LATEST ROYAL MAIL ISSUE...
Click here to see our King's Stamps feature...>>
THE KING'S ACCESSION
The glorious accession of the philatelist king
Royal Mail will celebrate the centenary of the philatelist king coming to the throne with a miniature sheet titled the Accession of King George V on May 6.
It includes one 1st class stamp and one £1 stamp, both designed by Sedley Place but harking back to earlier designs. The border does likewise, with an illustration of St George and the Dragon based on the £1 Postal Union Congress stamp of 1929 designed by Harold Nelson.
Inscriptions on the miniature sheet and one of the stamps note the London 2010 Festival of Stamps, and from May 8 the sheet will be available at the London 2010 exhibition with a special 'Business Design Centre, London, May 8-15, 2010' overprint.
The 1st class value will also be sold from counter sheets.
1st class
The familiar Arnold Machin bas-relief profile of Queen Elizabeth II is superimposed over the Bertram Mackennal profile of King George V, based on photographs by W & D Downey and engravings by J A C Harrison.
The overall style is reminiscent of the 1990 double-head definitives marking the 150th anniversary of the Penny Black, but this time the images are flanked by both monarchs' royal cyphers.
£1
The Mackennal profile of George V, as used on definitive stamps from 1912, is shown on the right opposite the three-quarter-angle portrait used on the 1911 issue, known as the Downey head (see page 88).
The frame borrows motifs from various stamps of the reign, giving it a period feel.
OTHER PRODUCTS
A press sheet of uncut miniature sheets will be issued in a limited edition of 2,010, along with a first day cover and stamp cards.
|
