New Issue: Post & Go - Parishes - Part I (Jersey)

Just a few days before Guernsey issued its new issue celebrating the island's parishes, Jersey brought out its own set. Is this a coincidence? Like Guernsey, this is named "Part I", meaning there will be another set in the future. Unlike Guernsey, these parish-themed stamps are "Post & Go" stamps. We no longer have these in the UK but I remember them, and clearly Jersey still finds them useful. I always thought "Post & Go" was a bit of a silly name. What did people do before these stamps came out? Did they post and then stand around for a while?

The theme is the same as Guernsey's latest issue, but the design is very different. There is no stylised vintage-style art, and instead we have photographs of symbols associated with the parishes. There is a fish for St Brelade, a Maltese Cross for St John, a gridiron for St Lawrence, a lily for St Mary, a gold cross for St Ouen and the cross keys for St Peter. Alongside these photographs we see the coats of arms of the different parishes. Design Quality - The photographs on these stamps are really sharp and detailed, and the objects (like the fish, cross, and key) look very realistic. The colours are strong, especially the blue backgrounds, which makes the objects stand out clearly.

I don't really like the big empty-looking area on the left side of each stamp. It feels a bit plain and unbalanced. But these are “Post & Go” stamps, so that space is needed for the printed postage information. It makes sense but it still makes the design feel less artistic compared to the Guernsey set, which used the whole stamp space more creatively. I really like the addition of the coats of arms and these help give the stamps a historic feel. 6/10   Theme and Subject Choice - Celebrating the parishes of Jersey is a good idea because, like Guernsey, parish identity is important there. Each stamp connects to a different parish. Instead of landscapes and actual places, these focus more on symbols and objects and so the set feels a bit more traditional and serious. 8/10

Historical and Cultural Relevance - The objects shown (like crosses, keys, and parish symbols) feel connected to history and religion. That makes the stamps feel meaningful and rooted in tradition. They show that the parishes aren’t just places on a map but communities with history behind them. They also feel very heritage-focused, but not so connected to everyday life. 8/10

Innovation and Creativity - Jersey’s design is quite functional because it has to work as a Post & Go stamp.The close-up photography is nice, but it doesn’t feel imaginative or story-like. It’s more about clear representation than artistic interpretation. I don't feel these are very innovative but they are nicely done. 4/10

Collectability - Because these are Post & Go stamps, they might feel a bit less “special” to some collectors. However, there are other collectors who are really into Post & Go and will want to add these to their collections and I think that adds to their collectability. People from each parish might really want their own stamp. The fact that they connect to specific parishes makes the full set appealing.  7/10

Personal Appeal - I don't love this set but I do like it. I definitely respect the way it tries to connect us to Jersey's history. Visually, it doesn’t feel as charming as the Guernsey stamps but I do get a real feeling of tradition. These stamps will definitely be used in kiosks at Post Offices all over the islands, which is a big plus for me - they feel more official and not just created for collectors. 6/10  

Overall score - 39/60 I didn't mean to write a comparison between these and the Guernsey parish stamps, but it's turned out a bit like that! Both celebrate local parishes but in different ways. The Guernsey issue feels more artistic while Jersey’s Post & Go set feels more traditional.

Final Score in the Parishes clash: Guernsey 40 - Jersey 39. A very narrow victory for Guernsey! (They're both good sets though - well done to both Jersey Stamps and Guernsey Stamps!)