In an attempt to plug the hole it had punched in its traditional issuing policy, the GPO insisted this was not an issue honouring Shakespeare himself, whose 400th birthday it was, but one commemorating the Shakespeare Festival as an event.
Nevertheless, this was a ground-breaking and controversial issue, the first to depict a commoner.
In a multi-coloured set of five showing scenes from plays, the only recess-printed stamp, and the only one to name the play in question, was the monotone top value in deep slate purple illustrating the hapless Hamlet contemplating mortality.
This year’s Christmas stamp issue from Royal Mail, released on November 2, differs significantly from those of recent years to allow for the inclusion of ‘barcoded’ stamps for the first time.
Their designs follows that of the large-format 2nd class Machin definitive issued in business sheets in March.
The digitally scannable element (technically not a barcode but a data matrix code) is to the right of the pictorial element, separated from it by a line which resembles a perforation.
Royal Mail issued a set of eight stamps on October 19 to celebrate the passion of rugby union, marking the 150th anniversaries of the formation of the Rugby Football Union and the first international match.
The dynamic designs feature famous players and iconic moments in key international matches within living memory, giving equal billing to the four nations of the British Isles.
They also give equal coverage to the men’s and women’s games, even though the first Women’s Home Nations Championship was staged as recently as 1996.
Royal Mail released 12 gummed stamps and a six-stamp self-adhesive miniature sheet on September 17 featuring the superheroes and supervillains created by DC Comics, an American comic book publisher.
The latest in a series of issues driven by lucrative licensing agreements rather than a desire to celebrate British culture, it was produced in partnership with Warner Bros Consumer Products.
Along with the Star Wars issue of 2015 and the Star Trek issue of 2020, the DC Collection issue means that the three biggest sets in Royal Mail’s history (comprising 18 stamps each) have all been dedicated to American fiction franchises.
The latest issue from Royal Mail, released on August 12, celebrates Industrial Revolutions, highlighting the pioneering spirit behind some of the most ingenious scientific and engineering advances made in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries.
A set of six stamps in counter sheets features ground-breaking inventions during what may be called the first industrial revolution, based on the exploitation of water and steam power, the use of new materials in construction, improvements in the efficiency of textile manufacturing, and the development of canal and railway transport networks.
A miniature sheet of four entitled The Electric Revolution recalls how these advances were built upon by harnessing the power of electricity, to improve standards of living and speed up communications.
The Wild Coasts special stamp issue, released on July 22, celebrates the surprising and beautiful diversity of marine life found in British coastal waters.
Nowhere in the UK is more than 70 miles from the coast,andthe British Isles provide unique or ideal habitats for a multitude of species.
A set of 10 counter-sheet stamps showcases a wide variety of wildlife, from mammals, fish and birds to crustaceans, molluscs, anemones and coral.
Released on July 1, the Dennis & Gnasher special stamp issue celebrates the 70th anniversary of one of Britain’s best-loved comic-strip characters.
Tagged as the world's naughtiest boy, Dennis made his debut inDC Thompson’s comic The Beano in March 1951, as ‘Dennisthe Menace’; since 2009 the strip has been named ‘Dennis & Gnasher’.
With his distinctive red-and-black-striped jersey, knobbly knees, messy hair and devilish grin, Dennis is the archetypal badly behaved schoolboy, who takes pride in breaking rules and causing mayhem.
On June 24 Royal Mail will issue a miniature sheet of four stamps in memory of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who died on April 9 at the age of 99.
Having married Princess Elizabeth in November 1947, Philip gave up a stellar career in the Royal Navy when she ascended the throne as Queen Elizabeth II in February 1952.
He would become the longest-serving royal consort in British history, supporting the monarch in all her work until his retirement from royal duties in 2017.
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