Maltapost’s die-cast models and Malta buses souvenirs

Various types of vehicles were used by the Post Office fleet over the years.

The first series represents vans used in Malta during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The initial set consists of three vans: Bedford CA, Morris 1000 and Morris Mini Minor in a scale of 1:43.

The edition is limited to 4,000 sets, complete with numbered certificates, boxed and mounted on a wooden plinth.

The Post Office collection is available from the Maltapost Philatelic Bureau and all post offices.

To mark the withdrawal from service of Malta’s iconic buses, Maltapost issued a commemorative set of stamps depicting some of the vehicles that were in operation over the years.

In addition to the usual philatelic items, Maltapost has produced a number of related items as souvenirs of this event in our transport history.

Local artist Cedric Galea Pirotta was commissioned to paint 20 of the most popular buses covering the principal routes throughout Malta and Gozo. The issue consists of two sheets, each of 10 different stamps bearing a denomination of 20c and 69c respectively.

Firstly, a set of 20 maximum cards was issued to complement the stamp set. These are a philatelic version of a postcard bearing an identical image of a stamp.

A set of 20 prints of the original watercolours by Galea Pirotta was also issued.

Each print measures 41cm by 33cm and is presented in two folders of 10 prints each.

In conjunction with ‘Buses Worldwide’, Maltapost has reprinted its popular booklet Maltese Buses of Yesteryear, filled with photographs of many buses that have servedvarious routes over the years.