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ALDERNEY (Guernsey)

Sherlock Holmes

October 29, 2009, perf: 13½


This year is the 150th anniversary of the birth of celebrated author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whose books have provided inspiration to generations of crime novelists.

Probably best known for his creation of one of the world's best-loved fictional characters, Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle was heavily influenced by, and largely based his famous detective on, Doctor Joseph Bell, a charismatic surgeon and teacher he had studied with whilst at Edinburgh University.

To celebrate Conan Doyle's most famous work, this truly unique collection of stamps tells the story of "Sherlock Holmes and the Curious Case of the Alderney Bull", a new Sherlock Holmes mystery set in Alderney written by talented illustrator Keith Robinson who has designed our stamps.

Keith drew his inspiration for the story's focus from the Alderney bull, which, at the end of the 19th and early 20th century, was a highly prized possession.

The story begins, as the first stamp shows, with Alice West visiting Sherlock Holmes and Watson to report the theft of her father's prize Alderney bull - and her despair due to the planned arrest of their herdsman.

The bewildered looking herdsman is arrested, shown in the second image, whilst Holmes studies a scrap of paper containing a coded message found in the herdsman's jacket.

In the third stamp Holmes studies the scene at the old harbour and then visits Alice's father, shown in the fourth image. The fifth stamp depicts Holmes and Watson observing a half-built lighthouse in the middle of the night where they witness what Holmes believes is a signal.

The final image shows the police restraining a man, whom Holmes had concluded was guilty of the Alderney bull theft.

The complete story and conclusion to "Sherlock Holmes and the Curious Case of the Alderney Bull" has been produced in a special commemorative Mystery Pack; this includes a hidden image, complete with lens, so that you can turn detective and try to solve the mystery of the Alderney bull.


Date of issue: 29 October 2009
Designer: Keith Robinson
Printer: Cartor Security Printers
Values: 36p, 43p, 51p, 54p, 56p, 77p
Process: Offset lithography
Stamp size: 28mm deep x 45mm wide
Paper: 110 gsm unwatermarked; PVA adhesive
Perforation: 13.5
Sheets: 10
Cylinder: A


Second largest of the Channel Islands (dependencies of the British crown, and not strictly part of the United Kingdom, having been so attached since the Norman Conquest of 1066, when they formed part of the duchy of Normandy. Four main islands: Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark, with lesser islets and a many rocks and reefs. The total land area is 75 square miles (194 square km).) 30 mi (48 km) west of Normandy, Fr., roughly triangular, with an area of 24 sq mi (62 sq km). With Alderney and Sark, Herm, Jethou, and associated islets, it forms the Bailiwick of Guernsey (area 30 sq mi). The capital is St. Peter Port.

The population is mainly of Norman descent with an admixture of Breton. St. Peter Port and St. Sampson are the main towns. Dairy farming with the famous Guernsey breed of cattle is largely confined to the high land in the south. Market gardening is concentrated chiefly in the north, where greenhouses produce tomatoes, flowers, and grapes, mostly exported to England. Tourism has become an important part of Guernsey's economy in the 20th century. The house in St. Peter Port in which the French author Victor Hugo resided from 1855 to 1870 is now a museum. The island relies increasingly on airline services and is served by an airport at La Villaize. There are shipping links with Jersey, Alderney, and Sark; London and Weymouth, Eng.; and Saint-Malo, Fr. Pop. (1986) 55,482.

Encyclopaedia Britannica