Guy Thomas

Guy Thomas  |  Nov 02, 2021  |  0 comments

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.

Guy Thomas  |  Nov 02, 2021  |  0 comments

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.

Guy Thomas  |  Nov 02, 2021  |  First Published: Sep 02, 2021  |  0 comments

Royal Mail issued a set of eight stamps and a miniature sheet on September 2 featuring British Army Vehicles.

The counter sheet designs follow the development of tanks since their introduction during World War I.

They are illustrated by military artist Mick Graham, who served with the Royal Tank Regiment for 15 years.

Guy Thomas  |  Nov 02, 2021  |  0 comments

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.

Guy Thomas  |  Aug 10, 2021  |  0 comments

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.

Guy Thomas  |  Jul 27, 2021  |  0 comments

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.

Guy Thomas  |  Jul 01, 2021  |  0 comments

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.

Guy Thomas  |  Jun 09, 2021  |  0 comments

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.

Guy Thomas  |  May 07, 2021  |  0 comments

Royal Mail issued a set of eight stamps on May 4 commemorating the Wars of the Roses, the series of bloody struggles for the throne which engulfed England from 1455-85.

Specifically, the issue is timed to coincide with the 550th anniversary of the Battle of Tewkesbury, one of the defining battles in a period which witnessed the deposition of three kings, and the violent death of two of them.

The Wars of the Roses were fought between the rival houses of Lancaster and York, which were both cadet branches of the royal house of Plantagenet.

Guy Thomas  |  May 07, 2021  |  0 comments

Royal Mail will issue the fifth in its ongoing Music Giants series on May 28, celebrating the solo career of Sir Paul McCartney, one of Britain’s most successful musicians.

In the established style of the series, a set of eight stamps feature selected album covers from 1970, when The Beatles disbanded, through to 2020.

A miniature sheet of four comprises photographs of McCartney at work in the recording studio, spanning three decades.

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