New Issue: National Treasures (Isle of Man)

Sometimes new stamps come out so quickly you can miss an issue.

This happened with this issue. I was so looking forward to reviewing the Isle of Man's set about the life of John Harrison that I didn't notice that the Isle of Man Stamps and Coins had issued another set about National Treasures just ten days previously.

It's easy to do when so many new issues come along at once. I know that I try to review every new issue from Royal Mail, The Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Sark, but it can be a challenge when the Isle of Man is already on its thirteenth set of the year and Royal Mail is on its twelfth!

Anyway, my review is better late than never so here it is.

The National Treasures stamp set shows six archaeological discoveries on the Isle of Man. These include Bronze Age jewellery, Viking silver and medieval artefacts, and each "treasure" is unique and fascinating for all kinds of reasons. The stamps show the items but the stories behind them and their discoveries are sometimes more interesting. The pictures show: 93p - Bronze brooch, c. AD900 £1.08 - Jet necklace, c. 2000BC £1.96 - Bronze spoon, c. 400-100BC £2.33 - Silver brooch, c. AD950 £2.33 - Silver crucifix, c. AD1400 £3.62 - Gold ring, c. AD1650 The Viking bronze brooch was discovered only eight years ago. The gold ring is believed to be a mourning ring connected to the 7th Earl of Derby, who was also Lord of Mann from 1627 to 1651. Many of these items have a permanent home in the British Museum but recently returned to the Isle of Man for the National Treasures exhibition between October 2025 and February 2026.

Design Quality: I'm not sure about the colours being used for the background, which I think are a bit "loud", but the simple design allows the detail of the historical objects to stand out. Perhaps it would have been better with a more pale background, however. 4/10 Theme and Subject Choice: The Isle of Man has often created stamps showing historical artefacts, so in one sense these aren't so unusual. Archaeological discoveries are a good theme anyway, but these items were also part of the National Treasures exhibition in which a lot of these returned home from the British museum. I think that makes it a very important issue because it marks a rare occasion that these wonderful objects were actually on the Isle of Man. 8/10 Historical and Cultural Relevance: All of these "treasures" are of hue historical importance to the Isle of Man. The recent exhibition stressed both the historical and cultural relevance of these and the stamps underline their significance to the island's identity. 10/10

Innovation and Creativity: I don't think these stamps are particularly creative or innovative. The plain brightly coloured backgrounds remind me of stamps from the 1970s and I think show a lack of imagination. As I mentioned the simple backgrounds help the items stand out so they work to a point, but I wouldn't say these are especially creative or innovative. 4/10

Collectability: I think these will appeal to people who have an interest in archaeology and the Isle of Man's history. 5/10

Personal Appeal: The design doesn't do much for me, but the theme definitely does. Archaeology is something worth celebrating and the National Treasures exhibition was very important for the Isle of Man. 5/10

Overall score: 36/60