Fancy a Music Giant issue being ousted from first place in the year by the Vicar of Dibley! A seemingly unending supply of music greats continues with number 11, AC/DC which, as Wikipedia tells us is, "an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formative influence on the new wave of British heavy metal bands."
So how do Royal Mail justify including this band from a land down-under?
Royal Mail is celebrating the legendary rock band AC/DC with a set of special stamps and collectibles marking the 50th anniversary of their groundbreaking debut album High Voltage. Formed in Australia by Scottish brothers Angus and Malcolm Young , their music has forged an enduring connection with British fans. From their iconic performances to the critical acclaim of albums like Highway to Hell and Back in Black, AC/DC’s electrifying sound has become part of the fabric of British rock history.
Eight new stamps capture the band in full force, with dynamic images of AC/DC performing live, while an additional miniature sheet of four stamps features the record covers from some of their most successful and influential albums. Alongside the stamps are a number of officially licensed and limited-edition souvenirs to appeal to music fans and collectors alike.
With over 200 million albums sold worldwide and a legacy of high-energy rock that spans decades, AC/DC remains a defining force in music, as proven by their Power Up album of 2020 and its namesake tour of 2024.
The stamps
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| Set of 8 special stamps honouring the band AC/DC issued 18 February 2025. |
Images and acknowledgements:
1st class Bon Scott and Angus Young of AC/DC performing in London, UK, 1976, photo © Chris Walter/WireImage/Getty Images; Brian Johnson and Angus Young of AC/DC performing in Melbourne, Australia, 2015, photo © Daniel Pockett/WireImage/Getty Images; Angus Young of AC/DC performing in Chicago, USA, 1979, photo © Paul Natkin/WireImage/Getty Images; AC/DC performing during the Power Trip music festival, Indio, California, USA, 2023, photo © Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Power Trip;
£2.00 AC/DC filming the ‘Thunderstruck’ music video, Brixton Academy, London, UK, 1990, photo © Steve Rapport/Getty Images; AC/DC performing during the Fly on the Wall Tour, London, UK, 1986, photo © George Bodnar Archive/IconicPix; AC/DC performing during the Black Ice Tour, London, UK, 2009, photo © Awais Butt/IconicPix; AC/DC performing in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, 1978, photo © Ron Pownall/Getty Images. © 2025 Leidseplein Presse B.V. Under License to Perryscope Productions LLC.
Miniature Sheet
The Miniature Sheet features an additional four 1st class stamps which immortalises the legacy of four iconic AC/DC studio albums:
• High Voltage – AC/DC’s explosive debut, packed with raw riffs and rock anthems
• Highway to Hell – The ultimate hard rock masterpiece that put AC/DC on the global map
• Back in Black – A tribute to resilience and rock perfection. The biggest-selling rock album of all
time, this record redefined the genre and introduced Brian Johnson’s iconic voice.
• Power Up – AC/DC’s triumphant return in 2020. A modern classic filled with the high-voltage
energy fans love, proving that AC/DC remains the ultimate powerhouse in rock.
AC/DC album covers, albums and background artwork © 2025 Leidseplein Presse B.V. Under License to Perryscope Productions LLC. Photography of vinyls and Back in Black album cover by John Ross
© Royal Mail Group Ltd 2025.
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| Miniature sheet of four special stamps honouring the band AC/DC issued 18 February 2025. |
Technical details
The 50 x 30 mm stamps are printed in litho on gummed paper by Cartor Security Printers in sheets of 60 (30 se-tenant pairs), perforated 14 x 14. The 192 x 74 mm miniature sheet has four stamps 38 x 31 mm printed in litho on self-adhesive paper.
Special Stamp Book - Back in Black (ie, not a retail booklet)
"A special stamp book celebrating the legacy of one of the greatest albums in rock history. Released in 1980 as a heartfelt tribute to the late Bon Scott, Back in Black has sold over 50 million copies worldwide and stands as the best-selling rock album of all time. This booklet includes four 1st Class Back in Black stamps which appear in the AC/DC miniature sheet within a specially designed booklet inspired by the iconic record sleeve artwork. These stamps are printed in gravure, whereas the stamps in the miniature sheet are litho." Unlike the similar booklet for The Who, C1 cylinder numbers have been found on these booklets.
This is an unbelievably poor booklet, and one can see why it is not on retail sale. Even the Royal Mail logo and the crown is in black. Obviously not intended for postal use as postmarks would be impossible to detect increasing the likelihood that any so used on a letter would be subsequently cancelled with a pen!
Prestige Stamp Book
In this booklet, priced a £26, the stamps are printed in the same way as the sheet and miniature sheet stamps. The definitive pane is also printed on self-adhesive paper and includes 5p, 50p, £1 and 1st class stamps. They are coded MPIL M24L - so we still don't have any 2025 printings. There is also a limited edition (3,000) book which is priced at £49.99.
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| AC/DC prestige stamp book issued 18 February 2025 |
Fan sheets and Collectors Sheet
Two Fan Sheets (3,000 each) and a Collectors Sheet (print-run not revealed) are also available. The A4 Collectors sheet of 8 stamps is printed on self-adhesive paper with labels showing different versions of the AC/DC logo. (Price £15.80)
One Fan Sheet celebrates the Back in Black album (with four Back in Black stamps) and the other features a collage of iconic albums, with all four album cover stamps from the miniature sheet. These too are self-adhesive and priced at £7.50 each.
Full range of products
Stamp set, miniature sheet, presentation, first day covers (3 including PSB pane), stamp cards, press sheet of 8 miniature sheets, Special (non-retail) Book, Prestige Stamp Book, Collectors Sheet, Fan Sheets, Medal Covers, Souvenir Carriers (2 - stamps and MS), Limited Edition (1975) Platinum MS, framed products.
These should be on Royal Mail's website by the time this is published.
I think the staff at tallents house are getting a bit over zealous these days as they have charged me and taken my money for two items from this issue two weeks ago despite them not having an instruction to do so from me or having my card details on record. I can only assume they have retained my details from occasional web site purchases and assumed that I would want to buy them.
ReplyDeleteWhen confronted they were apologetic and said they would refund me once returned but I am still waiting for a returns label which they said they would send me.
I wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience ?
It's difficult to know why they have done this without knowing all the details but I will offer this.
DeleteIf you gave them a continuous card authority or set up a direct debit for anything, they must send you an advice a month before they take the money from your account. They don't normally take the money from that account until the stamps are issued.
I'm not sure how they would know which two items of the many available to supply to you unless you have given them some indication that that was your requirements?
If they acknowledged the error, and IF the money has already left your account, then I would demand an immediate refund and say that you do not want the stamps sent as they were not asked for. Then you won't have to go to the trouble to go to a post office and send them back, because they will almost certainly want them sent back by a tracked service.
Thanks for illustrating these. Dreadful. One wonders who on earth will buy them. I go abroad and buy such nice issues from places like Norway and Sweden, and then we produce utterly pointless drivel. The trouble is that no-one in Royal Mail finds these embarrassing!.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 💯%. Which is why I stopped collecting GB as of January 2012... That was when Royal Mail announced a mini sheet for every gold medal won. It's a decision I still don't regret and I have limited myself to Denmark which I have been collecting since the 1970'ies
DeleteAnonymous was this really a good decision?
DeleteThe Danish Post will no longer deliver letters from January 2026 - see the following link to PostNord.
https://www.postnord.dk/en/postnord-will-deliver-its-final-letter-at-the-end-of-2025/
Three questions come to mind:
1) Will the Danish Post continue to delight collectors with stamps?
2) When will other postal administrations follow suit?
3) Is this the end of collecting new stamp issues? (However, I am convinced that classic philately will continue to exist!)
All very good points, but for a discussion elsewhere I think. I might publish the BBC article as a separate blog post if I remember and leave that open for more general discussion than AC/DC.
DeleteHi Ian, The MS stamps in the PSB look like they might be gummed rather then self-adhesive - unless the mock-up you are showing is wrong, of course.
ReplyDeleteThis is the most pointless Music Giants yet. Not criticising the band or their music but once again, unusable values, a "not-a-retail booklet" and a dubious anniversary. The only thing I would buy is the minisheet - because I quite like the album cover design. In fact, I'd prefer to buy those as singles over the counter to use as postage (as I did with a few other issues where I knew a fan would appreciate them).
ReplyDeleteSo far this year, the miniature sheets have been the more appealing part of each issue - but having such a sheet for every issue is a bit much to bear, financially and philatelically.
DeleteAgain, not really one for me but I can assume they'll be popular with AC/DC fans for obvious reasons - pleasingly designed, I must admit. Would have MUCH preferred a Kate Bush 'Music Giant' series/ set!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry by time RM stop milking this Mr Blobby and Black Lace will have a set.
DeleteNaturally they'll come after the Bucks Fizz and Cilla Black series!
DeleteI think we'll probably have to wait until Feb 2028 for Kate Bush (50th anniversary of The Kick Inside and Wuthering Heights).
DeleteThe more I think about stamps, the better it gets...
DeleteThese are awful. I had not heard any of this foreign pop group's ditties and had assumed the issue commemorated pioneering electricians such as Picnic Ampére and Nowuns Volt...We ought to have stamps for the Singing Postman instead.
ReplyDeleteRoight up moi street - well, at least in my county!
DeleteAr, boy, but Royal Mail would not condone someone who smokes loik a chimbley...
DeleteAs you note, no M25L printings in the PSB, but at least the 1st and 5p are new, a small bonus for those of us who collect these variants.
ReplyDeleteBut, unless a dealer, you're paying double face value ( £1.80 above face value for the PSB for £1.65 + 5p stamps ) to get those two stamps.
ReplyDeleteAnd there's the Royal Mail "reel 'em in" catch for collectors of definitives. It's been that way since the first (pre-decimal) one, though at least in that case there was more than one 'rare' stamp and all the others paid the basic 1st or 2nd class rates.
DeleteNow dealers can buy loose panes and although they are supposed to be 'for covers' they know that we split them up for collectors of singles - and we complain among ourselves when there are eight stamps but only one set of 'new' stamps and (say) 5 odds left over for postage!
I gave up buying full PSBs from RM a couple of years ago. Plenty of reputable dealers sell the individual stamps/panes where these are only available from the PSBs.
DeleteYes Ian, I remember the £1 'Stamps for Cooks' in late 1969 only sold in southern England and its side phosphor 4d Machins. I'd happily buy several of each PSB up to 1997 with the great majority of the contents easily used up for postage. I then started losing interest with two then more PSBs a year and gave up on them, except getting just one of each, with the premium pricing from 2011. They've killed the goose that laid the golden egg.
DeleteYes Trelantis,
DeleteI bought the Queen's 85th birthday pane ( not part of a PSB but the same format ) at a stamp fair for £25 but gave up then as all panes since are self adhesive and so not se-tenant.
Up to 1993 though I'd buy several PSBs, one for complete, one for the se-tenant panes, one for the stamp varieties mint, one for the stamp varieties used, up to three for se-tenant pairs used and a maybe couple spare for if the if the used stamps weren't good enough. It wasn't expensive though with one PSB a year and about two-thirds of the contents easily used up on whatever letters and packers I needed to post which was quite a lot back then.
Mudgie, wasn't it the Queen's 95th birthday pane that you bought? As far as I can remember, there was no PSB for the 85th birthday of HM The Queen.
DeleteYes, it was the 95th birthday pane I bought.
DeleteSorry, I should have checked what I'd typed before pressing "PUBLISH".
Strictly speaking, Ian's comment saying the very first prestige book only contained 1st and 2nd class stamps is not quite correct. The Stamps For Cooks book did also contain 6 1d stamps. Impressively it did contain 36 2nd class stamps and 18 1st class stamps. And all for £1. £74.70 at todays's postal rates. (Not countng the 1d stamps which would have paid one extra 1st class.) Now that is inflation for you.
DeleteYes, the combination of stamps facilitated the upgrading of the 4d (2nd class) to 5d (1st class), a pattern that was repeated with both the Wedgwood books, but broken with the Gibbons and Mint, and Christian Heritage in just a small way. A spanner in the railway works was introduced with the 31p in the British Rail book, then the 26p in the P&O, and so on.
DeleteWhilst some of the introduced values may have had worth for airmail (I haven't checked!), it wasn't long before the spreadsheet came out to decide what odd values could be added to achieve a sensible total cost within the regular 6/8/9 stamp panes.