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Julia Lee  |  Mar 07, 2012  |  0 comments

Royal Mail’s latest stamp issue, Comics, marks the 75th birthday of The Dandy, Britain’s longest-running comic book.

Issued on March 20, the set celebrates 10 different comics by featuring a classic front cover alongside an iconic character in each case.

British comics emerged from weekly ‘story papers’ such as Boy’s Own and The Magnet.

Julia Lee  |  Feb 08, 2012  |  0 comments

The second miniature sheet in Royal Mail’s railway tour of the UK will be released on March 8.

Classic Locomotives of Scotland features four different types of engine, two in colour photographs and two in black and white, with a background image of LNER Class K2 2-6-0 crossing Glenfinnan Viaduct in the Highlands in 1947.

The sheet was designed by Delaney, and printed in litho by Cartor.

Julia Lee  |  Feb 08, 2012  |  0 comments

Royal Mail is celebrating the life and work of 10 significant but in some cases lesser-known citizens, in a special stamp issue on February 23.

The Britons of Distinction set celebrates distinguished individuals from the realms of engineering, computing, architecture, music, politics, literature and design, with a secret agent added to the mix for good measure.

Some are quite familiar names but others less so, certainly in comparison with the Eminent Britons set of 2009.

Julia Lee  |  Jan 11, 2012  |  0 comments

The Kings & Queens series of stamp issues which started in 2008 concludes with the House of Windsor & Saxe-Coburg-Gotha set on February 2, bringing the story of the British monarchy up the present day.

The five most recent monarchs are illustrated through contemporary portrait paintings, as in previous sets, with Queen Elizabeth II taking pride of place on the top value in her Diamond Jubilee year.

Following the style of the earlier issue in this series, a miniature sheet of four stamps highlights landmark events that have taken place during the dynasty.

Julia Lee  |  Dec 06, 2011  |  0 comments

Royal Mail’s first special issue of 2012 is dedicated to the author Roald Dahl on January 10.

A set of six sheet stamps celebrates some of his best-known children’s stories, with the aid of the instantly familiar illustrations of Quentin Blake.

In addition, a miniature sheet of four stamps marks the 30th anniversary of The BFG (Big Friendly Giant), one of his most popular characters.

Julia Lee  |  Nov 07, 2011  |  0 comments

This year’s Christmas stamps, issued on November 8, feature illustrated scenes inspired by the Nativity, and specifically illustrating verses from the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

The stamps were designed by Together Design, from paintings by Peter Malone, and printed in gravure by De La Rue.

The sheet stamps are self-adhesive, but, as in every Christmas issue since 2004, the same designs also come in gummed format in the accompanying miniature sheet.

Julia Lee  |  Oct 11, 2011  |  0 comments

The first set in a two-part series making up an alphabetical tour of famous landmarks of the United Kingdom will be released on October 13.

Part one of the UK A-Z comprises 12 1st class stamps showing photographs of sights starting with the letters from A to L, making it the biggest single commemorative set yet issued by Royal Mail.

Part two, covering the letters M to Z, is set to break that record with a 14-stamp set in April 2012! The stamps were designed by Robert Maude and Sarah Davies (who were also responsible for the Aerial Post miniature sheet in September), and were printed in lithography by Cartor in sheets which yield se-tenant strips of six.

Julia Lee  |  Sep 07, 2011  |  0 comments

Royal Mail issues a miniature sheet and prestige stamp book on September 9, to mark the centenary of the First UK Aerial Post, which was the world’s first scheduled airmail service.

Gustav Hamel’s flight from Hendon to Windsor on September 9, 1911, was the first of a series by four pilots carrying covers commemorating the coronation of King George V (see page 42).

The four stamps reproduce period photographs, and the border shows an original publicity poster.

Julia Lee  |  Sep 07, 2011  |  0 comments

The penultimate issue in the Kings & Queens series, which has been running since 2008, features the House of Hanover on September 15.

The Hanoverians were rulers of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in what is now Germany, and were prince-electors in the Holy Roman Empire.

They came to the British throne as the closest Protestant relatives of Queen Anne, with Catholics having been banned from inheriting.

Julia Lee  |  Aug 16, 2011  |  0 comments

Royal Mail is celebrating some of the world’s most beautiful artefacts in a spectacular collection of eight stamps featuring the Crown Jewels, the regalia of the British monarchy.

Issued on August 23, the stamps feature some of the most important and iconic pieces from the priceless collection.

This year marks the 350th anniversary of the making of many of the items shown, for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661 shortly after the Restoration of the monarchy.

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