Maxi Cards from the Tristan Post Office
If you're a philatelist with a love for birds or a birdwatcher with a growing stamp collection the newly issued Maxi cards from Tristan da Cunha are a treasure worth discovering. This spectacular set highlights the birdlife of one of the world's most remote inhabited islands.
Each Maxi card features:
- A postcard showing the bird or its habitat,
- A matching postage stamp depicting the same species
- A Tristan da Cunha Post Office cancellation cachet
These cards meet the standards of maximum philately, offering perfect harmony between image, stamp, and postmark all while celebrating Tristan's unique and often endangered birdlife.
Tristan Moorhen (Gallinula nesiotis) & Gough Moorhen (Gallinula comeri)
Tristan Moorhen (Gallinula nesiotis) & Gough Moorhen (Gallinula comeri)
Shop >This card honours the extinct Tristan Moorhen, which disappeared from the island in the late 19th century.
- The postcard shows a vivid painting of the bird along the island's shoreline.
- The stamp, issued in 2025, features its close relative, the Gough Moorhen, introduced to Tristan in 1956
- A clear circular cancellation completes the set
This is not just a postcard and stamp, it's a small tribute to biodiversity, loss, and preservation on one of the world's most isolated inhabited islands.
Inaccessible Island Rail (Laterallus rogersi)
Inaccessible Island Rail (Laterallus rogersi)
Shop >The world's smallest flightless bird takes centre stage in this Maxi card.
- The postcard features the rugged coastline of Inaccessible Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, alongside photo insets of the rail, Tristan Albatross and Sooty Albatross
- The stamp offers a close-up of the elusive bird.
- The Tristan Post Office cancellation confirms authenticity.
This is a must-have for collectors of rare or flightless bird themes.
Northern Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes moseleyi)
Northern Rockhopper Penguin (Eudyptes moseleyi)
Shop >Few birds are as expressive as the Rockhopper Penguin with its bright yellow crest and bold stare.
- The postcard shows a colony on a rocky outcrop, headed “The Rockhoppers of Tristan da Cunha.”
- The stamp matches perfectly, showing the penguins in profile.
- Cancelled neatly with the Tristan da Cunha circular date stamp.
Iconic, playful, and endangered these penguins are the stars of this lively issue.
Tristan Albatross (Diomedea dabbenena)
Tristan Albatross (Diomedea dabbenena)
Shop >The Tristan Albatross is one of five distinct forms of the Wandering Albatross, famed for possessing the longest wingspan of any bird on Earth.
- This card captures a tender moment: two Tristan Albatrosses tending to a single white egg.
- The stamp portrays these massive seabirds in flight and at rest, with Inaccessible Island as the dramatic backdrop
- The official postmark authenticates this as a true collector's item
Among the rarest albatrosses on the planet, the Tristan Albatross is a powerful emblem of the global fight to protect endangered seabirds and preserve the fragile ecosystems they depend on.
Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche chlororhynchos)
Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross (Thalassarche chlororhynchos)
Shop >Gracefully perched on a rugged cliff with the vast South Atlantic stretching behind, the Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross radiates quiet elegance.
- The accompanying £5 stamp, issued in 2025, shows the albatross in majestic flight above Tristan da Cunha's dramatic coastline.
- Another perfectly matched Maxi card for collectors of seabirds and island species.
- Official postmark from Tristan Post Office confirms authenticity.
This species is one of the most graceful albatrosses of the southern oceans and a powerful symbol of the delicate balance between wildlife and the wild seas they call home.
Wilkins's Finch (Nesospiza wilkinsi)
Wilkins's Finch (Nesospiza wilkinsi)
Shop >This card offers a glimpse into Tristan's broader wildlife diversity.
- The postcard includes multiple species, but the Wilkins's Finch takes centre stage.
- The stamp shows this vibrant yellow-green bird perched in its lush habitat.
- A clear cancellation links this card to the official 2025 issue date.
Ideal for thematic collections focused on finches, endemic island species, or biodiversity.
Why These Maxi Cards Matter?
Beyond their aesthetic appeal, these Maxi cards serve as:
- Educational tools about threatened island ecosystems
- Philatelic gems from a rarely-postmarked territory
- Conversation pieces for nature lovers and conservationists
Tristan da Cunha's bird Maxi cards are not just collectibles they're art, science, and postal history in one. Whether you specialize in birds, remote islands, or maximum cards, these cards deserve a place in your collection.
Stamp issue: Tristan artist Jimmy Rogers
Issue date: 15th September 2025
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| Mint Stamps (55p, 85p, £1.30, £2.00) and First Day Cover | Shop > |
Stamps featuring paintings by Tristan artist Jimmy Rogers.
Designs: 55p - Yellow-nosed Albatrosses in a mating dance; 85p - Albatrosses at The Ponds, Nightingale Island;
£1.30 - Rockhopper Penguin on the beach at Inaccessible Island; £2.50 - Traditional Tristan longboat,
FDC - Yellow-nosed Albatrosses among tree ferns
Stamp issue: Communication on Tristan da Cunha
Issue date: 29th August 2025
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| Mint Stamps (55p, 95p, £1.15, £2.00) and First Day Cover | Shop > |
Stamps chronicling the remarkable evolution of communication on the world's most remote inhabited island, from mail ships to the digital age.
Designs: 55p - Mail Ships - 1920s; 95p - Radio Communication - 1950s; £1.15 - Telecommunications - 1990s;
£2.00 - High-Speed Internet - 2020s; FDC - Vignettes of all four stamp designs around an image of the communications hub.
Important Shipping Update - Delay due to Transport Constraints |
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| Outgoing Tristan mail from early 2025 has been delayed at St Helena and will re-routed via Cape Town instead. 5-Jun-2025 |
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Withdrawal of Definitives and 2022 Commemorative Stamps |
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| The 2020 definitives and the first three sets of stamps issued in 2022 are to be withdrawn at the end of June 2025. 27-May-2025 |
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Stamp issue: Birds of Tristan da Cunha Definitives |
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| Definitive stamps celebrating a selection of Tristan da Cunha's amazing birdlife. 9-May-2025 |
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Stamp issue: Visit of the Submarine Hr.Ms. K-XVIII, 1935 |
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| Stamps commemorating the visit of the Dutch submarine Hr.Ms. K-XVIII, March 1935. 22-Apr-2025 |
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