Caldey Island, which is located a few miles off the coast of South Wales, is owned by the Cistercian Order and is the home of an abbey and churches for about 30 monks. Caldey Carriage Labels have been produced for the monks since 1973 as a novelty for tourists to mail postcards from. The island has its own British Post Office branch, so the Caldey stamps have always been for novelty value, rather than serving a local post requirement. Fake labels not produced or used by the island have recently (2014) appeared and should be avoided by all collectors.
