STAMPED OUT: postcard error

An Post had to withdraw one of its series of St Patrick's Day postcards after it emerged that the Tricolour was printed back-to-front.

The postcard series featured a cartoon character waving an orange, white and green flag. This is the flag of the Ivory Coast.

A spokeswoman for An Post said last night one of its series of five St Patrick's Day postcards and greeting cards had to be withdrawn and pulped last week because of a "proofing error".

The spokeswoman said it had been designed and produced by an outside agency, Javelin. The agency had borne the cost of pulping and reprinting the postcard - less than €4,000.

An Post said the error had been spotted at the last stage of distribution. A small number of the postcards, which cost €1.50 (including postage worldwide), had been sold. The card had been recalled and re-issued within a day or so.

An Post is providing 25 cent from each card sold to the hospice movement. The spokeswoman said the company did not anticipate any significant reduction in proceeds as a result of the error. An Post estimates around 400,000 pre-paid postcards and greeting cards will be sent for St Patrick's Day.

Over recent years, there have been a number of blunders regarding stamps issued by An Post. These include the misplacement of Cyprus in a stamp commemorating EU enlargement, mixing up the Latin names of a species of duck in wildlife stamps and reproduction errors in an illustrated coffee-table book of Irish stamps.

A Luas stamp, with a wheelchair-user being pushed on to a tram, was vetoed by Ministers who felt it could imply disabled people would not be able to board without assistance.