Britain's most spectacular commemoratives, No9 & No10: 1991 Europe In Space 37p pair

The only joint entry in our countdown is the the oddest se-tenant pair ever.

Not having much to boast about for the Europe in Space theme of 1991, Britain commissioned a France artist to come up with an imaginative angle. Accompanying a lower value pair entitled Man Looking At Space, the 37p stamps purported to show Space Looking At Man. 

Within a tall-hatted head we see a pair of eyes from which the Sun and crescent Moon gaze out, and above this is a halo-like stylised representation of our galaxy, rising out of Earth’s warm atmosphere into the blue of the heavens. 

At least, that’s what we see! How about you?

Design: Jean Michel Folon.

Printing: photogravure by Harrisons.

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