Royal Mail chooses The Rolling Stones for exclusive stamp set which will be available to buy from January 20

Iconic images of rock legends The Rolling Stones are to appear on an exclusive set of stamps unveiled by the Royal Mail to mark the group’s 60th anniversary this year.

The band, which includes Dartford-born Keith Richards and Sir Mick Jagger, are set to become only the fourth music group in history to be chosen for a dedicated stamp issue.

Eight of the stamps will feature photographs taken at some of their most legendary performances including their 1969 concert in London’s Hyde Park and their 1976 appearance at Knebworth.

Snapshots of performances worldwide will also join the set, from gigs in Rotterdam, Tokyo, New York, Oslo and Düsseldorf spanning more than five decades.

The final concert to have been chosen for it’s own stamp, is the group’s 2019 show in America’s New Jersey, which took place shortly before the pandemic hit and two years before the death of band member Charlie Watts.

The drummer passed away in August last year at the age of 80.

Charting the band’s meteoric rise to fame – which began after former childhood friends Sir Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had a chance encounter in 1961 on a Dartford railway station platform – the other four stamps in the set of 12 are two shots of the band together alongside two of their vintage worldwide tour posters.

Royal Mail says it collaborated closely both with both the band members, which also includes guitarist Ronnie Woods, and their management on the stamp issue and the final images which have been chosen.

The band, which has sold an estimated 250m records worldwide, had eight number one singles and 13 number one albums, are following in the footsteps of fellow musicians, The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Queen who up until now are the only other three groups to have ever been chosen to feature on their own stamp set.

David Gold, Director of Public Affairs & Policy, Royal Mail, said: “Few bands in the history of rock have managed to carve out a career as rich and expansive as that of the Rolling Stones.

“They have created some of modern music’s most iconic and inspirational albums, with ground-breaking live performances to match.”

The stamps and a range of collectible products are available now to pre-order from Royal Mail.

The stamps will then go on general sale from January 20.