Pay with Puffins

How is it possible to pay with puffins? It is possible on the island of Lundy, the largest island in the Bristol Channel off the coast of the English county of Devon. The island can be reached by boat, the MS Oldenburg, and many tourists take advantage of this for a day trip. On the island stand two lighthouses, a 13th-century castle named Marisco, a campsite, a pub, and a small post office. According to the annals, a postal service is said to have already existed in 1887, but this is strongly doubted. In 1892, the British GPO (General Post Office) laid a cable between Croyde in Devon and the island. A hut was built against the old castle where the cable emerged and where a control panel was installed. This hut was already called the Post Office at that time. It was equipped with a desk, a letter sorting cabinet, a small kitchen, and a bunk bed. The small office was set up for maintenance technicians arriving from the mainland who stayed overnight. Furthermore, a handful of people lived on the island. A connection was established via cable from Bristol to the two outposts on the island, allowing mail to be sent to the GPO technicians. However, the British Post disappeared from the island in 1927 due to low patronage. An island resident, Martin Coles Harman, took over the postal service and decided to have 'his own' stamps printed and 'his own' coins minted. The first stamps and coins appeared on November 1, 1929. A large colony of puffins gave him the idea to link these distinctive birds to their name. He assigned the value 'puffin' to the stamps and the money. If a letter was to go to the mainland, he affixed a puffing stamp in the top left corner to indicate that the rate for delivery throughout Great Britain had been met. The stamps are considered vignettes, but are gladly included in albums by many stamp collectors. On the internet, there is a catalogue published of the Lundy stamps compiled by Anders Backman. There is also a site where one can purchase the stamps: www.stampingonlundy.co.uk/ . Puffin stamps are still being issued, primarily aimed at tourists and thematic collectors. Virtually all types of stamps are available: airmail stamps, unperforated, perforated, blocks, overprints, and many commemorative stamps. So if you are ever on holiday in North Devon, head to Bideford harbour and book a day trip on MS Oldenburg. The ship has accommodation for 267 passengers and you can pay for the trip with regular British pounds, not puffins!