Jacques Neuehaus is a well known historical character in Laernu. He was an author, adventurer, scientist, philosopher, musician, swords master, and much much more. The truth about him is hard to ascertain, as not only did he use a number of noble aliases, but would also fail to deny any stories put out about him. But he is best remembered as an accomplished lover and womaniser. However Jacques vowed never to fall in love again after Henrietta had to make a hasty exit from his apartment one night; only her wailing spirit has been seen since that day. It was during a five day visit to the Isle of Vue that he wrote his best known work Twintig Tagen, which incorporated folklore tales such as the Bunnies of Love and the Faer Loben children, both subjects of previous Valentine Day stamps. It may be that Jacques occasionally crossed over into our world and some of his exploits have been attributed to a well known figure here: or did the reverse happen? Both figures managed more in their lifetimes than 10 ordinary men.

As can be expected there was a peek-a-boo variant stamp, a colour trial A5 and progressive artwork A5 sheet, plus covers and a Valentine`s Day card. Add to this that is the 10th year of Isle of Vue Valentine`s Day stamps and you get yet another variant of this stamp. In a non-philatelic mode you can try and lay your hands on some of the collectors cards that came with Harborne`s Waxen Chooen, a Laernu specialty! They complement this issue perfectly.

Not only that, but there is a Queen of Hearts Penny Black spoof to celebrate the years. See if you can spot the almost impossible to find variants on the sheet. And watch out for the limited edition triptych sheet which has the QoH stamp flanked by a 2006 and 2015 variation .... nice

What to look out for

• All the extras
• The 10th anniversary stamp
• The collector`s cards - see how many you can get
• The Queen of Heart sheet to find the variants
• The Queen of Hearts triptych for the 2006 and 2015 stamps