Students of the philatelic history of the Maltese Islands will find it easier to carry out research into their subject, following the recent presentation by Maltapost of two Malta stamp collections to the National Library in Valletta.

One of the albums will be used by patrons of the National Library, and the second album has been earmarked for the Gozo Public Library.

The Malta Stamp Collection, which was issued by Maltapost shortly after Malta’s accession to the European Union on 1 May 2004, contains a wealth of material relating to the postal history of these islands. The 380-page album also includes mint condition specimens of most of the stamps issued by the postal administrations between Malta’s independence in 1964 and accession to the EU.

The album includes annotations relating to every single issue within this “golden” period of Maltese philately, together with a number of professionally written essays covering various aspects of Maltese life, ranging from the country’s geography to the arts, culture and philately.

Presenting the Malta stamp collections to National Library director Philip Borg, Maltapost CEO Joseph Gafa’ remarked that the inclusion of these albums in both libraries would give philatelists and researchers a golden opportunity to familiarise themselves with the philatelic history of these islands.

The presentation was also attended by Maltapost senior manager marketing and business development John Agius, and other Maltapost and National Library officials.