Revenue from sales of philatelic products increased by 2 per cent this year – an excellent result, particularly considering that last year’s philatelic-related events included the Athens Olympics and the Pacific Explorer Stamp Expo in Sydney.

This growth can largely be attributed to sales of stamps and collectable products linked to the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. In an ambitious team effort that involved people from many different areas of Australia Post, we released more than 100 new stamps in less than two weeks (compared with our normal stamp program of 60 stamps per year). Among these were 17 “instant stamp” sheetlets, to commemorate our athletes’ gold medal wins at the Games, which were designed, printed and distributed in less than 24 hours.

The Commonwealth Games also saw the production of the second Snapshot! personalised souvenir stamp booklet. More than 15,000 Games visitors took advantage of the chance to watch their souvenir booklets being produced on site at Birrarung Marr near the major Games venues.

During the year, the philatelic product range was extended to include a range of stamp-related gifts and collectables that were marketed in the Impressions direct mail catalogue. Among the items offered in the catalogue was the limited edition Treasures of the Archive imperforate stamp sheetlet, which sold out within days of its release.

Click here for information about our program of philatelic exhibitions and click here to view a selection of the year’s stamp issues.