For the philatelist on your holiday gift list, a stamp series commemorating famous pop musicians such as Elvis Presley and Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, with Queen Elizabeth II's royal cipher on each stamp, has been issued to help raise funds for the Montserrat Volcano Relief Fund.

In July 1995, the Soufriere Hills Volcano on Montserrat, British West Indies, began to spew ash and debris for the first time in about 400 years. Since then the Montserratians have been trying to cope with this continuous state of eruption. One explosion in June, 1997 killed 19 people and rendered a further 1500 homeless. Three-fourths of the island's population is now homeless or relocated, scattered to various parts of the world with the aid of friends and families.

Montserrat is the home of Sir George Martin's AIR Studios, where a "who's who" of rock artists have recorded. Martin organized a concert featuring prominent musicians such as Phil Collins, Paul McCartney, Sting, Jimmy Buffet, Carl Perkins, and Eric Clapton at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1997, with all proceeds going to help the victims of the volcano

The 1997 fully licensed limited edition stamp series commemorates Garcia, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Presley. The first rock stamps in the series were replications of the Woodstock Concert posters (both the ‘69 and ‘94 posters). The latest edition to Montserrat's Music Stamp Series depicts reggae legend, Bob Marley. Others depict the volcano, the island under a total eclipse of the sun, and the relief concert.

For More Information call Westminster Stamps (508) 384-6157. You can write to Montserrat Music Stamps, P.O. Box 456, Foxboro, MA 02035, or visit their Web site: www.westminsterstamp.com