Heads of state make return for opening of envelope

FOR GENERATIONS of writers, for whom the Royal Mail was still the most immediate means of long-distance communication, they were the currency of correspondence.

The “definitive issues” of the General Post Office, bearing the head of the monarch and little else bar the insignia, were not only proof of revenue paid but also the official seals on postal orders and official stationery.

The signature styles that helped define the Queen’s early reign and those of her father, grandfather and other ancestors, are now going back on sale – this time as limited-edition commemorative issues.

The first such stamps of the year will feature designs resurrected from an earlier age of postal services, as well as the era of pounds, shillings and pence.

Truly representative of those issued during each reign.

The verdict of Richard Stock, of the philatelic society, on the stamps.

The so-called Stamp Classics include the Queen Victoria £1 green of 1891, the King Edward VII 2d Tyrian plum of 1910 and the King George V 2s 6d of 1913.

There are also reprints of souvenir stamps from 1940 and the Coronation of 1953.

The issue marks the 150th anniversary of the Royal Philatelic Society London and the 50th anniversary of the Queen’s opening of the National Postal Museum.

Not only the designs of the stamps but also their face values will induce nostalgia. The 1936 issue, during the 11-month reign of Edward VIII, was a pennyha’penny in its time – less than 1p in today’s currency – but is now £1.55.

Richard Stock, of the philatelic society, said the stamps were “truly representative of those issued during each reign.”