For the fourth year in a row the second issue in 2024 of variable value stamps – ‘Post & Go’ released by the Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau, forms part of the EUROPA series.
The common theme chosen by the 53 postal administrations forming part of PostEurop for the special 2024 issue was ‘Underwater Fauna and Flora’. The Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau is not part of PostEurop, but still releases an annual EUROPA series. In 2024 it is dedicated to the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), a species that crosses the Strait of Gibraltar for its migrations, and the orca or killer whale (Orcinus orca), a cetacean that inhabits the waters of the Strait.
The EUROPA set of ‘traditional’ stamps, consisting of sheets of six stamps of each illustration and a mini sheet with both designs, was issued on April 25th 2024. Five months later, on September 30th, this series was completed with a ‘Post & Go’ issue, illustrated with the design dedicated to the orca.
See previous ‘Post & Go – EUROPA’ issues – ‘Barbary Macaques’ in 2021 (article & VARIABLE 62), ‘Stories & Myths’ in 2022 (article & VARIABLE 66) & ‘Peace’ en 2023 (article).
The rolls of 1,500 thermal self-adhesive labels were manufactured by Cartor Security Printers in the UK, by digital offset printing. The labels feature a neutral security background with continuous ‘Royal Gibraltar Post Office’ text to the left, and a glossy overlay in the design area.
The ‘EUROPA Underwater Fauna & Flora’ design was therefore available from September 30th 2024, from the DKU GI05 desktop unit installed at the Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau office in two printing varieties.
The philatelic service sold sets or ‘Collectors strips’ with the six values or postage rate indicators programmed at the kiosk. The stamps in these sets, printed with the machine back-office code GI04, do not include any special wording, nor are they accompanied by a receipt.
However, all stamps issued from the Intelligent AR DKU desktop kiosk configured for public use include the ‘Philatelic HQ‘ identifier under the face value indicator, and the GI05 code. For each transaction, the machine automatically prints one or more receipts on thermal paper, depending on the stamps purchased.
The Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau produced a pictorial first day cover with the set and associated special postmark.
(English edition rewritten by J. Gareze – December 2024)