07 October 2025
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To assemble a collection of stamps, covers and cancellations connected to Halloween can bring a lot of fun.
Halloween is a widely recognised holiday, especially in Western countries, known for costumes, sweets, haunted houses and decorations. But what if as well as offering sweets to trick or treaters, we offer them a seasonal stamp instead? With Halloween right around the corner, we explore all things stamps.
Irish Halloween Stamps
In Ireland, there were stationary postcards as early as 1987, with ‘Kiddy Colour Cards’ featuring a black and white Halloween illustration to colour in. The imprinted 15p stamp for use ‘Within The State Only’ showed a clown. A total of 4 euros was being asked at Delcampe for unused cards.
An essential stamp for British and Irish collectors is the £1.55 stamp for Halloween in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland, from 9 July 2019 curious customs set, which was printed in se-tenant pairs. The Halloween design was paired with cheese rolling at Cooper’s Hill in Gloucestershire.
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French Halloween Stamps
You may have a similar problem with France’s 13 October 2012 self-adhesive booklet, ‘The Fire’ for National Stamp Festival. The single stamp for priority inland letters up to 20g features a Jack-o-lantern and is difficult to get in mint condition without having to buy the rather expensive full booklet (36 euros Michel value). So, it may be cheaper to look for used stamps.
The first Halloween issue from La Poste was issued on 20 October 2001. It had a dual 3f and 46c denomination and was issued in sheets of 30 as well as in small sheetlets of five.
Single proof prints of the stamp design in a blue colour with the artists’ signature were priced between 100 and 150 euros.
The miniature sheets of five additionally included four perforated vignettes showing a flying bat and a witch on a broom, a ghost in a bottle and a skull. When viewed under an ultraviolet lamp, the carved face shaped pumpkin along with the Halloween word will glow in the dark.
After three years, the next French Halloween stamp had a 50c denomination with a design that included a Jack-o-lantern, witch on a broom and a spider. There are two versions, with the one featuring a fluorescent yellow part fetching up to 16 euros.
Spooky and Fancy
In the USA, 29 September 2016 brought a quartet of four different carved Jack-o-lanterns on Forever stamps, designed for the theme of ‘Holy Days & Celebrations’. The US Postal Service sold them in self-adhesive booklets of 20. From 11 October 2019, another Forever stamp quartet celebrated Halloween with self-adhesive ‘Spooky Silhouettes.’
Halloween illustrated postcards from different periods offer a nice variety of additions to a thematic collection. A religious illustration celebrating 31 October 1898 accompanied a fancy lithographed postcard printed for Halloween in Jerusalem, which featured an event cancel on the reverse. It was a bit worn but found a buyer at $45 in 2020.
A nice number of Halloween and pumpkin cancellations can be found throughout the USA, dating from the 19th century. In March 2020, 40 euros was paid on Delcampe for a USA 1890 George Washington 2c with a Halloween pumpkin and Masonic triangle’ fancy cancel.
A ‘Pumpkin Face of Alton’, Illinois, fancy cancel fetched $168 in 2025 at Kelleher Auctions. In their September auction, Grosvenor Auctions offered a lot at £200 with a selection of USA fancy cancels, including a Pumpkin Face.
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