( 2 January 2015 )Royal Mail today announced that 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the Special Stamps programme, which celebrates the UK and our national character.
2015 marks the 50th anniversary of Royal Mail’s modern Special Stamp programme, which celebrates the UK and our national character. A total of 2,663Special Stamps have been issued since July 1965
Every new stamp design is approved by Her Majesty The Queen before it is issued
Postmaster General Tony Benn introduced changes to the criteria for Special Stamps and made key decisions in 1965 which changed stamps forever
Other than The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh is the most featured person on Special Stamps since 1965 followed by William Shakespeare
Some of the most popular stamp issues in recent years include:
o Battle of Trafalgar (2005)
o The Beatles (2007)
o Olympic and Paralympic Gold Medal Winners (2012)
o Doctor Who (2013)
Outside London, the most featured city in the Special Stamp programme is Edinburgh followed by the town of Battle, East Sussex
Royal Mail has launched an online gallery of every Special Stamp issued since 1965. A short video presented by broadcaster and historian Dan Snow is also available. Both can be found at www.rmspecialstamps.com
Royal Mail today announced that 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of the Special Stamps programme, whichcelebrates the UK and our national character.
Criteria for the creation of Special Stamps to celebrate events and commemorate anniversaries relevant to UK heritage and life was devised by the then Postmaster General, Tony Benn, who worked with designer David Gentleman to modernise stamp design. The stamp of Sir Winston Churchill, issued in July of that year, was designed by Gentleman and was the first under Benn’s administration. It was the first British stamp to feature a contemporary individual and with its bold modernist approach with no words, it set the scene for the future. Including these, 2,663 Special Stamps have been issued.
Read more at royalmailgroup.com