Norvic Philatelics - GB New Stamps and Special Postmarks
Christmas: 8 November 2016
Royal Mail’s Christmas stamps feature secular and religious imagery in
alternate years. This year’s set celebrates some of the key
traditions of a UK Christmas - decorating the Christmas tree, making a
snowman, hanging out a stocking, eating a Christmas pudding and lighting a
Christmas lantern. It also includes a robin redbreast, which is synonymous
with our Christmas and has a strong association with sending and receiving
cards and messages, its appearance on cards having been inspired by the
red coats worn by postmen in Victorian times.
Madonna and Child stamps from 2013 at the 1st and 2nd class rate will also
be available.
As usual the stamps are in standard and large letter definitive size and
self adhesive.
There is also conventionally-gummed miniature sheet containing all stamps,
and booklets of 12 x 1st and 12 x 2nd stamps.
The Smilers Generic sheet with 8 each of the 2nd and 1st class, and one
each of the other stamps. This means that once again there will be only one
set litho-printed stamps in each sheet.
This year Christmas stamps are available for personalisation in the
Smilers Service.
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Stamp designs:
2nd class & Large - snowman
1st class & Large - Robin
£1.05 - Christmas Tree
£1.33 Lantern
£1.52 Christmas stocking
£2.25 Christmas Pudding
The designs were meticulously crafted by the artist Helen
Musselwhite using paper cut-outs and then photographed by Jonathan
Beer. |
The standard Generic Smilers Sheet has no text on the labels, only a
winter's scene all in white/grey.
It contains 8 of each of the 2nd class and 1st class values, and 1 of each
of the airmail values.
A second Generic Smilers sheet marks 50 Years of Royal Mail Christmas
stamps.
Previous years' stamps illustrate the border, and Christmas greetings are
on the stamp labels.
Technical details:
The stamps were designed by The Chase using illustrations crafted designs
by Helen Musselwhite. The self-adhesive stamps are 24 x 28mm, perf
14.5 x 15 in sheets of 25/50 with phosphor bands as appropriate, and are
printed by De La Rue Security Print, Gateshead in gravure. The
gummed miniature sheet is printed by De La Rue in gravure. The
booklets are printed by International Security Printers in gravure.
The generic sheets are printed by International Security Printers in
litho.
Products issued, available from Royal Mail:
Set of 8 stamps, miniature sheet, 2 x generic Smilers sheets, booklet of
12 x 1st, booklet of 12 x 2nd
First day covers (set or MS) --
Presentation pack -- Stamp
cards (set of 9)
Special Postmarks
Special postmarks available for the day of issue
were shown in Royal Mail's Postmark Bulletins (download
here)
This page created 17 November 2016
