Royal Mail marks century of fancy stamps with issue of special 10-piece set
A century of commemorative stamps is being marked by Royal Mail with the release of a set of 10 first-class stamps.
This special set has two themes, Europa and Silver Jubilee, and each stamp features three images of previously-issued commemorative versions, including the very first from 23 April, 1924, which marked the opening of the British Empire Exhibition at London’s Wembley Park.
British commemorative stamps have mirrored the changes in society and culture at large for the past century,” David Gold, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy, said. “They celebrate the best of the UK, our people and our national character.
“Everyone will have their own favourites, but this set shows the diversity of the stamps programme and how design and subject matter have evolved in a century.”
The designs are works of art in miniature with much of the artwork starting off at a much larger scale and it is part of the stamp designers’ remit to ensure it can be successfully reduced to the small size of a postage stamp.
The themes and topics covered range from the tiniest of insects to the far reaches of outer space, and popular subjects have included literature, film and television, music, transport, the natural world, influential people and royalty.
In the early days few were issued, and they were mainly for royal occasions with King George V’s silver jubilee covered in 1935, the following year work began on stamps to mark his successor King Edward VI’s coronation but he abdicated so they weren’t released.
There was a stamp for the coronation of his brother King George VI, which set the precedent followed for Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III.
The modern commemorative stamp programme was devised in 1965 by the-then Postmaster General Tony Benn, who worked with designer David Gentleman to overhaul stamp design with a bold modernist approach and no text.
Gentleman’s first work showed Sir Winston Churchill on the first British stamp to feature a non-royal contemporary individual.
Over the past 100 years, talented artists and designers have been commissioned to commemorate and celebrate important anniversaries and events, including Quentin Blake, David Hockney, Paula Rego, Grayson Perry and Yinka Shonibare.
The world of music has been well represented over the years, with classical pieces, such as Sea Pictures by Edward Elgar, balanced with more contemporary artists including David Bowie, Elton John, Pink Floyd and Queen.
Popular culture has been celebrated with major film franchises such as Harry Potter, popular comedy series Blackadder’s 40th anniversary in 2023, Coronation Street’s 60thanniversary, The Clangers for 50 years of children’s tv, and Dr Who’s half century.
Celebrating diversity is a theme that runs through Royal Mail’s stamp issues, with individuals from all backgrounds and walks of life depicted, 2023 marked the 75th anniversary of the Empire Windrush arriving in the UK, in 2018 a stamp honoured prominent suffragette campaigner Sophia Duleep Singh who was of Sikh heritage, and in 2022 stamps were released to mark the 50th anniversary of the UK’s first Gay Pride rally.
The natural world has been a major theme from the very earliest days, covering the British countryside, flora and fauna, helping celebrate the wonder of the natural world and highlighting environmental issues such as endangered species and pollution.
Even dinosaurs have appeared more than once, including on an innovative 2013 set of stamps where the image of the prehistoric animal broke out from the edge of the frame.
The stamps and a range of collectable products, are available at www.royalmail.com/100years.
