Home / Royal Mail / Artifacts from the Royal Armouries pictured on Jan. 30 issue from Great Britain’s Royal Mail

Artifacts from the Royal Armouries pictured on Jan. 30 issue from Great Britain’s Royal Mail

By David Hartwig

Great Britain’s Royal Mail celebrates
artifacts in the Royal Armouries, the United Kingdom’s national museum of arms
and armor, with 12 stamps in a Jan. 30 issue.

Stamps in a set of eight show
examples of 16th-century and 17th-century armor owned by monarchs such as King
Henry VIII, King Charles I, King Charles II and King James II. Four stamps on a
souvenir sheet show artifacts acquired from the United Kingdom, Europe and
Asia.

“These stamps show magnificent
examples of craftsmanship, engineering and high fashion,” David Gold, director
of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said, “proving that for royal
warriors of the past, dressing to impress was as important on the battlefield
as anywhere else. We are grateful to the Royal Armouries for allowing us to
share just a few examples from their collection.”

The stamps in the set of eight are
presented in four se-tenant (side-by-side) pairs. The stamps in one pair are
valued at the second-class rate (currently 85 pence), and the stamps in another
are valued at the first-class rate (currently £1.65).

A third se-tenant pair has stamps
denominated £1, and the stamps in the fourth pair are denominated £2.80 (the
international standard rate for letters). All four stamps on the souvenir sheet
are valued at the first-class rate.

The earliest piece of armor shown in
the set of eight stamps is the horned helmet pictured on one of the £1 stamps.
Maximilian I, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, gave this helmet to King Henry
VIII in 1514. …

Both the set of eight stamps and the
souvenir sheet were designed by Charlie Smith Design and printed by Cartor
Security Printers by lithography. The stamps in the set of eight were printed
in sheets of 60 (also sold in panes of 30 at most postal outlets).

The stamps in the set of eight
measure 35 millimeters by 37mm and are perforated gauge 14.5 by 14. The stamps
on the souvenir sheet measure 41mm by 30mm and are perforated gauge 14.5 by 14.

A 24-page prestige stamp book
explores the history of the Royal Armouries and includes the 12 Royal Armouries
stamps presented in three panes of four, as well as a definitive pane of stamps
unique to the issue. The pane includes two 50p and two £1 King Charles III
definitives.

A presentation pack provides more
detail on the armor shown on the stamps. It includes the set of eight stamps
and the souvenir sheet.

Royal Mail offers a first-day cover
franked with the set of eight stamps, one franked with the souvenir sheet, and
one franked with the pane of definitive stamps from the prestige stamp book.

All three FDC versions can be ordered
with postmarks from either Tallents House or Leeds, England, the location of
the Royal Armouries’ main purpose-built museum. A nonpersonalized version of
the FDC, what Royal Mail calls a souvenir cover, is also available.

In conjunction with the Royal
Armouries issue, Royal Mail also is offering 13 postcards reproducing the
designs of the 12 stamps and the souvenir sheet, and a limited run of 200 press
sheets each with 12 souvenir sheets.

The Royal Armouries stamps and
related products can be ordered from Royal Mail’s website.

Ordering
information also is available from Royal Mail, Tallents House, 21 S. Gyle
Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB, Scotland.

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