This crazy envelope surely has to win some kind of prize for its eccentric mix of British commemorative and definitive stamps from many different years and issues! Posted on 7 October 2003, it carries the following stamps (running clockwise):
11 1/2p - Policeman Directing Traffic issued on 26 September 1979 as part of the 150th Anniversary of the Metropolitan Police set;
63p – Ballyroney, County Down from the Sub-Post Offices set issued on 12 August, 1997 to mark the centenary of the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters;
65p – Spiral Hat by Philip Treacy issued on 19th June, 2001 as one of four Fashion Hats;
68p – Deep reddish lilac and silver Tudor Rose regional issue which were in circulation from 2001 -2002;
2p - Myrtle-green with 2 phosphor bands (Queen Elizabeth II decimal definitives issued between 15th February 1971 and 6th February 1996) ;
63p – Peter Cook who was featured in the British Comedians set issued on 23 April, 1998;
1/2p - Turquoise-blue with 2 phosphor bands and gutter advertisement (Queen Elizabeth II decimal definitives issued between 15th February 1971 and 6th February 1996);
65p – Very Dry from the Weather set which featured four quadrants of a barometer that joined together on the miniature sheet.
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Posted: February 22nd, 2008 by debs
| Filed under Commemorative stamps, GB stamps
Merry Christmas from Penny Black 1840! I have just made this little video of the 1973 British commemorative stamps for Christmas telling the story of Good King Wenceslas - Good King Wenceslas, the Page and the Peasant.
The stamps were issued as a se-tenant strip with a slightly higher value 3 1/2 pence stamp issued separately.
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Posted: December 3rd, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Commemorative stamps, GB stamps
I’ve always loved these 1977 Christmas stamps because they were one of the first sets I collected as a child, eagerly waiting for different images to arrive on letters and then steaming them off Christmas card envelopes to make up the full set of six.
The five 7 pence stamps represent different lines of the Christmas song The Twelve Days of Christmas:
“Twelves Lords a-leaping,
Eleven Ladies dancing,
*
Ten Pipers piping,
Nine Drummers drumming,
*
Eight Maids a-milking,
Seven Swans a-swimming,
*
Six Geese a-laying,
Five Gold Rings,
Four Colly Birds,
*
Three French Hens,
Two Turtle Doves…”
whilst the 9 pence stamp represents the repeated chorus:
“And a Partridge in a Pear Tree”.
The 7 pence stamps were printed horizontally in a se-tenant strip.
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Posted: December 1st, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Commemorative stamps, GB stamps
With Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip celebrating their diamond wedding anniversary this week I thought this stamp might make a timely post - The Royal Silver Wedding Stamp issued in 1948 to celebrate 25 years of marriage between Queen Elizabeth II’s parents King George VI and the Queen Consort, Elizabeth (later known throughout her long life after the death of her husband as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother).
A particular curiosity of this commemorative design is that the heads face right, whereas the King or Queen’s head always faces to the left on definitive stamps.
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Posted: November 22nd, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Anniversaries, Commemorative stamps, GB stamps, Royalty
I was lucky enough to have got tickets for the première showing of Elizabeth: The Golden Age starring Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush at the Rome Film Festival last week. The film was a sumptuous romp through history with Cate Blanchett as fabulous as ever - the scenes showing the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 were particularly impressive.
These British commemorative stamps were designed by Graham Evernden and issued on 19 July, 1988 on the 400th anniversary of the event. The set of five stamps was printed se-tenant (joined together in a horizontal strip) and the individual stamps form a composite design which runs across all five. All five stamps were valued at 18 pence and feature, reading from left to right: Spanish Galeasse off The Lizard; English Fleet leaving Plymouth; Engagement off the Isle of Wight; Attack of English Fire-ships, Calais; Armada in Storm, North Sea.
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Posted: October 27th, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Anniversaries, Commemorative stamps, GB stamps
Whilst news broadcasts the world over follow the Diana Inquest I thought I’d post this First Day of Issue Postcard featuring the Guernsey 12p stamp featuring Prince Charles and Lady Diana (as she was then known) together on the occasion of their wedding on 29 July 1981. The photograph shows the couple at the announcement of their engagement. The postcard was actually posted by an aunt and uncle who were holidaying in Guernsey at the time and the date of cancellation was a pure fluke.
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Posted: October 8th, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Commemorative stamps, First Day Covers, GB stamps, Royalty
One of the fun sides to buying the occasional mixed bag of stamps is that you’ll inevitably find the odd rarity that pays back your minimal investment. For example, I was delighted to come across this George VI £1 brown (SG 478b). First issued on 1 October 1948 this stamp is actually harder to find in good used condition than mint! It was the final stamp in the “Royal Arms” set of six which comprised the 2s 6d brown, 5s red and 10s dark blue issued in 1939, and the 2s 6d yellow-green and 10s ultramarine, which were both issued in 1942.
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Posted: September 23rd, 2007 by debs
| Filed under GB stamps, Royalty
Here’s an interesting curiosity…A very nice strip of three London Post c.1839 13p GB commemorative stamps on an envelope above another strip of three Policeman on the Beat 10p GB stamps. What makes this unusual, however, is that I received this envelope in the post the other day – in fact if you look carefully you’ll see a post mark dated 10 September 2007 - whilst the commemorative stamps were issued in 1979! As it happens, this is no accident – the envelope contained other stamps purchased on eBay. One of the fun things about buying stamps from dealers on eBay is that on some occasions you get more than you bargained for!
The London Post stamp (SG Cat. 1097) was part of the four stamp set produced for the Centenary of the Death of Sir Rowland Hill (22 August – 24 October, 1979), whereas the Policeman on the Beat (SG Cat.1100) was issued on 26 September, 1979 along with three other stamps celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Metropolitan Police.
The London Post Stamp also appeared in the 1980 Miniature Sheet issued at the London 1980 Stamp Exhibition.
Posted: September 17th, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Anniversaries, Commemorative stamps, GB stamps
In the opening track of Badly Drawn Boy’s latest CD Born in the UK
there’s a line in it that talks about being a kid in the UK back in the summer of 1977:
Vicious and his brothers
Were trying to set us free
But much more than this to you and me
This was the Silver Jubilee
This line really made me smile…1977 and the Silver Jubilee - if you were nine years old at the time the Sex Pistols weren’t really going to have made much of an impression that year! Anyway, here’s a scan of the first day cover with bureau postmark celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee. The address is that of my primary school.. I distinctly remember complaining at the time when the school ordered the FDCs and they came back with the school name not our own names on the envelope!
Posted: September 9th, 2007 by debs
| Filed under Anniversaries, First Day Covers, GB stamps, Royalty
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