A set of five stamps issued by the Philatelic Bureau of Maltapost on 29 December depicts five different examples of traditional Maltese crafts.

The stamps, designed by Richard J. Caruana and offset printed by Printex Limited of Qormi on Maltese Crosses watermarked paper, are the first to carry a dual face value, as the euro value is included, part of the process for the gradual introduction of the euro to the Maltese Islands.

Throughout the centuries, our people had to make their own utensils, vessels and tools for daily use. This led to a large number of traditional crafts that created such sundry objects from raw materials that could be found at hand in the countryside. Metals, however, always had to be imported from abroad, as were crafts connected with both noble and base metals.

After the Second World War (1939–1945), our islands were gradually inundated with large supplies of imported objects that replaced the traditional ones. This resulted in traditional Maltese crafts gradually dying out. Luckily, there has been a renewed sense of appreciation for traditional lore. Certain crafts have been revived and taught in special schools, and tourists, foreign residents and local enthusiasts have provided a ready market for most of our traditional products, including handmade souvenirs.

Wrought Iron (8c / euro 0.19)

Certain blacksmiths in Malta and Gozo specialised in wrought iron gates for gardens and courtyards, intricately designed railings, ornamental balcony and stair balustrades, window guards, grilles, signs, vanes and finials.

Raw materials consisted of imported wrought iron rods of different cross sections and sizes. Many designs had an international touch, but Maltese craftsmen adapted and created their own designs, introducing local motifs such as the eight-pointed Maltese Cross, several sacred emblems for churches and religious orders, and even the initials of home owners.

Glass-making (16c / euro 0.37)

During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the British Colonial Administration started promoting the Maltese Islands as a tourist destination. Subsequent Maltese governments encouraged the local manufacture of souvenirs for the fast growing tourist market. Local crafts were given a boost and the first glass manufacturing firm in Malta specialising in ornamental glass souvenirs was established in 1968. In 1989 another similar firm started operating on the island of Gozo. Local motifs, such as the Maltese cross, karrozzin and different Malta scenes soon became a speciality of the Malta firm, while the Gozo firm specialised in the making of general ornamental objects of the finest quality.

Filigree work (22c / euro 0.51)

Filigree work (filugranu), together with the making of gold and silver ornamental flower garlands (ganutilja) and embroidery (rakkmu), has been popular in Malta for centuries. Initially, this work was restricted to the convents, but it was eventually taken over by goldsmiths and silversmiths working individually in the towns and villages. Filigree items of jewellery consisting of brooches, pendants, earrings, flowers, fans, butterflies and jewel-boxes, soon included local motifs like Maltese dghajsas, Gozo boats, karrozzini, the Maltese Cross, Maltese cannon and other similar objects. The raw materials consist of gold and silver threads of different thickness. Luckily, the teaching of the above mentioned crafts features prominently on the curriculum of our schools of art.

Maltese pottery (37c / euro 0.86)

Pottery has been manufactured in Malta ever since the first people crossed over from the neighbouring island of Sicily and settled on this archipelago.

Since prehistoric times, different peoples of various cultures brought with them different types pottery, many a time adorned with symbolic ornamental drawings. The raw material for pottery is clay found abundantly in the northern parts of Malta and all over Gozo. Some cultures buried pottery utensils with their dead, thus preserving for archaeologists fine samples that now adorn our museums. Today, pottery items are available for sale from various shops in Malta and Gozo.

Maltese Reed basketry (60c / euro 1.40)

Two main types of raw materials are used in Maltese basketry, namely dried palm-tree leaves and giant reeds (Arundo donax, – qasab), which grow in abundance in moist and watered valleys in the northern parts of Malta and the island of Gozo. Reed baskets are also strengthened and embellished by the interwoven long slender brown twigs of the Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus castus, – virgija), which also grows in our valleys. Until recently, several different shapes and sizes of reed baskets were used for various purposes.

The set is on sale at all Maltapost postal retail outlets in Malta and Gozo.