Postage stamps and postal history of Malta
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postal history Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of the use of postage stamps and covers and associated postal artifacts illustrating historical episodes in the development of postal systems. The term is att ...
of
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
began in the early modern period, when
pre-adhesive mail Pre-adhesive mail, also called pre-stamp mail, are letters carried in mail systems before the issuance of postage stamps. A stampless cover is another description and generally also refers to any item of mail sent before the issuance of postage st ...
was delivered to foreign destinations by privately owned ships for a fee. The earliest known letter from Malta, sent during the rule of the Order of St John, is dated 1532. The first formal postal service on the islands was established by the Order in 1708, with the post office being located at the
Casa del Commun Tesoro The Casa del Commun Tesoro (Italian language, Italian for ''House of the National Treasury''), or ''Casa dei Conti del Tesoro'', is a building in Valletta, Malta, located in Republic Square, Valletta, Republic Square facing the National Library of ...
in
Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...
. The first postal markings on mail appeared later on in the 18th century. The postal service was reformed in 1798 during the
French occupation of Malta The French occupation of Malta lasted from 1798 to 1800. It was established when the Order of Saint John surrendered to Napoleon Bonaparte following the French landing in June 1798. In Malta, the French established a constitutional tradition in M ...
, and the islands were taken over by the British in 1800. In the early 19th century, two separate post offices were established in Malta: the Island Post Office and the Packet Office, with the latter forming part of the British Post Office. Their operations were amalgamated in 1849, and British postage stamps began to be used in Malta in August 1857. Malta's first
postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...
—the
Halfpenny Yellow The Halfpenny Yellow is the first postage stamp issued by the Crown Colony of Malta. Depicting Queen Victoria, it was only valid for local postage and it was originally issued on 1 December 1860. It was the only stamp issued by Malta for two and ...
—was issued in 1860 for use on local mail, while letters sent to foreign destinations continued to be franked with British stamps. In 1885, the Malta Post Office was set up and Halfpenny Yellows and British stamps were no longer valid in Malta. A set of six
definitive stamp A definitive stamp is a postage stamp that is part of the regular issue of a country's stamps, available for sale by the post office for an extended period of time and designed to serve the everyday postal needs of the country. The term is used in ...
s along with several types of
postal stationery A piece of postal stationery is a stationery item, such as a stamped envelope, letter sheet, postal card, lettercard, aerogram or wrapper, with an imprinted stamp or inscription indicating that a specific rate of postage or related servi ...
were issued. Malta continued to issue stamps and stationery throughout the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. At some points from the 1880s to the 1980s, postage stamps or dual-purpose
postage and revenue stamp A postage and revenue stamp, sometimes also called a dual-purpose stamp, is a stamp which is equally valid for use as a postage stamp and as a revenue stamp. They often but not always bear an inscription such as "Postage and Revenue". Dual-purpose ...
s were also valid for fiscal use, but at times separate
revenue stamp A revenue stamp, tax stamp, duty stamp or fiscal stamp is a (usually) adhesive label used to designate collected taxes or fees on documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses, firearm registration, ...
s were issued.
Postage due Postage due is the term used for mail sent with insufficient postage. A postage due stamp is a stamp added to an underpaid piece of mail to indicate the extra postage due. Background While the problem of what to do about letters not paying the ...
stamps were issued between 1925 and the 1990s. In 1995, the private limited company Posta Limited was set up to run the postal service. The public limited company
MaltaPost MaltaPost p.l.c. is the postal service company in Malta. The public limited company took over the postal services previously carried out by Posta Limited, and started operating on 1 May 1998. History MaltaPost p.l.c. was registered with the Malt ...
took over in 1998, and was gradually privatized between 2002 and 2008.


Postal history


Hospitaller rule and French occupation (1530–1800)

The earliest known information about mail in
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
is from when the islands were under Hospitaller rule. It is believed that prior to the Order's arrival in Malta in 1530, correspondence between Malta and
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
was carried on private vessels such as speronaras for a fee. The earliest known letter from Malta is dated 14 June 1532; Grand Master
Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam Fra' Philippe de Villiers de L'Isle-Adam (1464 – 21 August 1534) was a prominent member of the Knights Hospitaller at Rhodes and later Malta. Having risen to the position of Prior of the ''Langue of Auvergne'', he was elected 44th Grand ...
sent it to , the
Bishop of Auxerre The diocese of Auxerre ( la, dioecesis Antissiodorensis) is a former French Roman Catholic diocese. Its historical episcopal see was in the city of Auxerre in Burgundy, now part of eastern France. Currently the non-metropolitan Archbishop of Sens, ...
, who was also the French ambassador in Rome. After the plague epidemic of 1675–1676, mail was
disinfected A disinfectant is a chemical substance or compound used to inactivate or destroy microorganisms on inert surfaces. Disinfection does not necessarily kill all microorganisms, especially resistant bacterial spores; it is less effective than st ...
at the ''Barriera'' in the capital
Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...
. At the time it was feared that paper could carry the disease. In 1708, Grand Master
Ramón Perellós Ramón or Ramon may refer to: People Given name * Ramon (footballer, born 1998), Brazilian footballer * Ramón (footballer, born 1990), Brazilian footballer *Ramón (singer), Spanish singer who represented Spain in the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest ...
established the Commissary of Posts, which was Malta's first proper postal service. A post office was established within the
Casa del Commun Tesoro The Casa del Commun Tesoro (Italian language, Italian for ''House of the National Treasury''), or ''Casa dei Conti del Tesoro'', is a building in Valletta, Malta, located in Republic Square, Valletta, Republic Square facing the National Library of ...
in Valletta. At this point, fixed
tariff A tariff is a tax imposed by the government of a country or by a supranational union on imports or exports of goods. Besides being a source of revenue for the government, import duties can also be a form of regulation of foreign trade and poli ...
s based on weight, the number of sheets and the destination of a letter were introduced. The first postal markings on Maltese mail appeared sometime in the second half of the 18th century. During Hospitaller rule, most correspondence sent to or from Malta was with the Italian states and France. There was also mail sent to and from Greece and Spain, but this was not as frequent. On 18 June 1798, shortly after the successful
French invasion of Malta The French invasion of Malta ( mt, Invażjoni Franċiża ta' Malta) was the successful invasion of the islands of Malta and Gozo, then ruled by the Order of St. John, by the French First Republic led by Napoleon Bonaparte in June 1798 as part o ...
,
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
issued an article which was meant to reorganise Malta's postal system such that postal charges covered the expenses of running the postal service. At this point, a
handstamp A postmark is a postal marking made on an envelope, parcel, postcard or the like, indicating the place, date and time that the item was delivered into the care of a postal service, or sometimes indicating where and when received or in transit. ...
reading ''Malte'' was introduced. The text in this postal marking is set within an irregular shape resembling a loaf, and it is therefore commonly nicknamed as the "Loaf of Bread" handstamp.


Early British rule (1799–1884)

After a few months of French occupation, a rebellion broke out and the British, Portuguese and Neapolitans assisted the Maltese rebels. On 7 October 1799
Alexander Ball Sir Alexander John Ball, 1st Baronet ( it, Alessandro Giovanni Ball, 22 July 1757 – 25 October 1809) was a Rear-Admiral and Civil Commissioner of Malta. He was born in Ebworth Park, Sheepscombe, Gloucestershire. He was the fourth son of Robert ...
, the British Civil Commissioner of Malta, issued a notice which set up a mail delivery service in the rebel-held parts of Malta. Some rooms in
San Anton Palace San Anton Palace ( mt, Il-Palazz Sant'Anton) is a palace in Attard, Malta that currently serves as the official residence of the President of Malta. It was originally built in the early 17th century as a country villa for Antoine de Paule, a knig ...
were used as a post office, and mail was sent to Sicily every week. After Malta had become a British protectorate in 1800, the Island Post Office was established as a government department handling inland mail and ship letters, and it continued to be housed at the Casa del Commun Tesoro. The Chief Secretariat's Office took responsibility of the Post Office in 1815. Starting from 1819, the Island Post Office used various handstamps reading ''Malta P Paid'', ''Malta Post Paid'' or ''Malta Post Office'' on mail. On 3 July 1806, the Packet Office was established in order to create a regular mail service between Britain and Malta. This was part of the British Post Office, and it was a separate entity from the Island Post Office. The Packet Office was initially also housed in the Casa del Commun Tesoro, but in separate rooms from the Island Post Office. Private vessels known as
packet boat Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed for domestic mail, passenger, and freight transportation in European countries and in North American rivers and canals, some of them steam driven. They were used extensively during the 18th and 19th ...
s were contracted to carry mail from
Falmouth, Cornwall Falmouth ( ; kw, Aberfala) is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,797 (2011 census). Etymology The name Falmouth is of English or ...
to Malta via
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...
. The first such journey was made by the vessel ''Cornwallis'', which left Falmouth on 19 July 1806 and arrived in Malta on 20 August. The Packet Agent in Malta introduced its own handstamps on mail (reading ''Malta'') in early 1807. The Falmouth–Gibraltar–Malta packet boat service was extended to
Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...
in 1819, and further packet boat links were introduced to
Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
in 1824 and
Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...
in 1826. In the early 19th century, mail to destinations such as Sicily or
Mahón Mahón (), officially Maó (), and also written as Mahon or Port Mahon in English, is the capital and second largest city of Menorca. The city is located on the eastern coast of the island, which is part of the archipelago and autonomous communi ...
, Menorca could also be sent via merchant or naval ships. Throughout the 19th century, mail was disinfected by slitting letters open and soaking them in vinegar or exposing them to fumes of a mixture of substances. By 1812, this was carried out at the Profumo Office of the
Lazzaretto A lazaretto or lazaret (from it, lazzaretto a diminutive form of the Italian word for beggar cf. lazzaro) is a quarantine station for maritime travellers. Lazarets can be ships permanently at anchor, isolated islands, or mainland buildings. ...
. During the plague epidemic of 1813, the local postal service continued to function and it was the only means of communication between people in areas where movement was restricted. Disinfected mail began to be marked with wax seals starting from around 1816, and later with handstamps from around 1837. Disinfection of mail on a large scale ceased in the 1880s, but it was carried out in rare cases until at least 1936. In 1842, the Packet Office moved to the Banca Giuratale, and in March 1849 the Island Post Office also moved to this building, which came to be known as the General Post Office. On 1 April 1849, a Postmaster became responsible for both offices, and their operations were combined although they officially remained separate until 1884. On 10 June 1853, an experimental free daily postal service for letters and newspapers was introduced between Valletta, the
Three Cities The Three Cities ( mt, It-Tlett Ibliet) is a collective description of the three fortified cities of Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua in Malta. The oldest of the Three Cities is Vittoriosa, which has existed since prior to the Middle Ages. Th ...
,
Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...
and some of the larger towns. Prepayment of postage became compulsory on 1 March 1858, shortly after British postage stamps had been introduced in Malta. In 1859, it was decided that a Malta postage stamp would be issued for local mail, and the
Halfpenny Yellow The Halfpenny Yellow is the first postage stamp issued by the Crown Colony of Malta. Depicting Queen Victoria, it was only valid for local postage and it was originally issued on 1 December 1860. It was the only stamp issued by Malta for two and ...
was subsequently issued on 1 December 1860. At this point, daily delivery was introduced in Valletta,
Floriana Floriana ( mt, Il-Furjana or ''Il-Floriana''), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana i ...
and
Sliema Sliema ( mt, Tas-Sliema ) is a town located on the northeast coast of Malta in the Districts of Malta#Northern Harbour District, Northern Harbour District. It is a major residential and commercial area and a centre for shopping, bars, dining, a ...
, and letter boxes were introduced in Valletta. The new stamp was only valid locally, and mail addressed to foreign destinations continued to be franked with British stamps. The United Kingdom joined the General Postal Union (later known as the
Universal Postal Union The Universal Postal Union (UPU, french: link=no, Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to t ...
, UPU) on 1 July 1875, and since at the time the postal services in Malta were deemed to be part of the British Post Office, the islands were effectively also part of the union. Malta claims to have been the first British colony to join the UPU, although due to its status as a colony it did not gain full membership until independence almost a century later.


Malta Post Office (1885–1995)

In 1879, Governor
Arthur Borton Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Drummond Borton (1 July 1883 – 5 January 1933) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Biogra ...
made a proposal to transfer control of postal services to the Government of Malta. This occurred on 1 January 1885, when the Island Post Office and the Packet Office were officially merged into a single Post Office. At this point, the Halfpenny Yellows and British stamps were withdrawn and new Malta stamps and
postal stationery A piece of postal stationery is a stationery item, such as a stamped envelope, letter sheet, postal card, lettercard, aerogram or wrapper, with an imprinted stamp or inscription indicating that a specific rate of postage or related servi ...
were issued to replace them. On 17 May 1886, the General Post Office moved from the Banca Giuratale to Palazzo Parisio, also in Valletta. From 14 August 1889, letter carriers were given a numbered handstamp which they would apply to the mail that they were delivering. This created
accountability Accountability, in terms of ethics and governance, is equated with answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and the expectation of account-giving. As in an aspect of governance, it has been central to discussions related to problems in the publ ...
since it made it easy to identify the postman responsible in the case of misdelivered mail. These markings, which are known as postmen's personal handstamps ( it, bollo personale), remained in use until 1949. By around 1891, police stations in various villages had begun to sell postage stamps. The postal system was reorganised in 1894, and this included the establishment of postal districts. Circular postmarks for various towns and villages were introduced in 1900, but most were withdrawn in 1921. Some of the larger post offices such as those at
Cospicua Cospicua ( mt, Bormla ), also known by its titles Città Cospicua or Civitas Cottonera, is a double-fortified harbour city in the South Eastern Region of Malta. Along with Birgu and Senglea, it is one of the Three Cities, located within the Grand ...
, Notabile, Sliema and
Victoria, Gozo Victoria ( mt, Il-Belt Victoria, meaning "the city Victoria"), also known among the native Maltese as Rabat (which is the name of the old town centre) or by its title Città Victoria, is an administrative unit of Malta, the largest and most pr ...
retained their postmarks. Postal services in Malta were disrupted during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, and
postal censorship Postal censorship is the inspection or examination of mail, most often by governments. It can include opening, reading and total or selective obliteration of letters and their contents, as well as covers, postcards, parcels and other postal pa ...
was introduced at this point. Malta was heavily bombarded during the war, and several post offices were destroyed or damaged due to aerial bombardment. The Cospicua post office was hit in June 1940, and its staff and equipment were relocated to a temporary post office in
Paola Paola is a female given name, the Italian form of the name Paula. Notable people with the name include: People In arts and entertainment *Paola Del Medico (born 1950), Swiss singer *Paola e Chiara, pop music duo consisting of two sisters born i ...
, which was itself bombed on 12 February 1942. It was relocated once again to
Żejtun Żejtun ( mt, Iż-Żejtun ) is a city in the South Eastern Region of Malta, with a population of 11,218 at end 2016. Żejtun is traditionally known as Città Beland, a title conferred by the grandmaster of the Order of the Knights of Malta, F ...
where it remained until 1946. Palazzo Parisio was bombed on 24 April 1942 and the GPO temporarily moved elsewhere in Valletta until returning to its former location on 16 January 1943. During this period, some of the GPO services were transferred to the primary school of
Ħamrun Hamrun (; ) is a town in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 9,244 as of March 2014. The people The townspeople are traditionally known as ''Tas-Sikkina'' (literally meaning 'of the knife' or 'those who c ...
. Demand for postal services increased drastically after the war, and many new post offices were established in towns and villages between the 1950s and the 1980s. The first
postage meter A postage meter or franking machine is a mechanical device used to create and apply physical evidence of postage (or franking) to mailed items. Postage meters are regulated by a country's postal authority. A postage meter imprints an amount of ...
was installed in Malta in 1961. Malta became independent in 1964, and the country was accepted into the UPU on 21 May 1965. The Parcel Post Office moved to a new building in Victory Square in Valletta on 12 November 1963. Palazzo Parisio remained in use by the postal authorities until 4 July 1973, when the GPO moved across the street to
Auberge d'Italie The Auberge d'Italie ( mt, Berġa tal-Italja, it, Albergo d'Italia) is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built at various stages in the late 16th century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Italy, and it ori ...
and the Central Mail Room, the registered letter branch and the Poste Restante moved to the former Garrison Chapel (a building now housing the
Malta Stock Exchange The Malta Stock Exchange ( mt, Borża ta' Malta), originally known as the Casino della Borsa, is the stock exchange of the island nation of Malta. Since being set up in 1992, the Exchange has been key to the raising of capital for the private sec ...
). While it was the GPO, parts of Auberge d'Italie also housed other government departments. Following the
murder of Karin Grech Karin Maria Grech (1962 – 28 December 1977) was the daughter of Professor Edwin Grech, then head of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at St. Luke's Hospital, Malta. In 1977, aged 15, she was killed by a letterbomb addressed to ...
by a
letter bomb A letter bomb, also called parcel bomb, mail bomb, package bomb, note bomb, message bomb, gift bomb, present bomb, delivery bomb, surprise bomb, postal bomb, or post bomb, is an explosive device sent via the postal service, and designed with t ...
in 1977, mail addressed to people who were perceived to be at risk of a similar attack was checked for explosives. Once an item was certified as harmless, a marking with the letter ''X'' was applied to it before being delivered to the recipient. Such markings are known as "Karin Grech crosses" by
philatelists Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...
.
Alphanumeric Alphanumericals or alphanumeric characters are a combination of alphabetical and numerical characters. More specifically, they are the collection of Latin letters and Arabic digits. An alphanumeric code is an identifier made of alphanumeric ch ...
postal codes A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal a ...
were introduced in Malta in 1991.


Posta Ltd (1995–1998)

On 1 October 1995, the
private limited company A private limited company is any type of business entity in "private" ownership used in many jurisdictions, in contrast to a publicly listed company, with some differences from country to country. Examples include the '' LLC'' in the United Sta ...
Posta Ltd was set up to run the General Post Office. This was done after the British Postal Consultancy Service made a recommendation in 1994 that the postal service should be run commercially. In 1996, the company made losses when sending
bulk mail Bulk mail broadly refers to mail that is mailed and processed in bulk at reduced rates. The term is sometimes used as a synonym for advertising mail. The United States Postal Service (USPS) defines bulk mail broadly as "quantities of mail prepare ...
to Germany after the latter increased its tariffs. Posta Ltd had signed a contract with the
phantom company A dummy corporation, dummy company, or false company is an entity created to serve as a front or cover for one or more companies. It can have the appearance of being real (logo, website, and sometimes employing actual staff), but lacks the capacity ...
Euromail Ltd which did not take into consideration the rate increase, and the latter profited from the former's losses. In October 1997, the company moved to new premises at 305, Qormi Road in Marsa, and the Parcel Post Office, Central Mail Room and Philatelic Bureau were transferred there from Valletta.


MaltaPost (since 1998)

The
public limited company A public limited company (legally abbreviated to PLC or plc) is a type of public company under United Kingdom company law, some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth jurisdictions, and the Republic of Ireland. It is a limited liability company ...
MaltaPost plc was established on 16 April 1998, and it took over operations of Malta's postal service on 1 May of the same year. On 31 January 2002, MaltaPost was partially privatized when the government sold 35% to Transend Worldwide Ltd, a subsidiary company of
New Zealand Post NZ Post ( mi, Tukurau Aotearoa), shortened from New Zealand Post, is a state-owned enterprise responsible for providing postal service in New Zealand. The New Zealand Post Office, a government agency, provided postal, banking, and telecommunica ...
. In September 2007 the government sold 25% of its shareholding in MaltaPost to
Lombard Bank Lombard Bank Malta Plc is one of Malta's major banks, together with Bank of Valletta, HSBC Bank Malta and APS Bank. The Government of Malta through the National Development and Social Fund (NDSF) owns 49.1% percent of the bank. It acquired th ...
, which effectively became the majority shareholder in the company with 60% shareholding. The other 40% were sold to the public in January 2008. Malta entered the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
(EU) in 2004, and since then there have been significant changes in the legislation which regulates Malta's postal services. The mail distribution system was also restructured, and in 2007 MaltaPost changed the country's
postcodes A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal a ...
. As required by EU legislation, the postal services sector was liberalised on 1 January 2013, allowing other entities apart from MaltaPost to provide postal services in the country. As of 2020, MaltaPost remains Malta's only Universal Service Provider of postal services. Apart from transporting mail and other standard postal activities, the company's post offices also provide services such as payments of bills and the sale of stationery. On 17 June 2016, MaltaPost opened the
Malta Postal Museum The Malta Postal Museum ( mt, Mużew tal-Posta ta' Malta) is a postal museum in Valletta, Malta. It is run by the postal operator MaltaPost, and it was inaugurated on 17 June 2016. The museum is housed in a restored 20th-century townhouse in the c ...
in Valletta.


Postage stamps


Use of British stamps in Malta (1857–1884)

Between 1855 and 1856, some mail sent by British military personnel during the
Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...
which was franked with British stamps was cancelled with a wavy lines grid postmark at Malta. British postage stamps became available to the general public in Malta on 18 August 1857 and they remained valid until 31 December 1884. These can be identified by
coded postal obliterators Coded postal obliterators are a type of postmarks that had an obliterator encoded with a number, letter or letters, or a combination of these, to identify the post office of origin. They were introduced in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and ...
reading ''M'' or ''A25'', which were introduced in 1857 and 1859 respectively. The ''M'' postmark was withdrawn by early 1861 and a number of different ''A25'' postmarks remained in use until 1904. Most contemporary British stamps with face values up to 10/- can be found used in Malta. These include line-engraved issues such as the
Halfpenny Rose Red The Halfpenny Rose Red, first issued on 1 October 1870, was the first halfpenny postage stamp issued in the United Kingdom. The halfpenny stamp was introduced following a reduction in the postal rate for newspapers and postcards. It was design ...
,
Penny Red The Penny Red was a British postage stamp, issued in 1841. It succeeded the Penny Black and continued as the main type of postage stamp in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until 1879, with only minor changes to the design dur ...
,
Three Halfpence Red The Three Halfpence Red, first issued on 1 October 1870, was the first Three Halfpenny postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay ...
and
Two Pence Blue The Two Penny Blue or The Two Pence Blue was the world's second official postage stamp, produced in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and issued after the Penny Black. Initial printing took place from 1 May 1840, and in all 6,4 ...
, the embossed stamps and surface-printed issues such as the
Penny Venetian Red The Penny Venetian Red was a British postage stamp equal to the value of one penny. Issued in 1880, it was designed and surface-printed by security printing company De La Rue. It superseded the Penny Red that had been used in Great Britain ...
,
Penny Lilac A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...
and the 1883–1884 Lilac and Green issue. Some British postal fiscals also exist used in Malta.


Malta stamps under British rule (1860–1964)

;Queen Victoria and King Edward VII definitives (1860–1911) Malta's first postage stamp, the Halfpenny Yellow, was issued on 1 December 1860. It was only valid for local letters, and British stamps had to be used for mail addressed to foreign destinations. The stamp was printed by
De La Rue De La Rue plc (, ) is a British company headquartered in Basingstoke, England, that designs and produces banknotes, secure polymer substrate and banknote security features (including security holograms, security threads and security printe ...
initially on blued un
watermark A watermark is an identifying image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), caused by thickness or density variations ...
ed paper. It was reprinted 29 times over the course of over two decades, resulting in stamps from the printings having differences in the colour shade, paper, watermark or
perforation A perforation is a small hole in a thin material or web. There is usually more than one perforation in an organized fashion, where all of the holes collectively are called a ''perforation''. The process of creating perforations is called perfor ...
. At the end of 1884, a series of
definitive stamp A definitive stamp is a postage stamp that is part of the regular issue of a country's stamps, available for sale by the post office for an extended period of time and designed to serve the everyday postal needs of the country. The term is used in ...
s depicting
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
was issued, and they became valid for use on 1 January 1885 when control of the postal services was fully transferred to the local colonial government. The ½ d value of this issue had the design of the 1860 stamp but was printed in green, while the other stamps (with denominations of 1d, 2d, 2½d, 4d and 1 /-) had designs which incorporated the
Maltese cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which developed f ...
. The colours of all six stamps were based on UPU regulations. A 5/- value in a larger format was added in 1886. Four new definitive stamps were issued in 1899. Instead of depicting the monarch, these stamps featured: a
Gozo boat The Gozo boat ( mt, Dgħajsa ta' Għawdex, tal-latini, tat-tagħbija, tal-pass or ) was a type of Settee (sail), settee-rigged boat originating from Malta. Gozo boats were the main means of transport across the Gozo Channel between Gozo and the M ...
(4½d), a Hospitaller galley (5d), the national personification Melita ( 2/6) and
St Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
's Shipwreck (10/-). A ¼d value depicting the
Grand Harbour The Grand Harbour ( mt, il-Port il-Kbir; it, Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks (Malta Dockyard), wharves, and ...
was added in 1901 for the postal rate of local
printed matter Printed matter is a term, mostly used by mailing systems, normally used to describe mechanically printed materials for which reduced fees are paid which are lower than first-class mail. Each postal administration has it own rules for what may be p ...
. In 1902, there was a shortage of 1d stamps, so stocks of the Queen Victoria 2½d stamp of 1885 were
overprint An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage or revenue stamp, postal stationery, banknote or ticket after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative pur ...
ed ' at the Government Printing Office in Valletta. One stamp in each sheet had an
error An error (from the Latin ''error'', meaning "wandering") is an action which is inaccurate or incorrect. In some usages, an error is synonymous with a mistake. The etymology derives from the Latin term 'errare', meaning 'to stray'. In statistics ...
such that the overprint read '. It is believed that this was produced deliberately. Between 1903 and 1904, a set of seven stamps with face values between ½d and 1/- was issued. The frame of the stamps was based on the halfpenny yellow but they included the portrait of the new monarch
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...
with a crown added on top. The 1886 5/- and the 1899–1901 pictorials remained in use. A new watermark was introduced in October 1904 and it was used on subsequent reprints of the 1899–1901 pictorials and 1903–1904 definitives. From 1907 to 1911 there were colour changes, and some bicoloured stamps were reissued in one colour. A 5/- value depicting Edward VII was issued in March 1911 replacing the 1886 issue. ;King George V definitives (1914–1930) After
George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...
became king in 1910, new definitives which depicted his portrait were issued between 1914 and 1920. These stamps had standard keytype designs which were used in other British colonies, and they were inscribed ' since they were equally valid for postal and fiscal use. The lower values between ¼d and 1/- had a smaller size than the 2/- and 5/- high values. A pictorial 4d value which was similar to the 1901 ¼d was also issued, and the 2/6 of 1899 was reprinted with a new watermark in 1919. That year, a 10/- value with a modified version of the 1899 St Paul's Shipwreck design was released. 1530 copies were issued, and today it is Malta's most expensive stamp. Two
war tax stamp A war tax stamp is a type of postage stamp added to an envelope in addition to regular postage. It is similar to a postal tax stamp, but the revenue is used to defray the costs of a war; as with other postal taxes, its use is obligatory for so ...
s with denominations of ½d and 3d were issued in 1917 and 1918, during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. In late 1921 and early 1922, some of the 1914–1919 issues were reprinted with a new watermark (including the 10/- value, but this is not as scarce as the 1919 issue). The 2d value of this issue had a new design. On 15 April 1922, this stamp was also issued locally surcharged ' after there was a shortage of ¼d stamps. In 1921, Malta was granted a limited form of
self-government __NOTOC__ Self-governance, self-government, or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any form of ...
which led to the establishment of a
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and Legislative Assembly. To commemorate this, 1899–1922 definitive stamps were locally overprinted ' and were issued between 12 January and 29 April 1922. Between August 1922 and 1926, a set of stamps known as the
Melita issue The Melita issue is a series of dual-purpose postage and revenue stamps issued by the Crown Colony of Malta between 1922 and 1926, depicting the national personification Melita. They were commemorative stamps since they celebrated the islands' ...
was released, with face values between ¼d and £1. The stamps featured allegorical representations and they were designed by the Maltese artists Edward Caruana Dingli and
Gianni Vella Gianni Vella (9 May 1885 – 3 September 1977) was a Maltese artist. After studying in Rome, he produced many religious works which can be found in many churches in the Maltese Islands, but he also produced some secular works including landscape ...
. In 1926, separate
revenue stamps A revenue stamp, tax stamp, duty stamp or fiscal stamp is a (usually) adhesive label used to designate collected taxes or fees on documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses, firearm registration, ...
began to be issued again, so the Melita stamps up to 10/- were issued with a ' overprint. Two sheets of the 3d value were discovered with the overprint inverted, and uncertainty about the error's issue led to a political scandal in 1930. A series of postage stamps inscribed ' was issued between 1926 and 1927. They were printed by
Waterlow and Sons Waterlow and Sons Limited was a major worldwide engraver of currency, postage stamps, stocks and bond certificates based in London, Watford and Dunstable in England. The company was founded as a family business in 1810. It was acquired in 1961 b ...
instead of De La Rue (which had printed all of Malta's stamps since 1860). The values of ¼d to 6d depict George V and the
coat of arms of Malta The coat of arms of Malta is the national coat of arms of the country of Malta. The present coat of arms is described by the Emblem and Public Seal of Malta Act of 1988 as a shield showing an heraldic representation of the national flag of Malta; ...
, while the values of 1/- to 10/- have engraved designs.
Air mail Airmail (or air mail) is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be the ...
was introduced on 1 April 1928, and the 6d stamp was issued overprinted ' as Malta's first
airmail stamp An airmail stamp is a postage stamp intended to pay either an airmail fee that is charged in addition to the surface rate, or the full airmail rate, for an item of mail to be transported by air. Airmail stamps should not be confused with airmai ...
. In 1928, it was decided that dual-purpose postage and revenue stamps would be issued again instead of having separate issues. The 1926–1927 stamps were issued with ' overprints in 1928, and a series of stamps with amended inscriptions was issued in 1930. ;King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II definitives (1938–1964) In 1938, a definitive set of stamps with denominations between ¼d and 10/- depicting the new monarch
George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...
and pictorial scenes was issued. Some of the scenes were reused from the 1926–1930 definitives, whilst some values had completely new designs. The stamps were printed by Waterlow. The ¼d value was the only stamp which did not depict the monarch, but instead was based on the 1901 ¼d stamp, modernised to show how the Grand Harbour looked in the 1930s and with the ''GRI'' monogram representing the monarch. Six stamps from this set were reissued in new colours in 1943. In 1947 Malta was granted self-government again, and in 1948 this was commemorated by overprinting the George VI definitives with the text '. In 1953, six stamps were reissued with colour changes, still bearing the overprint. Most of these did not exist in these colours without the overprint. A variety of the 1½d green exists in which the overprint is albino, such that it appears to be omitted. This is one of Malta's rarest postage stamp errors. A definitive issue of stamps with denominations from ¼d to £1 depicting Queen
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
and various pictorial scenes was issued between January 1956 and January 1957. The ¼d to 2/- stamps were printed by
Bradbury Wilkinson and Company Bradbury Wilkinson & Co were an English engraver and printer of banknotes, postage stamps and share certificates. History The original company was established in the 1850s by Henry Bradbury and begun printing banknotes in 1856. Bradbury then die ...
, while those between 2/6 and £1 were printed by Waterlow. The stamps depicted monuments, churches and historic sites in Malta such as the
Great Siege Monument The Great Siege Monument ( mt, Il-Monument tal-Assedju l-Kbir), also known as the Monument to the Fallen of the Great Siege, is a monument commemorating the Great Siege of Malta located in Valletta, Malta. It consists of three bronze figures symbo ...
,
Auberge de Castille The Auberge de Castille ( mt, Berġa ta' Kastilja) is an auberge in Valletta, Malta. The auberge is located at Castile Place, close to Saint James Cavalier, the Malta Stock Exchange, and the Upper Barrakka Gardens. It sits at the highest poin ...
, ''
Les Gavroches ''Les Gavroches'' is a bronze sculpture by Antonio Sciortino, depicting Parisian street children inspired by Gavroche from the 1862 Victor Hugo novel ''Les Misérables''. The statue was cast in 1904, and for most of the 20th century it was displ ...
'' and monuments in
Saint John's Co-Cathedral St John's Co-Cathedral ( mt, Kon-Katidral ta' San Ġwann) is a Roman Catholic co-cathedral in Valletta, Malta, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It was built by the Order of St. John between 1573 and 1578, having been commissioned by Grand Ma ...
, along with scrolls presented to Malta by George VI and President
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
during World War II. In 1963 and 1964, the 1d and 2d denominations of this issue were released with a different watermark. ;Omnibus and commemorative issues (1935–1964) Malta participated in all
Crown Agents Crown Agents Ltd is a not-for-profit international development company with head office in London, United Kingdom, and subsidiaries in USA and Japan. Crown Agents fully owns Greenshields Cowie, a freight forwarding limited company incorporated in ...
omnibus issue In philately, an omnibus issue is an issue of stamps by several countries with a common subject and which may share a uniform design. Omnibus issues have often been made by countries under common political control or groups of colonies due to the cl ...
s prior to independence, issuing stamps with common designs that were used in many colonies of the
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
. Malta issued such stamps for the silver jubilee of George V (1935), the
coronation of George VI The coronation of George VI and his wife, Elizabeth, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and as Emperor and Empress of India took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on Wednesday 12 May 1937. ...
(1937), victory at the end of World War II (1946), the Royal Silver Wedding (1949), the 75th anniversary of the UPU (1949), the
coronation of Elizabeth II The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...
(1953), Freedom from Hunger (1963) and the
Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
centenary (1963). In 1950, Malta issued a set of three stamps on the occasion of the visit of Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) to Malta. Other commemorative issues followed, with issues for the 7th centenary of the Scapular in 1951, and for another royal visit by Elizabeth II and the centenary of the
dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam ...
of the
Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth w ...
both in 1954. In 1960, a set of
stamps on stamps Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is an area of philately, which is the study (or combined study and collection) of stamps. It has been one of the world's most popular hobbies since the late nineteenth ...
was issued for the centenary of the Halfpenny Yellow, and in 1962 a set of stamps was issued to commemorate the
Great Siege of Malta The Great Siege of Malta ( Maltese: ''L-Assedju l-Kbir'') occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May to 13 September ...
of 1565. A set of stamps commemorating the
award of the George Cross to Malta The George Cross was awarded to the island of Malta by King George VI during the great siege it underwent by Italy and Germany, in the early part of World War II. In a letter to the island's Governor, Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie, Ki ...
was issued in 1957, designed by the Maltese artist
Emvin Cremona Emanuel Vincent "Emvin" Cremona (27 May 1919 – 29 January 1987) was a Maltese artist and stamp designer. He is regarded as one of the best Maltese artists of the 20th century. Cremona is known for designing most Maltese stamps from 1957 to th ...
, who would design hundreds of Malta stamps until the 1970s. Other early stamp designs by Cremona include issues commemorating technical education (1958), other issues commemorating the George Cross award (1958, 1959 and 1961), the 19th centenary of St Paul's shipwreck (1960), an Anti-
Brucellosis Brucellosis is a highly contagious zoonosis caused by ingestion of unpasteurized milk or undercooked meat from infected animals, or close contact with their secretions. It is also known as undulant fever, Malta fever, and Mediterranean fever. The ...
Congress (1964) and the First European Congress of Catholic Doctors (1964); the latter was issued two weeks before Malta became independent. Most commemorative issues from the mid-1950s until independence were printed by
Harrison and Sons Harrison and Sons was a major worldwide engraver and printer of postage stamps and banknotes. History The company was established in 1750 by Thomas Harrison in Warwick Lane, London; in 1839 Thomas Richard Harrison entered into partnership with Jo ...
, but a few were printed by Bradbury Wilkinson or Waterlow.


Independence and republic (since 1964)

Malta achieved independence as the
State of Malta The State of Malta ( mt, Stat ta’ Malta), commonly known as Malta, was the predecessor to the modern-day Republic of Malta. It existed between 21 September 1964 and 13 December 1974. The Crown Colony of Malta became independent under the Malt ...
on 21 September 1964, and on that day a set of six stamps was issued to commemorate the event. The stamps depicted a dove representing peace along with a
British crown The Crown is the state (polity), state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories, overseas territories, Provinces and territorie ...
, a
Papal tiara The papal tiara is a crown that was worn by popes of the Catholic Church from as early as the 8th century to the mid-20th. It was last used by Pope Paul VI in 1963 and only at the beginning of his reign. The name "tiara" refers to the entire h ...
and the Flag of the United Nations, United Nations emblem. A definitive set depicting scenes from History of Malta, Malta's history was issued in 1965, and two additional values were issued in 1970. The independence and definitive sets were designed by Cremona, as were most stamps until the 1970s. Many stamps of the mid-1960s exist with flaws or errors such as missing colours, most notably the 1965–1970 definitive. Some stamps from this definitive were also issued in postage stamp booklets in 1970 and 1971. Malta adopted the Maltese lira, Maltese pound or lira in 1972, and this event was commemorated by stamps showing the new coins. Some stamps of the 1965 definitive were subsequently surcharged in 1972 and 1977, and a definitive set in the new currency was issued in 1973. This set showed various scenes while the top value of £M2 was larger and depicted the country's coat of arms. Malta became a republic on 13 December 1974 and stamps commemorating this were issued in early 1975. The coat of arms was changed at this point, and a new version of the £M2 definitive was issued in 1976 to reflect this. Other decimal currency definitives depicted the history of Maltese industry (1981), the Maltese Islands' natural and artistic heritage (1991), and flowers (1999–2006). The 1981 and 1991 definitives were each issued at one go, and in 1994 some stamps from the 1991 definitive were issued in booklets. The flowers definitives were issued in installments, and they included Malta's only self-adhesive stamps which were issued exclusively in booklets printed by Cartor Security Printers in 2003 and 2004. In 2002, postage labels which were dispensed from vending machines were also issued. From 1964 to 1972, most stamps were printed by Harrison or De La Rue, but some were printed by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, Government Printing Works in Rome, by Joh. Enschedé, by the in Vienna, by the Government Printer of Israel or by Format International Security Printers. Stamps were printed locally by Printex Limited from 1972 to 1999, and by Bundesdruckerei in Germany between 1999 and 2004 (except for the aforementioned booklet stamps by Cartor). Since 2004, stamps have once again been printed in Malta by Printex. All Malta stamps since independence have a watermark consisting of multiple Maltese crosses, with the exception of the 1999–2004 stamps by Bundesdruckerei or Cartor which had no watermark. The number of commemorative or pictorial stamps issued each year increased drastically since Malta's independence. Christmas stamps have been issued annually since 1964. Between 1969 and 2001, these were semi-postal stamp, semi-postal since they were sold at a premium over face value to raise money for charity. Malta issued its first miniature sheet in 1971 along with that year's Christmas stamps, and such sheets have been issued regularly since then. Malta has also issued Europa postage stamp, EUROPA stamps since 1971, and since 2006 they have also been issued in stamp booklets as well as sheets. A set of five stamps depicting List of films shot in Malta, films shot in Malta was meant to be issued on 27 February 2002, but due to unclear circumstances the stamps were never officially released. Despite this, some stamps ended up in collectors' hands and a set of the unissued stamps sold for £5,500 at an auction in 2018. When Malta joined the European Union (EU) during the 2004 enlargement of the European Union, 2004 enlargement, a joint issue, joint stamp issue was released by nine of the ten new EU members including Malta. The joint issue was prepared at MaltaPost's initiative, and the stamps issued by the nine countries had a common design by the Maltese artist Jean Pierre Mizzi. This was Malta's first joint issue, and a number of other joint issues have been released since then. Malta has issued Small European Postal Administration Cooperation, SEPAC stamps since 2007. MaltaPost introduced personalised stamps in 2005, and continues to offer this service as of 2020. Malta adopted the euro as its currency on 1 January 2008. Stamps issued shortly before and after the changeover (between 22 December 2006 and 28 June 2008) were denominated in both the lira and euro currencies in accordance with guidelines issued by the National Euro Changeover Committee. Pre-2006 stamps denominated only in lira remained valid for use until 31 January 2008, and they could be exchanged for euro-denominated stamps until March 2008, after which they were invalidated. The dual currency stamps issued since December 2006 remain valid for use today along with euro-denominated stamps. A definitive set which commemorated events in Malta's history was issued in 2009, and two further stamps were added to the set in 2012 after postal rates had increased. Malta issued its largest set on 10 August 2012, when 88 stamps depicting ships which had taken part in Operation Pedestal were issued.


Postage due stamps

Malta used postage due markings on mail throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, but only issued its first set of postage due stamps on 16 April 1925. The first set consisted of ten imperforate provisional stamps with denominations ranging from ½d to 1/6, and they were typeset at the Government Printing Office in Valletta. The stamps had simple numeral designs, and they were printed such that ''tête-bêche'' pairs occurred within each sheet. On 20 July 1925, a new set of postage due stamps which had been printed by Bradbury Wilkinson in Britain was issued in Malta. These had the same face values as the provisional issue, and they had a design featuring a Maltese cross and were printed in different colours. This design continued to be used until after independence, and many reprints were made resulting in the stamps existing with various different paper types, perforations, watermarks and colour shades. Decimal currency postage due stamps inscribed ''Taxxa Postali'' (Maltese language, Maltese for "postal tax") were issued in 1973, and their design consisted of a numeral overlaid on a Maltese lace background. A final set of postage dues was issued in 1993, depicting a Neolithic spiral design from one of the Megalithic Temples of Malta, megalithic temples found in the islands.


Postal stationery

Malta has issued postal stationery items since 1885. Postal cards (including reply cards), Wrapper (philately), newspaper wrappers and registered envelopes were the first postal stationery items to be issued, concurrently with the first definitive stamps, while Stamped envelope, pre-stamped envelopes and aerogrammes were introduced later on. Most of these were discontinued at various points during the 20th century, but as of 2020 pre-stamped envelopes are still in use while pre-stamped postal cards are still issued regularly for philatelic purposes.


Postal cards

Between 1885 and 1917, various ½d and 1d postal cards were issued for local and foreign rates respectively. These cards bore an imprinted stamp which depicted the reigning monarch: initially Victoria and later Edward VII or George V. Some of the cards exist in two versions: as a single card and as a reply card (the latter consisting of two cards attached together, intended to allow recipients to send a reply without paying any postage themselves). In 1927 and 1936, postal cards which included imprinted versions of the contemporary George V postage stamps were issued, followed by cards with imprinted versions of the George VI pictorial definitives in 1938 and 1944. Since 1980, Malta has issued postal cards for philatelic purposes. Most of them have an imprinted version of EUROPA stamps but there are a few exceptions which have actual adhesive stamps affixed instead of imprinted versions. Cards were issued almost annually for international philatelic exhibitions between 1980 and 2006, and for local philatelic exhibitions since 2007. In 1989 an additional postal card was issued to commemorate the 25th anniversary of independence, and in 2009 cards was issued for both an international and a local exhibition. Occasion cards which usually bear an imprinted stamp have also been issued since 2001. These are similar to the philatelic postal cards, and they commemorate an event, anniversary or a philatelic exhibition.


Newspaper wrappers

Newspaper wrappers were issued between 1885 and 1913. Only three wrappers were issued, and they were all denominated ½d and depicted the reigning monarch (Victoria, Edward VII or George V).


Registered envelopes

Registered envelopes were issued between 1885 and 1995. Colonial-era envelopes came in two different sizes and they had an imprinted stamp which depicted the reigning monarch: Victoria, Edward VII, George V, George VI or Elizabeth II. This imprinted stamp only covered the registration fee, while the actual postage had to be paid by additional postage stamps. They were printed by either George McCorquodale, McCorquodale & Co Ltd or De La Rue, who imprinted the name of their company on the envelopes. Elizabeth II envelopes initially remained in use after independence, and in 1972 they were overprinted with denominations in cents, the new Malta pound being divided into 100 cents from May 1972. From 1974 to 1995, a number of envelopes with the imprinted stamp showing the coat of arms of Malta were issued. The country's coat of arms changed twice during this period, first in 1975 and then in 1988, and in both cases envelopes were issued with the old symbols obliterated, usually also being replaced by the new emblem imprinted next to or affixed over the older one.


Pre-stamped envelopes

Malta issued its first pre-stamped envelopes in 1900. These came in three different sizes, and they had an imprinted 1d stamp depicting Queen Victoria. These proved to be unpopular, and no further pre-stamped envelopes were issued until this type of postal stationery was reintroduced by MaltaPost on 16 September 2002. The envelopes came in two designs, with imprinted stamps for local mail depicting a luzzu and those for foreign mail depicting a map. These envelopes were popular, and they were issued in a number of different sizes and formats. On 20 May 2006, a new design depicting a Neolithic spiral design was introduced for the local envelopes. These were also issued in a number of sizes and formats. Another new design of local pre-stamped envelopes was introduced in 2011. The imprinted stamps depict a spiral design similar to 2006, along with an architectural element from one of the megalithic temples. Various denominations and formats of these envelopes have been issued since then, and they remain in use as of 2020. MaltaPost also allows companies to order personalised versions with their logo printed on the envelope.


Aerogrammes

Malta issued two pre-stamped aerogrammes in 1971, and they had imprinted versions of definitive stamps which had been issued a year earlier.


Philately

Stamp collecting existed in Malta soon after the Halfpenny Yellow was first issued in the 1860s. The hobby was popular on the islands during the British colonial period, and philatelic organisations such as the Malta Philatelic Society Zeitun existed in the 1930s and 1940s. There are a number of such organisations today, including the Malta Philatelic Society which was set up in 1966, the Gozo Philatelic Society which was set up in 1999 and the Żejtun Philatelic Group ( mt, Il-Grupp Filateliku taż-Żejtun) which was set up in 2002. The Malta Study Circle is a United Kingdom-based group with an interest in studying and exchanging information on Malta's stamps and postal history. The organisation was originally established in 1948, but it lapsed by 1952 before being revived by the philately expert Robson Lowe in 1955. Since then, it has published a number of study papers and regular newsletters about various aspects of Malta's philately. Annual philatelic exhibitions are held by the Malta Philatelic Society and Gozo Philatelic Society in conjunction with MaltaPost. In the 2010s, such exhibitions also began to include other non-stamp collections.


See also

* Designers of Maltese stamps * Revenue stamps of Malta * Postage stamps and postal history of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * *


Further reading

* * * * * *


External links


MaltaPost official websiteMaltaPost Philatelic Bureau official websiteMalta Philatelic SocietyGozo Philatelic Society
{{Portal bar, Europe, Malta, Philately Communications in Malta Philately of Malta Postal system of Malta