Jersey issues set for land, sea, air emergency transport

By Molly Goad

Jersey Post honors its emergency services on eight stamps issued April 1.

Illustrated by acclaimed stamp artist and engraver Martin Mörck, A History of Jersey’s Emergency Services features a selection of past and present emergency vehicles used on Jersey.

Four stamps pay rates for standard letters weighing up to 100 grams: 60 pence to Jersey; 98p to the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and other Channel Islands; £1.85 to Europe; and £2.55 to the rest of the world.

The remaining four stamps pay rates for large letters (up to 381 millimeters long, 305mm wide and 20mm thick) weighing up to 100 grams: 98p to Jersey; £1.65 to the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and other Channel Islands; £3.25 to Europe; and £4.20 to the rest of the world.

Featured across the set of stamps are a Jaguar MkII police car (1960s), RNLB Elizabeth Rippon (1948-75), a Ford Model T field ambulance (1917), the Lord St. Helier fire engine (circa 1905), Channel Islands Air Search (2019-), inshore fire and rescue craft (2000-), a BMW i3 electric police car (2019-) and a King Air 200 air ambulance (2018-2020).

Jersey landmarks and scenery that grace the stamps’ backgrounds include Mont Orgueil Castle, Corbiere Lighthouse, La Rocco Tower, the St. Helier town center and police headquarters.

Mörck has more than 40 years of experience in stamp design and engraving, banknote engraving, portrait drawing, illustration and watercolor/acrylic painting. His 1,000th stamp will be issued Aug. 11. (For more information, see “Posta Faroe Islands and engraver Mörck to reach 1,000th marks,” Linn’s Stamp News, Jan. 16. 2023).

The artist shared his creative process in a Jersey Post press release:

“Every year, Jersey Post asks me to create a set of stamps … and I’m always prepared with rolled-up sleeves. It’s not just a case of designing a set of stamps, it’s telling a story ... It’s a very three-dimensional project in the sense that my research into the brief takes me in many different directions. This is because I like my paintings to have real backdrops and colors. I make sketches and build up the scenery in my head before I get to work with pen and ink plus color pens. I get totally immersed and stay in the creative bubble until I can see the story told. It’s hard, but I love it.”

Belgium’s bpost printed the stamps by four-color offset lithography. The stamps are sold in panes of 10 (one for each stamp) and in a souvenir sheet with the eight stamps se-tenant (side-by-side).

Related products include first-day covers and presentation packs. For ordering information, visit the Jersey Stamps website.

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