A selection of Tristan da Cunha stamps of no longer available from the Post Office but are of interest to people who wish to know more about the island and its history.

See also:

This page reatures stamp issues of local interest that are no longer available for sale from the Tristan Post Office, but are of special interest to philatelists and others with an interest in the island and its history.

Shackleton-Rowett Expedition 1921-1922

Issue date: 28th November 2012
After the death of Sir Ernest Shackleton during his last expedition, his ship the Quest called in at Tristan da Cunha, arriving the 20th May 1922. They stayed for five days, undertaking scientific work within the island group, before heading off to Cape Town then homeward to Plymouth.
Shackleton-Rowett Expedition 1921-1922
Left to right: Frank Wild, Hubert Wilkins, James Marr, & Frank Worsley
Originally sold as:
4 mint stamps (4 x 70p) for £2.80
First Day Cover with 4 stamps for £3.55

Maiden Voyage of SA Agulhas II

Issued on: 17th September 2012
The Agulhas provides a cargo and passenger service to Tristan da Cunha each spring, and exchanges personnel and delivers cargo at the South African Meteorological Station on Gough Island.
Maiden Voyage of SA Agulhas II: 35p - Agulhas I
SA Agulhas I		 Maiden Voyage of SA Agulhas II: 35p - Agulhas II
SA Agulhas II		 Maiden Voyage of SA Agulhas II: 70p - Agulhas I
SA Agulhas I		 Maiden Voyage of SA Agulhas II: £1.10 - Agulhas II
SA Agulhas II
Originally sold as:
4 mint stamps (2 x 35p, 70p, £1.10) for £2.50
First Day Cover with 4 stamps for £3.25

1961 Volcano Series - Part 2
(50th Anniversary of the Royal Society Expedition)

Issued on: 30th January 2012

Returning with report
Resettlement survey team
Landing party & HMS Protector

Navy Whirlwind helicopter
Royal Society Members
Originally sold as:
4 mint stamps (25p, 35p, 95p, £1.10) for £2.65, and Mint Souvenir Sheet with £2.00 stamp for £2.00
First Day Covers with 4 stamps (25p, 35p, 95p, £1.10) for £3.20, and with souvenir sheet for £2.55

1961 Volcano Series - Part 1
(50th Anniversary of the eruption & evacuation)

Issued on 10th October 2011

Tholoid
Eruption Oct.1961
MV Tjisadane & Last day covers

Islanders aboard Tjisadane
Arrival at Cape Town
Originally sold as:
4 mint stamps (25p, 35p, 95p, £1.10) for £2.65, and Mint Souvenir Sheet with £2.00 stamp for £2.00
First Day Covers with 4 stamps (25p, 35p, 95p, £1.10) for £3.20, and with souvenir sheet for £2.55

Tristan da Cunha Traditions II

Issued on 24th November 2010
     
Thatching   Bullock Cart   Traditional Music   Pillow Dance
Originally sold as:
4 mint stamps ( 25p, 35p, 70p, £1.60) for £2.90
First Day Cover with 4 stamps for £3.45
 

Island Family Surnames

Issued on 6th September 2010

This special issue commemorates Tristan family surnames with stamps representing the nations from whence the original settlers came, illustrated by their national flags and birds native to their home country.

Originally sold as:
5 mint stamps (5 x 50p) for £2.50
First Day Cover with 5 stamps for £3.05
Glass with the Scottish St Andrew’s Flag or Saltire and a Golden Eagle
     
Green, with the Dutch flag and an Oystercatcher   Swain with the English St George's flag and an Avocet (used also on the RSPB logo)   Hagan / Rogers with the US Stars and Stripes and an American Bald Eagle   Repetto / Lavarello with Italian Flag & Hoopoe (emblem of the Italian League for Bird Protection).

Mail to Tristan da Cunha

Issued on 23rd November 2009
Nine scheduled ships a year bring mail from Cape Town to the world's most remote community. The last 2009 ship leaves Cape Town on 26th November. Miss this last post before Christmas and the next post is not due until 3rd March 2010, a gap of three months. So it is hardly surprising that the arrival of post is an important event on the island. The arrival of the mail is highlighted in this last 2009 stamp issue, and available for order now from the unique Tristan da Cunha Post Office.
     
Mail bags prominent on the ship's deck as priority cargo to be unloaded on the first barge ashore.   Mail bags loaded onto a trailer in Calshot Harbour with Chief Islander Inspector Conrad Glass looking on   Hitting the gong heralds the news that the long-awaited post is ready for collection by Islanders in the Prince Philip Hall.   Post Office staff read out recipients of mail, and a family member comes forward to collect it
Originally sold as:
4 mint stamps ( 25p, 35p, £1, £1.60) for £3.15
First Day Cover with 4 stamps for £3.45

Tristan da Cunha Traditions

Issued on 28th September 2009
     
Sheep Shearing
See Woolens Page		   Ratting Day
See Ratting Day Page		   Longboats to Nightingale
See Nightingale Page		   Old Year's Night Okalolies
See Christmas / New Year Page
See also an article on the Tristan da Cunha Okalolies by Tristan Association member Peter Millington
on the Master Mummers UK website : www.mastermummers.org
Originally sold as:
4 mint stamps ( 25p, 35p, 70p, £1.60) for £2.90
First Day Cover with 4 stamps for £3.15

Potato Production Stamp Issue

Issued on 3rd August 2009
Planting out & Preparing seed potatoes Digging out & Harvesting Potato blossom & The Patches
Originally sold as:
6 mint stamps in se-tenant pairs ( 2 x 25p ; 2 x 35p ; 2 x £1.10) for £3.40
First Day Cover with 6 stamps for £3.65

Seafaring and Exploration

Issued 9th March 2009

Originally sold as :

6 stamps x 50p for £3.00
Souvenir Sheet £1.00

The 50p stamps show paintings by John Batchelor of: Tudor Mary Rose; the tea clipper Cutty Sark; the first HMS Endurance; the 1902 steel hulled 3 masted ship Suomen Joutsen (pictured passing Tristan); the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Lyme Bay which brought Operation Zest to Tristan in 2008, and the cruise ship MS Explorer, which had visited Tristan, but sank after hitting an iceberg in November 2007. The £1.00 Souvenir Sheet features Tristao da Cunha's voyage in 1506.


Life and Times of Allan Crawford (1912 - 2007)

Issued on 1st August 2008 to coincide with Mr Crawford's birthday

Originally sold as :

6 stamps (15p, 20p, 30p, 70p, 80p & £1.25) for £3.50
First Day Cover with 6 stamps for £3.75

Allan Crawford had a remarkable association with Tristan da Cunha and its people. He founded the Tristan da Cunha Association, and served as its Newsletter Editor, Chairman, President and Life President)

15p - Allan B Crawford MBE; 20p The 'Potato' Stamp
50p - First Map; 60p - Norwegian Scientific Expedition
85p - Meteorological Office, Marion Island
£1.20 - Royal Society Expedition

60 years of Tristan Fisheries

Issued on 1st July 2008

Originally sold as :

6 stamps (15p, 20p, 30p, 70p, 80p & £1.25) for £3.40
First Day Cover with 6 stamps for £3.65

15p Boats in Calshot Harbour
20p Fishing Boats
30p Offloading and Loading Fish
70p Sorting Crawfish Tails
80p Rock Lobster Tails wrapped and packed
£1.25 Fishing for export


Marine Invertebrates

Issued on 28th January 2008

Originally sold as :

6 stamps (15p; 20p; 35p; 2 x 60p; 85p) for £2.75
First Day Cover with 6 stamps for £3.00

Great Shearwater

issued on 1st July 2007

Originally sold as :

6 x 50p stamp sheetlet for £3
First Day Cover with £3 sheetlet for £3.25

Centenary of Scouting 2007

issued on 9th July 2007

Originally sold as:

4 stamps (£1.40; £1.25; 20p; 15p) for £3
First Day Cover of 4 stamps above for £3.25 (as shown)
Souvenir Sheet (2 x £1.50 stamps) for £3
First Day Cover with Souvenir Sheet for £3.25

Island Series Part 7 - Island Maps

issued on 22nd January 2007
Originally sold as :
Sheetlet of 6 x 50p stamps for £3.00
First Day Cover with these stamps for £3.25

Local Vehicles

issued on 17th April 2007
Originally sold as :
6 stamps (15p, 20p, 30p, 45p, 50p & 85p) at £2.45

Island Series Part 6 - Stoltenhoff Island

issued on 27th September 2006. Originally sold as :
Sheetlet of 5 x 50p stamps for £2.50
First Day Cover with these stamps for £2.75

Tristan da Cunha 500th Anniversary Part IV

issued on 1st June 2006

originally sold as :

Sheetlet (3 x 30p; 2 x 50p 1 x 80p) as shown for £2.70

First Day Cover with these stamps for £2.95

Tristan da Cunha 500th Anniversary Part III

issued on 1st June 2006

originally sold as :

Sheetlet (3 x 30p; 2 x 50p 1 x 80p) as shown for £2.70

First Day Cover with these stamps for £2.95

Island Series Part 5 - Middle Island

issued on 30th March 2006 and originally sold as :

Strip of 5 x 50p stamps for £2.50

First Day Cover as shown for £2.75

Island Series Part 4 - Nightingale Island

issued on 7th February 2006 and originally sold as :

Strip of 5 x 50p stamps for £2.50

 First Day Cover as shown for £2.75

Tristan da Cunha 500th Anniversary Part II

issued on 2nd February 2006 and originally sold as :

 

Sheetlet (3 x 30p; 2 x 50p 1 x 80p) as shown for £2.70

First Day Cover with these stamps for £2.95

Tristan da Cunha 500th Anniversary Part I

issued on 2nd February 2006 and originally available as :

 

Sheetlet (3 x 30p; 2 x 50p 1 x 80p) as shown for £2.70

First Day Cover with these stamps for £2.95

Birds Definitive Issue

issued on 1st June 2005
Originally sold as 12 mint stamps as shown left for £9.22
and First Day Covers:
(£5, 5p, 3p,1p) for £5.34
(£2, 15p, 10p, 8p) for £2.58
(£1, 35p, 25p, 20p) for £2.05

Island Series Part 3 - Inaccessible Island

issued on 18th April 2005
Originally sold as Strip of 5 x 50p stamps for £2.50
and First Day Cover with these stamps for £2.75

Island Series Part 2 - Gough Island

issued on 28th March 2005
Originally sold as Strip of 5 x 50p stamps for £2.50
and First Day Cover with these stamps for £2.75

Island Series Part 1 - Tristan da Cunha

issued on 21st February 2005
Originally sold as Strip of 5 x 50p stamps for £2.50
and First Day Cover with these stamps for £2.75

Tristan da Cunha Merchant Ships

issued on 9th November 2004
(note these images are of the art mock up without values!)

Originally sold as
First Day Cover (2x20p,2x35p,2x60p) for £2.55
or stamps for £2.30

New Island Flag

issued on 27th July 2004

Originally sold as
a 12 x 30p self-adhesive stamp booklet for £3.60

New Island Flag

issued on 27th July 2004

Originally sold as a First Day Cover
with this stamp for 55p

Fur Seals

issued on 12th July 2004

Originally sold as a
First Day Cover with these stamps for £1.65
or 4 x 35p stamps at £1.40

Royal Naval Connections Part II

issued on 8th December 2003



Originally sold as
First Day Cover with these stamps for £2.55
& stamps for £2.40

William Glass

issued on 24th November 2003



Originally sold as
this sheetlet for £1.80
0r First Day Cover with sheetlet for £2.05

Birdlife International : Save the Albatross Part II

issued on 7th May 2003

Originally sold as
Souvenir Sheet for £1.90 or
First Day Cover with Souvenir Sheet for £2.15