Not expensive, but beautiful

Have you ever heard of Bailiwick Guernsey? The island of Guernsey lies off the coast of France, opposite Normandy. But where does Bailiwick come from? It originates from the Old French language: bailie. In the Kingdom of France, the bailie was the king's representative, the baliliff as it was translated into English. And according to the dictionary, that could be a bailiff! But also a municipality, and that is starting to look more like it. For wic is the Old English term for municipality, in Latin: vïcus. But why GuernseyI myself am a collector of this island's stamps. The Guernsey Post Office is authorized to issue its own stamps bearing the portrait of the Queen of Great Britain. These stamps are only valid for use from Guernsey. The first series appeared on October 1, 1969. The values ​​are still in the old terms, such as penny and shilling. A major plus, in my opinion, is that the images on the stamps (almost) all relate to the island itself. Such as Cornet Castle and the Martello Tower. But also views of the harbours from the sea. The harbours of Sark and Alderney, two islands that also belong to Guernsey. And, of course, the harbour of Guernsey itself. The entire series was replaced in January 1971, when the transition was made to the new monetary system with the newpence (P instead of d). Only the £1 remained, because the pound was not replaced by another name. Thus, 10 shillings became a value of 50 newpence. Naturally, lighthouses cannot be missing on an island in the vicinity of busy shipping routes. On February 10, 1976, a series of four stamps was issued featuring images of lighthouses. The 4p stamp depicts the Les Hanois lighthouse on Guernsey, built in 1862, and the 11p stamp features the Quesnard Point lighthouse on Alderney. The lighthouse was built in 1912, and its light can still be seen from a distance of 17 km. Lighthouses on stamps are a popular theme among many collectors. Just take a look at Leuchtturm-wel.netThis lighthouse was even depicted on a postage stamp of Sierra Leone. But that things can also go wrong, even with lighthouses visible from afar and often audible (foghorn) as well, is proven by the series of lifeboats released on January 15, 1974. Shown are the lifeboat Euphrosyne Kendall from 1954 and one from the Arun Class series from 1972. The 1954 lifeboat was named after the lady who donated the money to build this boat. Guernsey also participated in the issuance of Europa stamps. For example, in 1978 with images of a memorial: the Prosperity Memorial commemorating the sinking of the motor ship of that name in 1974, and the Victoria Monument in memory of Queen Victoria (May 24, 1819 – January 22, 1901). The tower was built in 1848 and cost £1,800 at the time. But why collect Guernsey stamps? Not only because of the themes featured on the stamps, but also because the stamps are still widely available! And at reasonable prices. On eBay alone, I found more than 1.000 lots of Guernsey stamps. Take a look for yourself!