The Islands have been
described as a melting pot of cultures: Neolithic temple builders, seafaring
Phoenicians, the traveller Apostle Paul, the Knights of St. John, Napoleon and
the British royalty – all have left their indelible mark. Malta is now an
independent sovereign nation and a member of both the EU and the Commonwealth.
Malta’s philatelic
history goes back to 1860 and, with access to such a rich source of material,
Maltese stamps are renowned around the world for their unique depiction of a
wide variety of popular themes: history, architecture, art, maritime, flora and
fauna to name but a few. Many Maltese stamps are mini reproductions of artwork
produced by local artists, and are much sought after by collectors and
philatelists, both locally and internationally.
During the
Briefmarken-Messe in Essen in May 2017 I left stamped envelopes at almost every
foreign postal administration hoping they would send them back when they
arrived home. The stamp is one from the Europa series 2017 with the theme
Castles. It shows St Agatha Tower, also known as the Red Tower, built in 1647
during the reign of Grand Master Lascaris de Castellar. The Tower commands
views over Mellieha Bay, Comino as well as Gozo. When built it held five cannon
and its strategic position ensured that signals could be relayed all the way to
Valletta. It was painted red so it could be easily visible from as far as
Naxxar and Mdina. During the British period, it was used as a defence post and
also as a radar station by the Armed Forces of Malta. In 2015, the Tower was
awarded a Certificate of Excellence by the popular travel website, TripAdvisor.
The stamp was
postmarked with the datestamp of the Philatelic Bureau of Malta Post.
This and other stamps
can be found on the philatelic website of Malta Post: maltaphilately.com.
Date sent: 11 May
2017
Date postmark: 16 May
2017
Date received: 19 May
2017
Number of days: 8
Envelope in
collection: 86
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