Friday, 3 January 2025

New Retail Booklets & Business Sheets have new font as well as new crown - 30 January 2025.

We reported last September that King Charles has adopted the Tudor Crown and that it would be included in the Royal Mail Cruciform, replacing the St Edward's Crown, with a knock-on effect on booklets and business sheets.

Royal Mail is now updating the design of our Retail Stamp Books and Business Sheets to incorporate the new King Charles III cruciform.   The first day of availability for these 'Visible Change' items will be 30 January 2025.

The font has also been updated from Chevin to PF Din Text to align with Royal Mail’s brand guidelines.

To avoid wastage, all new Stamp Books and Business Sheets will be printed according to stock demands, with release of 4 x 1st Books and Large Letter Books/Sheets to be announced in due course.

The products are, with Royal Mail product codes for anybody who wishes to order from them:

8 x 2nd class - UB470 - £6.80  (will replace UB461)

8 x 1st class - UB471 - £13.20  (will replace UB462)

50 x 2nd class - DS1944 - £42.50 (will replace DS1655)

50 x 1st class - DS1945 - £82.50 (will replace DS1656)

 

I would expect the colours of the 2nd class to remain the same, rather than varied as shown above.


Thursday, 2 January 2025

Royal Mail Stamp Programme for 2025

The Royal Mail stamp programme for 2025 can now be published and all those who contributed to our competition can now see how accurate their predictions were.  (Answer - not very!  Four readers sent in lists which contained 3 of the subjects on the list (including Christmas so really only two), and one of those had a suggestion which may be a third.

In fact some subjects not included in the list had more or as many supporters, with Jane Austen having 4. Nobody got the two Music Legends correct, and only one person suggested the right TV programme, although two others were also suggested.  One subject was suggested by 7 readers and is included in the programme.  (More details below.)

The subjects as listed below are as Royal Mail provided them to us in autumn 2024. 

This year only five of the five of the stamp issues is media/entertainment related, leaving 10 (including Christmas) more directly relevant.

This programme should be made public at the same time as the Vicar of Dibley stamps which are on a separate post.

14th January

The Vicar of Dibley, television situation comedy (30 years)



30th January
(Thanks John H)

The Royal Armouries



18th February

Music Giants - AC/DC (Australian band founded by two Scots)



11th March

Garden Wildlife

15th April

British Myths & Legends



1st May

Valour and Victory Stories of the Second World War



22nd May

The Chronicles of Narnia  (75 years since the first book was published.)


12th June

Royal Observatory at Greenwich- 350th Anniversary of Founding



remainder - to follow

I've hidden my comment in the next paragraph as it refers to issues which RM have decided they cannot tell us about yet. 🙄

 

 

 

Other subjects which might have been covered, and which were suggested by readers ...

- The 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen (yes, she's appeared before, but this is a worthy anniversary.)

- The Centenary of John Logie Baird's first demonstrations of  Television.

- The Women's Rugby World Cup and the Snooker World Cup.

- Television soap EastEnders, and sitcom Fawlty Towers - 40th anniversary of first broadcasts.

- under Music Giants, the following were suggested: Oasis, Bob Marley, Kate Bush, George Michael, Bay City Rollers.

- thematic suggestions included Art Deco Buildings, Coins, Sports Cars, Reintroduced Species, Small Pets, the Anglo-Saxons, Reptiles. (Sorry if I missed any!)

I'm sure there will be a significant number of Prestige Stamp Books and Collector Sheets.  If you are still buying everything, it will be an even more expensive year.  I'll do my best to continue to provide you with all the information I can.