New Issue: 150 Years of the Band of the Island of Jersey (Jersey)

Jersey's latest issue celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Band of the Island of Jersey.

It is a set of six stamps with photography by the Jersey Evening Post.

There is also a miniature sheet, which shows an old photograph of the band.

The Jersey Stamps website doesn't tell us a lot about these - for example, I'd like to know when the black and white photograph of the band was taken but no information is given.

Design Quality – I am quite disappointed by the design of these stamps.

The photographs are perfectly clear, but they don't feel very exciting. Most of them just show the band marching or performing, and although that's obviously what the band does, the pictures don't really capture the pride, emotion or energy of a marching band. They feel more like snapshots from an event than carefully chosen images for a special stamp issue.

The overall layout is also very basic. The photographs fill most of each stamp, with the text placed neatly around them, but there's very little else going on. For something celebrating 150 years of such an important organisation, I expected something much more imaginative and memorable. 3/10

Subject Choice – I actually think this is a good subject. The Band of the Island of Jersey has been part of island life for 150 years, so it makes perfect sense to celebrate such an important anniversary. It's exactly the sort of thing local stamps should recognise because it tells people something unique about Jersey.

It's probably not a subject that will appeal to everyone outside the island, but that's fine. Not every stamp has to be aimed at an international audience. Sometimes celebrating local history is enough. 7/10

Historical and Cultural Relevance – The Band of the Island of Jersey has played an important role in the island's ceremonies, parades and public events for a century and a half. Reaching 150 years is a remarkable achievement, and it's something that deserves to be recognised on stamps.

Unlike some commemorative issues that only have a loose connection with the country or island, this one is deeply rooted in Jersey's history and identity. These stamps celebrate an organisation that generations of islanders will have grown up seeing and hearing. 10/10

Innovation and Creativity – For such an important anniversary, the designs feel surprisingly ordinary. They're basically just six photographs with very simple layouts. There's nothing that makes them feel like a major celebration of 150 years of musical history.

I think there were so many opportunities to make these stamps far more creative. For example:

a) They could have mixed historic black-and-white photographs with modern ones to show how the band has changed over 150 years.

b) The background could have included faint musical notes or extracts from famous marches performed by the band.

c) Individual stamps could have focused on different instruments with artistic close-up illustrations instead of mostly showing the whole band.

d) A timeline running across the six stamps could have highlighted important moments from the band's history.

e) Even using painted or illustrated artwork instead of relying entirely on photography would have made the anniversary feel much more special.

Instead, it feels like a set of recent event photographs that have simply been turned into stamps. 1/10

Collectability – This is quite an unusual subject, which does help it stand out a bit. Collectors interested in bands, music or Jersey's local history will probably enjoy it, especially because it marks an important anniversary.

Beyond that, though, there isn't a great deal to make the set especially collectable. The designs aren't particularly eye-catching, and I don't think they'll attract many collectors who aren't already interested in Jersey or the band itself. 4/10

Personal Appeal - I like the idea behind these stamps but not the stamps themselves. The subject is a good one, but it has been presented badly.

The designs feel flat and ordinary (not very good for a band!) and they don't capture the excitement of live music, the pride of marching in a parade, or the rich history behind 150 years of the band. Instead, they just feel like a collection of fairly average photographs.

I think this is one of those rare occasions where a fantastic subject has been let down by uninspiring design. If these stamps had been more imaginative, I might have felt very differently. The miniature sheet just feels like a way of Jersey Stamps making an easy £5. It's an interesting historical photograph but again there has been no real effort made with the design. 1/10

Overall Score: 26/60