New Issue: British Grand Prix (Jersey)

The next issue from Jersey Stamps will be "British Grand Prix - 100 Years".

It's a strange issue from Jersey Stamps, which normally focuses on local history and identity. This would be a much better fit for Royal Mail, which inexplicably doesn't feel 100 years of the British Grand Prix is worth celebrating, so I guess Jersey Stamps thought of the commercial possibilities... Design quality: The cars should make this an exciting set, but the busy splashes of colour and crowded backgrounds make it hard to focus on them. The whole thing reminds me of an old racing poster from the 1980s. A century of racing gave the designers loads to work with. They could have shown how the cars, tracks and speeds changed over time. That feels like a missed opportunity. 3/10

Theme and subject choice: The 100th anniversary is worth celebrating, but I don’t see why it’s a Jersey stamp issue. I’d have expected Royal Mail to mark a British Grand Prix milestone. Jersey often makes stamps about its own places and people, so this choice feels a bit unusual. 3/10

Historical and cultural relevance: The Grand Prix has plenty of motorsport history. I just can’t find much in these stamps that connects that history to Jersey. That makes the anniversary feel like someone else’s story being put on Jersey stamps. 1/10

Innovation and creativity: Racing has changed enormously in 100 years, but the design doesn’t really use that idea. The illustrations are energetic, yet the repeated layouts and dated look don’t feel especially inventive. 2/10

Collectability: Formula One fans and people who collect motorsport stamps might want the set. Beyond that, I’m not sure what would make it stand out. The eight-stamp set costs £19.87, which makes it a fairly big purchase if you’re only mildly interested. 4/10

Personal appeal: Motorsport is quite exciting, so I wanted to like these more. But the designs don’t give me the excitement of a race or show me much I haven’t seen before. At nearly £20, this set won’t be going into my collection. 1/10

Overall Score: 14/60