Royal Mail Stamp Programme for 2026

Coinciding with the release of details about the first issue of the year, Royal Mail have set out the programme for the first half of 2026.  As last year, they have withheld details about the second half, even from cover producers who have to do a lot of research before they can start printing designs and sponsoring handstamps.

Full details of the first issue will not be published here until the embargo date of 6 January but as Royal Mail's website includes this detail, I see no reason not to share the first six months' issues with you now.  Updated 20 April with most of the rest of the programme.

Thank you to the dozen or so readers here and on Stampboards who contributed over 70 suggestions, some of them frivolous (like the set that kicked off 'reader suggestions' many years ago), many others very unlikely, but some notable anniversaries and other worthy suggestions for which we will have to await the full programme to find out whether they match.  

As with previous years, there will be many stamp issues that no-one came anywhere near guessing and some that even when they are issued we will not really understand Royal Mail's justification.

Suggestions which I don't think will make it into the second half of the programme - Centenary of the General Strike, 75th year of Europa, 50th Anniversary of Dolly the Sheep, 150th anniversary of the Bell Telephone, The Archers (long-running BBC radio soap), Birth or Death Anniversaries of Agatha Christie (although that would be an easy option as there is already a precedent for using her material), Benjamin Britten, John Constable, Henry Blogg and David Beckham. 

Other subjects which stand a reasonable chance: The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, 300th Anniversary of Fire Brigades, The King Charles Coastal Path, London Zoo.  

Thematic subjects suggested were: Theatre Buildings* - which could incorporate the National Theatre, the Royal Ballet, Royal Opera, and Royal Opera House all of which have anniversaries in 2026.  Music Giants were not given much chance, although Swedish group Abba, Freddie Mercury himself, Genesis, Gorillaz, Joy Division, Led Zeppelin, and Oasis all got a mention.  Trees were suggested both for themselves and for the National Arboretum (linking in with Remembrance), Christmas Trees at landmarks, and the Peak District National Park.  *If this comes about then the person who suggested Architecture might be in contention too!

Suggestions which might be deemed frivolous - but about which picture books have been published - include Solar power, Trademarks, and Wheelie Bins.

I think one of the problems with trying to predict is trying to remember what has happened in the not too distant past when, maybe, we took less interest in new issues.  Thus the 60th anniversary of Star Trek when that has been done to death anyway, Centenary of Winnie The Pooh ditto (although having the agreement with Disney for earlier issues might sway things), and the National Arboretum was the subject of a Commemorative Sheet.  

Anyway, for the time being, this is what we know.  My intention always is to add links to this table when the details of the issue appear in their own post, but sadly that rarely happens.  I don't mind if you nudge me, by email. 

This table has already been amended since my first draft because dates have changed and the order of some issues has been revised since we were first told.  So don't expect this to be the final even for the first half.  I've no idea when we will be able to add all the July-December details but most of the second half of the year has now been added.

UPDATE24 July: Thank you to readers for pointing out that the 29th September issue has been postponed until 1st December.  This means only one issue in July, August, September, October, but two in November and one in December - two after the Christmas issue!  Of course the need to keep the pre-Christmas period clear doesn't matter as much now because most Post Office branches are not rushed off their feet satisfying collectors, and those that don't stock special stamps won't be affected anyway.

Links in the table are to the main blogposts for the issue.

13th January	Stranger Things (Neflix series) Blockbuster issue with all sorts of extras
21st January	Concorde supersonic airliner  8 x 1st, 4 x 1st MS
19th February	Hornby 125th    8 x 1st, 4 x 1st MS
26th February	Roses - 50th Anniversary of the first set of stamps dedicated to this flower, which was issued on the centenary of the Royal National Rose Society
20th March	Lord of The Rings. Another blockbuster issue with all sorts of extras
26th March	New Tariff definitives
21st April	Centenary of the Birth of Queen Elizabeth II 8 x 1st, 4 x 1st MS, PSB
21st May	Castles  - these, or new ones?   As it turns out, some old, some new.
23rd June	Waterfalls 5 x 1st, 5 x 2nd
9 July	Moths 5 x 1st, 5 x 2nd  Elephant Hawk Moth 2020
30 July	Military Jet Aircraft 8 x 1st and 4 x 1st miniature sheet  Avro Vulcan issued in 2018, gets more exposure
20 August	Pets  Dog issued 2024
17 September	Music Giants: Duran Duran Duran Duran in New York City, 2005 By Tendai - https://www.flickr.com/photos/45624184@N00/18523842/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11877728
29  September	Postponed until 1 December
14 October	another issue to be confirmed
3rd November	Christmas
11 November	Remembrance Poppy issued 2008
1 December	another issue to be confirmed

A Handbook of British Barcoded Stamps

When Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died it brought the end of our Security Machin Checklist, which listed the Machin definitives from 2009 up to and including those issued with Datamatrix Barcodes.  Before that I had indicated that although there was much to be learned from a study of the data contained within the barcode, that was not something I would be pursuing, much in the same way that I did not produce a Post and Go Checklist.  We would also not produce a Checklist for the stamps of King Charles.

However, it is clear that a large number of people around the world are interested in the stamps of the new reign, and that a number of those are interested in delving into the hidden world of the datamatrix code. So I am pleased to provide details of a new Handbook covering this subject.  Users of the Complete Deegam Machin Handbook will be aware of it already, but I'm sure there are collectors who never got into the complexities of that volume but who nonetheless are interested in these new codes.

The Deegam® Handbook of British Barcoded Stamps.

 

● Published as linked Adobe PDF files (delivered via WeTransfer)

● More than 100 Mb of data and images

● In colour and printable

● Constantly updated (five times a year)

● Suitable for Windows PC and Mac

2022 was a remarkable year for British philately! Two ‘radical’ changes took place at almost the same time – first, original definitive stamps were replaced by barcoded ones, the invalidation of non-barcoded definitive stamps from 31 July 2023 preceded by a Swap scheme allowing users to exchange old for new.

The second change was caused by the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II and succession by HM King Charles III.  Both changes triggered different reactions among collectors. One group decided to stop adding future new issues from Royal Mail to their collection, either on the introduction of barcodes or the death of the Queen, while others - as always when there is a major change - see a new starting point in their collecting interests, as these barcoded stamps present a further milestone in the development of the postal service.

Therefore, it has been decided to create a separate publication for these barcoded stamps – The Deegam® Handbook of British Barcoded Stamps (or, in short, HBBS). The term ‘barcoded stamps’ includes not only barcoded National and Country definitive stamps with images of the monarch King Charles III or Queen Elizabeth II, but also barcoded Christmas stamps. In fact, Christmas stamps have the same format and similar features to the definitive stamps. In other words, this Handbook contains all GB barcoded stamps.

The same structure and navigation as that used in the Machin Handbook HB5 are used for this Handbook although the text is presented in one column rather than two. There is an ‘Introduction’ that is structured similarly to the Chapters of Handbook HB5 – so that in the future this Introduction can easily be divided into Chapters (if necessary). 

It contains a catalogue of barcoded stamps. This is divided into three levels to suit beginners, intermediate collectors and specialists. Each level forms part of the unique numbering system which never changes no matter what new values or variations are issued. Every value has its own section, making it very easy to find the stamp you are looking for. In addition, all FDCs (more precisely, non-cancelled FDCs) are displayed in order to visibly present the barcodes on all stamps. An appendix for forgeries has also been added.

The Handbook is updated every 2-3 months with Deegam® Reports which are free to registered owners for a period of time. Every Handbook is created to order so yours is always the latest version when you buy it.

This Handbook is currently the only publication on British barcoded stamps on the market! The author is very optimistic that many collectors will share his enthusiasm for barcoded stamps.

Sample pages of The Deegam® Handbook of British Barcoded Stamps (HBBS) are available from the ‘Handbooks’ page of the Deegam website at https://www.deegam.com. 

 

The price of this new Handbook is £29, but there are a number of other purchasing options if you already have, or want to buy, the Machin Handbook.  See the Deegam site for details.  I urge readers to look at the sample pages referenced above, as even from these few you can see how detailed and comprehensive this Handbook is.

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"Can we still use Queen Elizabeth stamps?" - information and misinformation

This question continues to be asked in social media platforms, and I have had reports of friends not wanting to buy collectors' surplus of Queen Elizabeh stamps arising from the Swap Out scheme.

The invalidation of old-style Machin definitives caused a lot of confusion which will, it seems, continue for some time.  After all, unless you are aged over 75 you have probably never used a stamp from a previous reign (unless you are/were a collector).

Not Valid

Both these types remain valid for postal use

Given that Royal Mail, retail outlets, and Post Office branches, are still selling barcoded Machin definitives, and they are still being supplied in the Swap Out it is very unlikely that they will be invalidated soon.

Whilst no regular definitives were issued after the end of the reign, some were included in subsequent prestige book panes, as were many set of special stamps.

Previous reigns

King Edward VII definitives were printed in two distinct series, by De La Rue and Harrison and Sons. ALL the Harrison printings were issued after the King died.  It wasn't until 1913 that the last stamps of the first long set of King George V definitives were issued.

King George V died in January 1936 and three values of the last (photogravure) definitives were issued in the February, the 5d, 10d & 1s.

The first definitive stamps of the reign of King George VI were issued just before the Coronation in May 1937. Some values were not available until 1939 - all values above 5d, so the stamps of the previous reign continued to be issued.

After the Accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952 the first deinitives were issued in time for Christmas, but the remaining values were spread over the next two years and some booklets in the new reign included stamps of both reigns.

With modern high-speed printing the stamps of King Charles III have had only two issue dates, with NVIs being issued ahead of the (plentiful Machin) make-up values.

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Royal Marines - 29 September 2022

Readers will be aware that the set and MS for the Royal Marines issue will be on 29 September.  

Publicity for this was postponed due to the period of mourning, although Gibbons Stamp Monthly's latest issue was printed too late to prevent their inclusion.

Until Royal Mail give the go ahead I won't be able to add details here but you can see the stamps at Commonwealth Stamps Opinion blog, and in the following post there are images of the set of 4 stamps issued by La Poste in France on the day of the funeral of HM The Queen to mark her passing.

It is to be hoped that Royal Mail do something pretty sharpish, if a respected foreign government can produce something that quickly.  

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September slogan postmarks and other interesting postal markings

Thank you to everybody who has contributed with images of the latest postmark. Nobody would have guessed back in February when we reported this slogan

 

that before the year was ended we would see the Prince of Wales proclaimed King Charles III and the nation's letters cancelled with a slogan marking the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

Two examples which are particularly clear, JE sent one from Preston (Lancashire and South Lakes) and BM one from North & West Yorkshire, both in the same format.  I don't yet have one in the other format.

In Memoriam
Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II
1926-2022

In Memoriam slogan: North & West Yorkshire 09/09/2022

In Memoriam slogan: Lancashire and South Lakes 09/09/2022

UPDATE 14 September: Thanks to MM I now have the other layout posted in Edinburgh on 13-09-2022 on an appropriate stamp.

In Memoriam slogan: Edinburgh Mail Centre 13-09-2022

I also have an image of an envelope with this slogan, and a Chester & N Wales postmark of September 7th.  JE explains how this would have happened.

The letter appears
to have been posted 2nd class on 7 September in Chester's catchment, and
the date-block and wavy lines - but no slogan - were applied by IMP no.
236.  

As CWU strikes were scheduled for 8 & 9 September, it looks as
though 2nd class mail was put aside to be sorted and despatched after
the strike.  As it happened, the strike on 9 September was cancelled, so
the stored mail put through the IMP again for sorting and received the
'In Memoriam' which by then was in use.  

So - probably no premature use,
but an interesting item all the same. I was reminded of a similar
occurrence as few years ago when a comet landing slogan which
appeared to have been posted before the actual landing, for the same
reason. 

The slogan is not properly aligned with the rest of the postmark, indicating two passes through the machinery.  I'm not going to show it here, because the image on its own would be most misleading, and embarrasing to Royal Mail.  (It is now on eBay and sold for £30)

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The slogan which replaced the In Memoriam is another Greetings Card Industry slogan - of course if you are sending a card then Royal Mail hope that you will post it.   This year Thinking of You week is September 19-25.

Send A Card
Deliver A Smile for
Thinking of You Week
19th-25th September 2021

Thanks to MM for these two examples from Tyneside on 21-09-2022, both on PPIs, a better Tyneside example from BM.  The clearest impression, from Southampton also from MM, and the usual poor impression from Exeter from a different BM.

Thinking of You Week slogan, Exeter Mail Centre 21-09-2022

Thinking of You Week slogan, Southampton Portsmouth & IOW Mail Centre 21/09/2022

Thinking of You Week slogan, Tyneside Mail Centre 21-09-2022 on PPIs

Thinking of You Week slogan, Tyneside Mail Centre 21-09-2022 a better example

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After Thinking of You Week Royal Mail have returned to what is probably this year's default slogan reminding people to use up their non-Barcoded stamps.  This arrived today from Greenfored, dated 26/09/2022.

Barcoded stamps slogan, Greenford/Windsor, 26/09/2022

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OTHER POSTMARKS & POSTAL MARKINGS

The Westminster Collection sponsors many special handstamps associated with royalty and their latest announced one was on 9 September.  Readers will know that all special handstamps are available for anybody to obtain, and collectors also sent in their covers for that date.  

Unfortunately the slogan was singularly inappropriate following on after the death of Her Majesty.

Long to Reign Over Us special handstamp 09.09.2022

So readers may be asking why this was not stopped.  The simply answer is that, for the sponsor at least, covers are cancelled in advance and returned so that the sponsor can prepare them to be sent to customers who have ordered them.

Even for other collectors, the items to be cancelled may be processed so that they are in the post the day before and therefore received by them on the date on the postmark.  Considering the 8th and 9th were both days when Royal Mail's CWU workers were on strike, it made sense to have the handstamps applied in advance.

I don't think the Westminster Collection will be selling these: they are very busy with Accession and other Charles III souvenirs. They will probably return them to Royal Mail for a refund of the postage on however many hundred or thousand covers they produced - not that they would get back the £1 gold stamps, only a credit on their account.

But other collectors have a novelty - as novel as the In Memoriam slogan above, apparently applied on 7 September.

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Whilst I expect the In Memoriam slogan to continue for most of the month, any other postmarks appearing in September will be added to this post, so check here before you spend time scanning and emailing.  I'll try to add new ones as quickly as possible.

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