Sadly, it's been a long time coming..... I haven't written a blog post for a very long time and it seems like forever that we've been waiting for these latest stamp issues to reach us due to them being caught up in the Coronavirus pandemic.

We have 3 new stamp issues:
North Cyprus Stamps 2020 "UEFA EURO 2020 Football Championship",
Cyprus Stamps EUROPA 2020 "Ancient Postal Routes" and
Cyprus Stamps "International Year of the Nurse and Midwife and 200 Years since birth of Florence Nightingale"

Finally, they've arrived and we now have the following issues in stock and ready to purchase on our website in the NEW Stamp Issue category.

The long awaited UEFA EURO 2020 Football Championship issue from March 2020 has really become a casualty in the Covid-19 pandemic. Not only has it been somewhere in cyberspace for months, the tournament is no more..... having been postponed until 2021. So these are a bit of white elephant for the celebration of football as a whole but will also be a bit of a rarity in time to come.

North Cyprus Stamps 2020 "UEFA EURO 2020 Football Championship"

Due to the 2020 Virus Pandemic this UEFA football tournement did not take place. UEFA postponed the tournament for 12 months till 2021.

Sadly, not all of the information produced below is now relevant:

This football tournament, simply referred to as UEFA Euro 2020, is the 16th of the UEFA European Championships organised since 1960.

The theme of the event is all about bringing fans together, combining rivalry with celebration, independence and togetherness across 12 different cities with 12 different cultures.

The Stadio Olimpico in Rome will host the opening game, involving Turkey and Italy. Wembley Stadium in London will host the semi-finals and final.

For the first time, the video assistant referee (VAR) system will be used at the UEFA European Championship.

Graphic Design: Görel Korol Sönmezer

This issue comprises of a single stamp and also available as a full sheet of 9 stamps and on Post Office official FDC

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Cyprus Stamps EUROPA 2020 "Ancient Postal Routes"

During three centuries (1571-1878) of Ottoman occupation of Cyprus the town of Larnaka was the centre of commerce and the abode of the consular corps. Correspondence was minimal and any mail was hand carried by a ship’s captain.

The first ottoman post office opened in Lefkosia in 1871, and the first  postal route between Larnaka and Lefkosia was opened. Inland post was carried by horses, mules and camels on dirt tracks from ancient times.

In 1878 when Great Britain took over the administration of the island’s post offices were opened in every town. The transportation  of mail was by means of a diligence drawn by two horses and two mules.

 In 1905 a railway service began  between Ammohostos and Evrychou  via Lefkosia and Morphou carrying passengers, goods and mail. The transportation of mail by train ceased with the closure of the railway in 1951.

The issue comprises of 2 stamps and is available in sets of 2 stamps, Official FDC, Booklet format and in full sheets of 8 stamps (2 sheets per set)

We really like this one!

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Cyprus Stamps "International Year of the Nurse and Midwife and 200 Years since birth of Florence Nightingale"

This is a single issue stamp and is also available on a Post Office Official FDC and full sheet of 8 stamps.

Each year, May 12th is established as the International Nurses Day. 2020 has also been designated as the year of the nurse and the midwife. Nurses and midwives are the "bridge" of health care, at the forefront and a key factor in achieving universal health coverage as they are the link between the community and the complex health system.

The Cyprus Nurses and Midwives Association has been established in Cyprus since 1971, representing both Nurses and Midwives locally and internationally.

2020 is also the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, a British pioneer in modern nursing, a woman who devoted her life to caring for the sick and who founded the profession of nursing sisters.