nice and very interesting and informative too. Hope you keep it updated for the sake of world collectors. I appreciate your efforts and send you my sincere good wishes and regards. Hurrah indeed !!!
Y M Kakar, Philatelist and Freelance Philatelic Journalist,
Pakistan Philatelic society,
P O Box – 18,
Quetta-87300
PAKISTAN.
Hi Kakar,
and thanks for the praise. I’ll definitely do try to keep the posts updated
Best wishes,
-keijo-
Thank you indeed for replying me and agreeing to be updating this site. This will surely be a great service to the world philatelists specially interested in this part of the world. Keep it always up please.
I have an interest in starting to collect stamps from Lundy. I was told of this site and was told that I could get help with starting from the nice folks on this site. Can anyone direct me to literature, catalogs, list, history, and dare I say dealer (will asking that get me removed?) where I can get my collection started. I appreciate all the help I can get. Thanks for any help that I get from you folks, in advance. Thanks again–Joel
Hi Joel,
I’m not a specialist with these, but hopefully the following bits of information will help:
As far as I know, there are two digital catalogs (both CDs) for these: Labbe is a specialized one, and PaBay is a generic one. I’ve seen only on older edition of PaBay, and it provided decent but basic listing. And usually most books about Lundy have something about the stamps and their history – but nothing of much indepth.
Regarding dealers… Try Ian Luggar.
I’m sure more advanced / knowledgeable collectors know more. But these will hopefully get you started.
best,
-keijo-
hello i have a set of 4 standing 1 puffin stamps in red unused, i think you said that they were not printed in the 1 puffin denomination any ideas!! regards terry
Hi Terry,
do you have an image to share? I know for sure that the 1939 set doesn’t contain 1 puffin stamp, so it could be some later issue, or complete fake.
I wanted to find out more about a black “Lundy” stamp I recently ran across. It depicts a puffin in air and is valued at 7. Please send all particulars as I am purportedly an expert in my 7 year old grandson’s eyes and I need to be informed.
Thanks.
Neil Novick
@Neil… Without a picture it’s hard to say anything specific, but the black color + 7 puffin face value indicate it could could be “Oyster Catcher” stamp from the 1951 set. But this is just a guess…
I refer to the illustrated imperf half puffin stamp suspected of being a complete bogus. I have a similar specimen but it bears a post mark including part of the place name: LUND, and part of the date: 12 Oc . I obtained this stamp when I was a boy in Cleveland, then part of Yorkshire.That was 60 or more years ago. Should I suspect my Lundy Island stamp of being bogus?
I always thought that it was one of the very first issued.
@Brian… These imperf stamps originate from 1942 “Tighearna (The Chief”) miniature sheet. And they have been forged in large scale.
The forged copies usually bear three characteristics:
a) they are uncanceled
In 1929-38 Lundy stamps were canceled with rectangular slogan postmark, from 1940 onwards also a Lundy CDS was used.
b) they have small margins
On the miniature sheet the stamps are placed wide apart allowing a very large margin (like the 9 Puffin stamp above). The forgeries usually have very tight margins (like the ½ Puffin stamp above)
c) they have crude printing compared to original
Just like the ½ Puffin copy I’m displaying…
So very likely Your copy is a real one.
My Mum to live in Bideford, North Devon. It was common to see packs of the Lundy stamps for sale in some of the local shops. At that time Bideford Post Office was the official Post Office for Lundy.
@Graham… That sounds like a nice story from the ‘good old days’…. I recall when I was a kid (in 1980s), (worldwide) stamp packets were somewhat easily found on many local shops. These days there’s nothing. What a shame
I remember that “Woolworths” was a major seller of stamps to school boys in the U.K. At least up to 1960, before I went into the Army as a teenager, then discovered “Girls”. Again it was packets of “mixed stamps”. Worldwide, Commonwealth, single countries, and so on. Was it really over fifty years since I bought packets of stamps from “Woolies”?
I am away to ly down in a dark room with a wee dram and fortify myself before I go to my stamp club tonight.
Hello,
I found a history sheet of the “Stamps of Lundy Island” in my old coin collection with six (6) Lundy Puffin stamps attached (1/2,1,2,6,9 and 12) that I would like to show to you, but I do not know how to attached the JPG. What is the best way to send this picture to you? I am curious if this was a mass produced piece or if you have seen this before.
Thank you,
Steve
@Steve… Upload the JPG-file to some photosharing site (like Flickr, Photobucket etc), and just point me the URL where I (and others) can view the photo.
Regarding CD catalogues of Lundy, I would like to inform you and all readers of your site that I have a CD Catalogue of Modern British Locals on the market for nearly 10 years, with semi-annual updates.
@Ralp… I’m aware of it existence, but like with so many other resources “there’s too many books to buy, or too little money in pocket
”
BTW. For some reason Google labels the Seahorse Publishers website with “This site may harm your computer”. I’ll recommend you notify your publisher/reseller about it – it’s a serious turn off for people making online purchases.
I have been consigned a collection that includes a number of Puffins. These are quite neat to look at. All have not been cancelled. Some Standing Puffins have By Air in black 1/2, 1 and 2; some in Red 1/2, 1 and 2 and then one 2 Puffin in Red By Air with an upside down By Air below it. Then there are two 12 Puffins with 8 overprint one in red and one in black. Finally there is a series of 1/2, 1, 2 (red overprint), 2 (black overprint), 4 (red overprint), 4 (black overprint), 6, 9, 12 (black overprints) The overprints are Coronation 2-6-1953. These are fascinating and I have to find out if the consignor will let me put them up on eBay. Ralph
@Ralph… Sounds like a pretty usual mixture of “puffins”. But that definitely doesn’t make them a bit less attractive
The 1940 aircraft is apparently meant to be a Spitfire, from info I’ve found on the web, but it looks much more like a two-seater light bomber such as the awful Fairey Fulmar or naval fighter the Fairey Battle, both of which have a pointy type stick just behind the cockpit, (actually a rear gun I guess
), and as shown on the stamp.
As this airmail service interested me I checked on the net and found that an airmail service ran from 1928-1953, but the one article I found mentioning aircraft claimed it started with an Auster Autocrat, which would be difficult in 1928 as it wasn’t built until 1945!
Toby
@Toby… I can only humbly bow before your knowledge
The history of the Island was even more interesting!
At one point North African Muslim Barbary Pirates held the island and used it as a staging post for captured Christians waiting to be sent back to North Africa as slaves, ironic as Bristol is just across the water.
@Toby… fascinating… I’ve got to read more about the history of Lundy some day.
Good afternoon Keijo,
I came about your Stamp collecting blog by accident. I was searching for information on the Puffin stamps from Lundy. In that blog you said your were interested in Puffins. I have seven of them–all MNH and with a overprint that says: “Coronation 2-6-1953.” If you would like to see the photo send me an email. I also am looking forward to information about them. If you can help, swell
Chuck MacCrone
P.S. I started collecting in 1942 or 1943.
@Chuck… Nice coronation commemorative. I’ve seen it several times on eBay etc. As usual with these, mint sets are somewhat common and retail at few pounds, used sets are worth 2-3 times more.
Hello, Keijo,
How are you ? Hope you are in good health and mood. By the way why not any new issues or related FDCs, postcards from
Lundy Islands ? We wish to see them and beg you to get it updated. Thanks/Regards.
@Yar… The reason is very simply. All the items I display / write on this blog are from my personal collection. And at least for the time being I don’t have anything ‘modern’ from Lundy to show off.
Hello Keijo
Thanks for your blog. I have a few lundy stamps and with no knowledge I was keen to find any ‘catalogue’. I found the Lundy OnLine Stamps Catalogue by Anders Backman really useful and hope it can assist.
cheers
Glenis Hill
Hi,
Before reading Your blog on Lundy,I always had an impression these stamps to be bogus.In my schooldays, we used to find Lundy stamps in packekts but threw away considering it to be bogus.Your article has really given a good insight about these stamps & country.Thanks a lot for this
@Vidhu… Happy to hear you liked this one
Hello,
I have found a small bag containing uncancelled Lundy stamps that say 1929-1989. They are number 10, 14 and 15-24 in a series. They were purchased by a stamp collector for $1.89 and I have no idea how I came to have them. Any info is appreciated. I almost threw them away.
@Linda…. Can’t say anything for sure without picture / actual items, but if they cost $1.89 in late 1980s (or thereafter), they are more than likely to be worth the same today.