The London 2012 Games commences on 27 July and concludes on 12 August. The Paralympic Games commences on 29 August and concludes on 9 September. Royal Mail will commemorate London’s hosting of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by issuing three sets of 10 x 1st Class stamps in the run up to the London 2012 Games in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
The concept is to issue 30 stamps to mark the 30th Olympiad and London 2012 Paralympic Games. Each of the sporting areas celebrated in these Games will have its own stamp. And each of the 30 stamps will be created by a different contemporary artist, illustrator or designer. The first set of 10 was issued in 2009, the second in 2010, with retail booklets in 2010 & this year.
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  Sheet 1: Wheelchair tennis, Fencing, Gymnastics, Triathlon, Handball; Sheet 2: Paralympic sailing, Athletics field, Beach volleyball, Wheelchair rugby, Wrestling. |
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Sports from each of the Olympic disciplines were selected to illustrate the subject of each stamp. The Olympic Games comprises 26 different sporting disciplines, such as Cycling. Cycling includes several different events where medals are won – including road racing, various time trials and velodrome races as well as mountain biking events and BMX. Many gold medals can be won in different events, and all will be symbolised by one Cycling stamp symbolising the sport of Cycling.
The Paralympic Games features 21 sports, such as Judo (which is also competed in the Olympic Games), as well as Paralympic specific events such as Goalball.
In all, 29 different sports are played at the Olympics and Paralympics. There will be one stamp design for each sport with the exception of athletics which will be presented across two stamps as Athletics: Track and Athletics: Field, hence 30 sport stamps.
Royal Mail’s design team with David Hillman, from Studio David Hillman, set to work allocating each sport to one of the quality image makers who agreed to work on this three-year project. Royal Mail also consulted with the sports’ governing bodies and specialist clubs for each stamp. Each stamp has the London 2012 Olympic or Paralympic logo in the lower corner.
The retail
booklet contains
4 Machin 1st class definitives and the Wheelchair Rugby and Paralympic
Sailing stamps. The image shows an actual booklet,
which has
an obvious but slight colourshift affecting the caption on the Rugby
stamp, but not that on the Sailing stamp.
A further booklet will be issued on
15 September.
Commemorative and Composite Sheets
As
in previous years Royal Mail is maximising income for the London
Olympic Games Organisers by producing a premium-priced commemorative
sheet. In addition there is a Composite Sheet entitled 'The
Sports of London 2012' containing all
30 Olympic and Paralympic Stamps issued in 2009-11. No
technical details have been provided but both sheets
will be produced by Cartor.
We have the Composite Sheet and initial examination shows some shade
variation from the stamps issued in sheets, and the phosphor
application may be different.
Technical
details:
The
overall design
task
was by Studio David Hillman, and the 35mm square stamps are printed in
litho by Cartor Security Printing, perf 14½ with all-over
phosphor. The stamps are printed in two sheets of 25 (5 each
of 5 designs in vertical columns), enabling
collectors
to buy vertical strips of any single sport/discipline.
The Presentation Pack and FDC are designed by hat-trick design. The pack, printed by Walsall Security Printers, has information about each of the sports by Ian Cole, former News Sports Editor of the Daily Mail, who also wrote the text on the FDC filler card. The commemorative sheet is designed by True North and written by Richard Rae, the sheet features interviews with 2008 bronze-medal winning Olympic gymnast Louis Smith and Britain’s number-one female wheelchair tennis player Lucy Shuker.
Designers:
Sailing – Lara Harwood/Heart; Athletics: Field –
Anthony Pike/The Art Market; Volleyball – Ben Dalling;
Wheelchair Rugby – Matthew Hollings/Illustration Ltd;
Wrestling – Daniel Stolle/Anna Goodson Management; Wheelchair
Tennis – David McConochie/The Art Market; Fencing –
Lyndon Hayes/Dutch Uncle Agency; Gymnastics – Kathy Wyatt;
Triathlon – Adam Simpson/Heart; Handball – David
Cutter/Folio.
This webpage is © 2011 Norvic Philatelics, the stamps and stamp products are © 2011 Royal Mail Ltd (reproduced with permission). The official Emblems of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Ltd are © 2007 The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited. All rights reserved.
Mint Stamps Presentation Pack First Day Cover Set of 10 Stamp Cards Retail booklet Commemorative Sheet Composite Sheet
Stamp and Postcard Sets - Two sets of five specially designed postcards featuring the images of the Sailing and Gymnastics stamps packaged together with the relevant stamps (retail price £7.50).
Olympic Countdown Coin Cover - The cover looks at the Olympic and Paralympic Games venues. Design is by Neon. The brilliant, uncirculated £5 coin features the sport of cycling on the reverse side.
Special postmarks available for the day of issue will be shown here (not to scale), more may be added later.
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| Ref FD1127 Official Philatelic Bureau FD postmark |
Ref FD1128 Official Rugby FD postmark |
Ref FD1128NP Official Rugby non-pictorial FD postmark | Ref L12195 Countdown to London 2012, Stratford E16. Games of the XXX Olympiad |
Ref L12191 Chris
Boardman, London E20 |
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| Ref L12192 Duncan Goodhew, London E20 | Ref M12205 Sporting Disciplines, Raleigh Close, Birmingham | Ref M12206 Sporting
Disciplines Stamp Book Weymouth Drive, Sutton Coldfield |
Ref L12193 Eric Liddell, London E20 | Ref L12194 Charlotte Cooper, London E20 |
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| Ref L12203 Sporting Disciplines, London E20 (in use 27/7/11-26/7/12) | Ref L12197 Sporting Disciplines, London E20 |
Ref L12196 Sporting Disciplines, London |
Ref L12198 Sporting Disciplines, London SW1 |
Ref L12199 Sporting Disciplines, London E20 |
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| Ref L11557 Stratford, London, E15 |
Ref L11570 Sporting Disciplines Retail Booklet London W2. | Ref L12200 Sporting Disciplnes, London | Ref L12201 London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, London | Ref N12209 Liverpool Yacht Club, Coburg Wharf, Liverpool |
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| Ref N12207 Handball, Liverpool | Ref N12208 Wrestling, Salford | Ref W12210 Tribute to Amy Williams, Winter Olympic Chamption 2010, Bath, Avon* (incorrect inscription) | Ref W12225 Tribute to Amy Williams, Winter Olympic Chamption 2010, Bath, Somerset. (Corrected inscription) | Ref W12211 Tribute to Geraint Thomas, World & Olympic Champion, Cardiff |
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<<<< Ref L12213 - Games, Wembley |
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<<<<< Ref L12214 Sporting Disciplines, London |
If you have any questions about
these stamps please email
us.
NB: we
will endeavour to answer all emails within 1-2
days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement please email us from a
different address (eg hotmail, gmail).
This page updated 27 July 2011.