2021SEPAC – Historical Maps Of Malta - First Day Cover

The theme chosen by the Small European Postal Administration Cooperation (SEPAC) for this year's stamp issue is "Historical Maps".

The set of four stamps to be issued by MaltaPost shows historical maps of the Maltese Islands produced by different European cartographers.

The 0.20 stamp features a map by Giovanni Giacomo De Rossi an Italian printer and cartographer, published in Rome in 1686. The title of this map appears within a scroll at the top centre and it reads ISOLA DI MALTA GOZZO COMINO E COMINOTTO. The map of Malta is in the upper half of the sheet, while a large plan of the harbour area, within a very elaborate and theatrical setting, is in the lower half of the sheet.

The 0.50 stamp features a map drawn by a Dutch cartographer Johannes Jansonnius. This was first published in Amsterdam in c.1650'and bears the title INSVLAE MELITAE Vulgo MALTE Nova et accurata Descriptio' within a highly decorative cartouche. It also shows the arms of the Order of Saint John and an inset plan of Valletta.

The 0.63 stamp portrays a map by a French cartographer Bernard Antoine Jaillot and published in 1734. This French map is titled 'CARTE PARTICULIERE DES ISLES / DE MALTE du Goze et du Cuming'. The title is found within a panel at the top left corner. This map has detailed place names and shows the road network, aqueducts, and the various towns and villages of Malta and Gozo. It has a large inset on the top right corner showing the Grand Harbour with the magnificent fortifications of Valletta and the Three Cities.

The 1.25 stamp bears a map by a German cartographer Georg Matthaus Seutter the Elder published in c.1725. This German map is titled 'MELITE vulgo MALTA cum vicinis GOZA, quae olim GAULOS, et COMINO insulis'. It shows two vignettes one depicting a galleon and another the Grand Master of the Order of Saint John. An inset plan of Valletta and its harbours and the Order's emblem and the coat of arms of the Grand Masters appear along the bottom.