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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Royal Mail’s largest stamp commission since the Millennium series will be completed on July 27 with the issue of the third and final set of Olympic & Paralympic Games stamps illustrating the whole gamut of Olympic sports.
The release of the 10-stamp set has been timed to take place exactly one year before the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Games.
Studio David Hillman was commissioned to direct the whole 30-stamp series, each of which has been designed by a different artist.
The popular children’s book and television character Thomas the Tank Engine features on a set of stamps issued to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of his creator, the Reverend W Awdry.
The issue, on 14 June, includes six long-format stamps showing images from the television series Thomas & Friends, and a miniature sheet of four reproducing original illustrations from the books.
Wilbert Awdry (1911-97) had a passion for railways which had been instilled in him by his father.
To mark the 150th anniversary of the famous design company Morris & Co, Royal Mail issued a set of six stamps on May 5.
They feature examples of the company’s beautiful hand-crafted designs, fashioned in wood, fabric, wallpaper, ceramics and stained glass by six different artists.
The original company of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co was founded in 1861, and established a reputation for interior design, fine furniture and decorations.
Royal Mail will issue a miniature sheet of four stamps to celebrate the wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton.
It will be released on the Queen’s birthday, April 21, eight days before the wedding in Westminster Abbey on April 29.
The sheet features two different official engagement photographs of the couple by Princess Diana’s favourite photographer, Mario Testino, who is Peruvian.
The set of stamps to be issued on 12 April celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Britain’s most famous publicly funded theatre company.
It was in 1961 that famous director Sir Peter Hall founded the modern RSC as a permanent company, although earlier companies had been putting on seasons of plays in Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare’s birthplace,
since 1879.
The six counter sheet stamps highlight six famous productions of Shakespeare plays, in most cases showing living actors who are eminently recognisable, albeit in character.
Characters in Britain’s best-loved fantasy stories, from ancient myths to modern best-sellers, are brought together in the Magical Realms set, to be issued on March 8.
The eight stamps illustrate two different enchanters from each of four series of stories, using a combination of film images and newly-commissioned illustrations.
Depicted in artwork by Howard Swindell are characters from medieval Arthurian legend, and from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld comic fantasy series, the first of which was published in 1983.
