Stamps of Westarctica

The stamps of Westarctica are the collection of commemorative stamps that have been issued by the central government of Westarctica. These stamps feature images of prominent Westarcticans as well as symbols of the nation and the flora and fauna found in Western Antarctica.

Each set of stamps is printed in a limited amount and once the inventory of stamps have been sold, no more are created for that year, although there may be some partial reuse of designs in subsequent years.

History

2005 issues

Postage stamps were first issued by the central government on 1 April 2005 with the 80¢ Royal Wedding Stamp created to celebrate the wedding of Grand Duke Travis and the Marquise of Walgreen (the future Grand Duchess Cathryn). The denomination of 80¢ was selected because 80¢ was the cost of mailing a standard 8 1/2 x 11 envelope through the U.S. postal system. In this way, the commemorative Westarctican stamp could be placed beside the 80¢ U.S. stamp and both would be canceled together.

The second stamp issued by Westarctica was the 37¢ Peter I Island Stamp featuring a picture of Prince Ashton Roman, the Viceroy of Peter I Island, and a map of the island itself. As this was the first stamp ever issued by any country on behalf of the island, the Grand Duke hoped it would help secure Westarctica's claim to the island. At the time the stamps were released, the standard cost of a first class letter in the U.S. was 37¢.

Westarctica's third set of stamps were the $1.60 Penguin Stamps issued as a series of four, each with an image of a different penguin on them. Two featured the Adélie penguin and two featured the emperor penguin. These proved massively popular with collectors and the entire inventory was sold out in a matter of weeks. The denomination was chosen because the standard cost of international shipping for an 8 1/2 x 11 envelope was $1.60 through the U.S. postal system.

After the release of the Penguin Stamps, no further stamps were released by the government until Grand Duke Travis returned to the throne.

2015 issues

To help reinvigorate public interest in Westarctica, on 11 February 2015, the Grand Duke issued three stamps.