A selection of ten delightful greeting cards will be featured on the 2019 Isle of Man Christmas stamps celebrating 100 years of the Greeting Card Association.
The British are the most prolific card-sending nation in the world, spending £1.7 billion a year on greeting cards. The UK also leads the world in greeting card design and innovation which sees millions of UK cards exported all over the globe.
The first commercial Christmas card was sent in 1843, by Sir Henry Cole, the chief organizer of the Great Exhibition, pioneer of the penny post and founder of the V&A Museum. One of Sir Henry’s first Christmas cards, sent to his Grandmother, was recently sold at auction for $22,500
Christmas is a special as well as a sacred time for many, and the Christmas card is the perfect way of keeping in touch and letting family, friends and loved ones know that they are thought of. No other country has such a tradition of card sending or card display in the home - the sending and receiving of cards is an important part of our culture. After all you can’t put a text message on a mantelpiece!
Creative consultant Geoff Sanderson: “I was honoured to be asked to curate the cards used in this very special collection of stamps on behalf of the Greeting Card Association. The designs chosen evoke the spirit of the season, whilst featuring beautiful artwork from some of our leading artists and illustrators - showcasing the work of the publishers that the GCA supports.”
The Greeting Card Association on sending cards: “With scientific evidence proving that receiving greeting cards improves mental health and well-being, greeting cards continue to be the preferred choice to express sentiment to someone important. And with 18-24 year olds now sending more cards than a generation ago the great British tradition of card sending is set to continue.”
Maxine Cannon, General Manager, Isle of Man Stamps and Coins said: “We are pleased to present this joyful delivery of ten beautiful and diverse greeting cards as our festive stamp set for Christmas. The set celebrates the centenary of the Greeting Card Association and we are delighted to have been able to collaborate with the GCA and industry-leader Geoff Sanderson to mark the occasion and showcase the range of the membership’s work.”
The ‘Christmas Cards’ collection is available as Set and Sheet Set, Presentation Pack and First Day Cover. For further information, please see www.iompost.com/christmas-cards.
Further to the above mentioned products the stamps will also be available as variable value self-adhesive stamp collection (VVD). These will be vended via our retail kiosks, post office counter network and via hand-held vending machines at one-off events such as stamp exhibitions. Ramsey Philatelic Services is happy to provide a service whereby customers wishing to obtain examples of VVD’s from a kiosk location or counter position can place an order with them prior to the issue date of 28th October 2019. Contact Mike or Richard at boomland@manx.net Ramsey Philatelic Services, 5 Windsor Road, Ramsey, Isle of Man, IM8 3EG.
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