The Sliema community was this weekend mourning the loss of Joseph Buttigieg, the founder and former owner of Sliema Stamp Shop, who passed away aged 85 on Friday.

Mr Buttigieg’s shop, located at 91 Manuel Dimech Street in Sliema, became one of the first fully-fledged and comprehensive stamp shops in Malta, along with Said in Valletta, when it was opened in 1979. It collated a selection of local postage and historical information, attracting collectors both local and foreign.

Along with the shop, Mr Buttigieg founded Malta’s leading bi-annual stamp catalogue, the JB Catalogue in 1984.

The shop closed in 2018, and the final edition of the magazine also came that year.

Mr Buttigieg leaves behind two sons, Michael and Victor, and will also be missed by his grandchildren and great-grandchild Jake, along with his other relatives and friends.

His funeral will take place on Wednesday morning at the Holy Trinity Church in Marsa.