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Iron Maiden have become just the fifth musical group to be honored with their own set of stamps by the Royal Mail postal service headquartered in London, England.
The metal legends, who have sold over 100 million albums worldwide, now join the ranks of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Queen and the Rolling Stones as bands who have been issued stamps through the 507-year-old courier.
Out of the dozen lot, eight stamps are live photos of various band members, captured between 1983 and 2018. The remaining four, of course, depict Maiden’s iconic mascot Eddie — the debut album cover art, “The Trooper” single art, “Aces High” single art and Senjutsu version that differs from the official album cover.
Bassist Steve Harris comments, “We were all absolutely astounded – in a good way! – when we heard first about the commemorative project, and equally pretty much speechless when we saw the stamps for the very first time. They look superb and I think they really capture the essence and energy of Maiden. We’re all very proud that Royal Mail has chosen to honor the band’s legacy like this and we know our fans will feel the same way.”
“As a band who have never played by anyone else’s rules for over 40 years, it’s very gratifying to see them honored in their home country in this way,” adds longtime manager Rod Smallwood, “We’re proud to show how these six band members are still appealing to more and more fans every year with their music and their legendary shows – which I think these stamps really capture well. It’s also fantastic that Eddie has been honoured too – it’s incredible to think that Her Majesty, may she rest in peace, saw these and lent her iconic silhouette to them too.”
David Gold, Director of External Public Affairs & Policy, Royal Mail, says, “Few bands in the history of rock music can be called bona fide rock legends – but Iron Maiden are just that – and more. With legions of devoted fans of all ages and from every corner of the globe, not only have they changed the way rock music sounds, but they have also changed the way it looks. We fully expect their fans will love these stamps as much as we do.”
These Iron Maiden stamps will go on sale on Jan. 12 and pre-orders are live now at the Royal Mail webstore. Quite aware that many purchasers may not intend to slap the stamps onto pieces of mail, there’s a variety of framed and other collectible-styled options in the webstore as well, including a limited edition gold version of the ones seen further down the page.
It’s a nice way to kick off the new year with a lot on deck for the veteran metal band.
After wrapping the the long-postponed final legs of their already historic The Legacy of the Beast tour in 2022, Iron Maiden set their sights on 2023, announcing The Future Past tour in the U.K. and Europe. The group will place a special focus on 2021’s Senjutsu album as well as celebrate 1986’s Somewhere in Time in addition to some other hits. And don’t worry, manager Rod Smallwood said the tour will extend into 2024, so expect more dates to arrive later on. For tickets, head here.
Iron Maiden, Royal Mail Postage Stamps
Iron Maiden Royal Mail Stamps
Top Row (Left to Right):
Steve Harris in Vancouver, June 2010
Bruce Dickinson at Hammersmith, Odeon, London, May 1983
Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Steve Harris in Pamplona, September 1988
Nicko McBrain in Quito, March 2009
Bottom Row (Left to Right)
Dave Murray, Bruce Dickinson and Janick Gers in Rio de Janeiro, January 2001
Adrian Smith and Steve Harris in Helsinki, May 2018
Iron Maiden at Twickenham Stadium, London, July 2008
Bruce Dickinson sword fighting with Eddie in Birmingham, August 2018
The 51 Songs Iron Maiden Have Never Played Live
There’s less than a third of Iron Maiden’s total catalog that has never been played live.
