Norvic Philatelics - GB New Stamps and Special Postmarks

Christmas - 4 November 2003

Incredible ice and snow sculptures, including one created at the North Pole, will freeze their way onto this year's Christmas stamps, which see the highest ever face value for a special stamp set. Following the issue of definitive (NVI) stamps for the 40gr airmail rates, the Christmas stamps are in "the most used British and Overseas postage rates".

Scottish artist and sculptor Andy Goldsworthy created the amazing frozen artworks on these self-adhesive stamps.

2nd class - Ice Spiral	1st class - Icicle Star	'E' rate - Wall of Frozen Snow
53p Ice Ball	68p Ice Hole	£1.12 Snow Pyramids

All images are taken from Royal Mail's Philatelic Bulletin and Postmark Bulletin, and are Copyright 2003 by Royal Mail.

Design features

Andy Goldsworthy hit the headlines in June 2000 when he placed 13, one-ton snowballs around London for a Brit Art exhibition.

The Ice Spiral (2nd Class) was made in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, at the Glen Marlin Falls, from reconstructed icicles.

The multi-pointed Icicle Star (1st Class) was made at Scaur Water, also in Dumfriesshire, by dipping the thick ends of icicles in snow then water, holding them until they froze together, occasionally using forked sticks as a support until they stuck, then breathing on the sticks first to release them.

Goldsworthy travelled to Japan to create the Wall of ice blocks on the 'E' Class stamp. The glowing globes of light at the heart of the blocks were created by carving at the snow with a stick almost through to the other side. Where the block is thinnest, the sun is brightest.

It?s back to Scotland for the intriguing Ice Ball (53p stamp - 40gr European airmail). To make this, Goldsworthy found pools of water that had iced over with sheets of different thicknesses. These were broken up and then the pieces were ?welded? together with water from dripping ice to form the hollow ball.

The Ice Hole (68p stamp - 40gr world airmail) was created in Capenhich, Dumfriesshire Scotland, by filling the arch of a branch with snow and making a hole which changed with the light.

Standing eerily inside the Arctic Circle are the four Snow Pyramids or spires, which Goldsworthy moulded from snow at Grise Fjord, Ellesmere Island for the £1.12 stamp [40gr international airmail].

Technical details: . The stamps, designed by Dick Davis, are printed in gravure by De La Rue. They will be in sheets of 50, and there will also be 'booklets' of 12 x 1st class and 24 x 2nd class stamps. Christmas airletters (in English and bi-lingual Welsh versions) will also show Goldsworthy ice sculptures.

Smilers Stamps for 1st & 2nd class values will be available from the same date. Shown here at the left is the 2nd class strip of 5 stamps with labels depicting ice sculptures of a polar bear, arctic hare, seal, penguin and ptarmigan. To the right is the 1st class strip with labels showing photographic images of a polar bear, harp seal, snowshoe hare, polar fox and snowy owl. The picture below shows early images of the whole sheets.

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Norvic Exclusive First Day Cover

We will as usual have an exclusive FDC for this issue which will be collectable in its own right or as part of the series over the next few years.
Prices:
Cover with 6 stamps from ordinary sheets, with postmark E8836 or M8779 - £8.25.

Smilers: pair of covers with set of 5 1st stamps postmarked L8825 and a set of 5 2nd stamps postmarked L8824 S O L D.

Also available:
Mint set of 6 - £4.75
Mint Smilers sheets 1st class - £9.50       2nd class £7.50
Some PO FDCs also available - price on request.
Stamp cards 147x105mm with reproductions of the stamps (about 100x100mm) - £3.00 per set.
Christmas Greetings Cards - reproducing the stamp designs without the value and Queen's head. Size 150mm square - price £4.50 per set of 6.

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These postmarks were available for the date of issue and all should be available on first day covers.

Ref FD323 Bureau Official Postmark	Ref FD324 Bethlehem, Llandeilo Official Postmark	Ref M8779 Snow Hill, Birmingham	Ref W8798 Bethlehem, Llandeilo	Ref W8799 Hector Berlioz Bicentenary, "The Childhood of Christ", Nasareth, Caernarfon
Ref M8826 Christmas, Chilwell, Nottingham	Ref N8827 Christmas, Frostow, Sedbergh	Ref N8828 Christmas, Crystal Peaks, Sheffield	Ref N8829 Christmas, Winterburn, Skipton	Ref S8827 Christmas, Snowhill, Enniskillen
Ref W8839 Christmas, Cold Blow, Narberth	Ref E8835 Snowball Hill, Maidenhead, Berks	Ref E8836 Cold Christmas, Ware	Ref E8837 The Wise Man, West Stafford, Dorchester Public House/Inn	Ref L8825 Christmas Ice Sculptures, Freezywater, Enfield
Ref L8822 Snow & Ice Sculptures, Freezywater, Enfield	Ref L8823 Merry Christmas, Dartford	Ref L8824 Snowy Fielder Waye, Isleworth	Ref S8830 X3 Sunk on Exercise, Loch Striven, Dunoon	Ref L8809 Merry 2003 Christmas to All, St Nicholas Road, London SE18

This page updated 4 November 2003 [7.2.05]

	2003 stamp issues			2004
14 January Birds of Prey	21 January Flowers Greetings Stamps Smilers Sheet	4 February Occasions/Greetings stamps and Smilers sheet	25 February Medical Science - DNA & Genome	4 March Hello SA booklet & Wales 1st reprint
25 March Fun Fruit & Vegetables	27 March New definitives, SA airmail booklets of 40gr stamps	29 April Extreme Endeavours	6 May 34p definitives	20 May Wilding II miniature sheet
28 May Wales 2nd class, 1st class gold reprints	2 June - 50th Anniversary of the Coronation	17 June Prince William of Wales	1 July High Value Definitive reprints	15 July British Journey - Scotland
29 July Cartoons Smilers Sheet	12 August Pub Signs - Europa	18 September Transports of Delight - toys	30 September Christmas Robin Smilers Sheet	7 October 250th Anniv. of British Museum
13 October Reprints of Country Stamps	4 November - Christmas: Ice Sculptures	18 December England World Cup - Rugby Winners	HOME