Coco D'Amour

The 2016 Valentine`s Day stamp is a variation on funny-shaped vegetables. It draws inspiration from the tropical side of the Isle of Vue, in the form of the Coco D`Amour. Because of its heart shape and resemblance to the female form a mythology has built up regarding this large nut. Forming on the female trees of the Happy Palm it symbolises romantic love. The male palm trees are said to uproot themselves in hot and thundery weather and search out the female palms. Unsurprisingly, there is now a black market in the nuts with unlicensed hunters searching them out.
The stamp was printed in sheets of ten, with the traditional variant stamp. There was also a pair of two stamp mini-sheets, one with an alternative variant and the other with an alternative colour. There was also a card (with a tete-beche pairing of the stamps), a pair of covers, a colour test sheet, and artwork and design archive proof sheet. There is also a number of research papers with illustrations showing the background to the ideas behind the stamp. These are fascinating for the glimpses we get into the world of Laernu and the Isle of Vue.

What to look out for

  • All three variants
  • Both of the mini-sheets
  • The tete-beche pairings
  • The research papers