Pooh - another stamp issue for the bear and friends on 14 October 2026

Winnie-the-Pooh first appeared on a British stamp in 1979 as one of four stamps marking the United Nations International Year of the Child.  More recently Pooh and his friends featured on the 2010 Children's Books Europa set, though why ten stamps were devoted to one set of characters from the books is unclear.  Four years earlier, the Animal Tales joint issue with the USPS covered ten different books, but not including Pooh.

I must confess I thought the bear had made more appearances on British stamps, but I suppose the seemingly unending appearances of Paddington might have confused me.  Add in Rupert, Alice, Peter Rabbit, and many others, going back to the Greetings Booklets, one could - I hope - be forgiven for losing track.

But it would be difficult to argue against at least the basic premise of this issue as 2026 marks the centenary of the first publication of Winnie the Pooh by A A Milne in 2026.  You can read more about the character and the story behind the stores here on our webpage for the 2010 issue.

The new set is illustrated in "the style of E.H. Shephard's original book illustrations "before Pooh got his iconic red shirt".  Some may think the red shirt came with Disney, as shown on the PSB's definitive pane shown below, but the red shirt first appeared in 1932 as shown on the Piglet fan sheet when the characters were drawn in colour by Stephen Slesinger, a US comic book pioneer who bought the copyright to Pooh in 1930.  After Slesinger's death in 1953, his widow licensed the rights to Disney in return for regular royalties, which is why any first day covers or special handstamps now have to be licensed through The Walt Disney Company. 

The stamps 

 

Set of 6 x 1st class Winnie the Pooh stamps issued 14 October 2026.

 Miniature Sheet 

Miniature sheet of 4 x 1st class Winnie the Pooh stamps issued 14 October 2026.

Technical Details 

The set of stamps and miniature sheet is designed by Supple Studio ©Disney. Based on the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ works by A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard. The 4x x 30 mm stamps were printed by Cartor Security Printers in lithography on gummed paper, in three sheets of 60 in vertical se-tenant pairs, with phosphor bars.  The 115 x 89 mm miniature sheet contains three 27 x 37 mm and one 41 x 30 mm (Eeyore) stamps perforated 14 (14½ x 14 mm Eeyore) printed in lithography on gummed paper with all-over phosphor.  The Press Sheet contains eight miniature sheets.

Collectors Sheet

The sheet contains 10 first class stamps with four of the stamps included twice, matched with other illustrations as labels.  The lithography-printed sheet is self-adhesive. 

Update: Reader Chris has commented that this is incorrect, the sheet has PVA gum and so the stamps are (more or less) the same as those in sheets - it is quite likely that the phosphor is differently spaced or the perforations might even be different, but I don't buy them for anyone so I cannot confirm.

Self-adhesive Collectors Sheet 

Prestige Stamp Book

The book describes the evolution of the story over a hundred years from the Milne story and Shephard illustrations to the modern Disney renditions.

Four prestige book panes including the set of 6, plus two extra Pooh & Piglet stamps,
miniature sheet and definitive pane containing 1p, 50p, £2, 2 x £1 definitive stamps.
These are should be coded M26L MPIL - but it's very faint!

The PSB and Limited Edition PSB are delayed until 26 November

 

Commemorative Stamp Book 

Continuing the practice of issuing retail-format self-adhesive booklets which are not sold anywhere but the Royal Mail philatelic service.  As usual 4x identical 1st class stamps but printed in gravure, rather than lithography.

Fan sheets

The four Fan Sheets are in editions of 5,000 priced at £8 each.  Each contains four identical stamps in a relevant background:  Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore.

Products available

Set of 6 stamps, miniature sheet, presentation pack, commemorative booklet, prestige stamp booklet, press sheet of 8 MS, collectors sheet, fan sheets (4), first day covers (3 including the definitive pane from the PSB), limited edition PSB, 50p coinx3 cover (reverse of coins designed by Disney), proof coloured silver and proof gold coin covers Character Packs for set, and MS, limited (5000) edition ingot (£50), framed miniature sheet (£40), framed set (£40).

Australia Post

As the comments make reference to the package issued by Australia Post I thought I would make an exception and show those as well - if only to show collectors of Royal Mail products that things could be worse.

Their Winnie the Pooh 100 Years Stamp Collection is AU$39.99 (£21.05 - plus shipping and import taxes if you choose to buy direct).  This is, of course, much cheaper than even a modest selection of Royal Mail's Pooh products. There is also a numimatic cover for AU£59.99.

The Collection contains these four sheets:

Miniature sheet of four unrelated flower stamps with Disney Pooh design on borders.

Gutter sheetlet of four slower stamps with attached Disney Pooh labels and a gutter strip of four more labels

Sheet of 6 self-adhesive MyStamps with designs depicting different Pooh characters.

Sheet of 6 self-adhesive MyStamps* with designs depicting the same Pooh characters.

Readers have commented on this blog about the absence of Kanga, Piglet and Rabbit. The Ozzies on the other hand have omitted the key characters of Owl and Christopher Robin, apart from on the throw-away sheet design (assuming you use the stamps, as some people do.)

* "With MyStamps, you can use our template and your own image to create a truly personalised sheet of 20 stamps. With six shapes on offer, each with a different look and feel, and your choice of postage type and rate, you'll be able to celebrate some of life's memorable moments stamped on your post.

"MyStamps are perfect for sending out birthday or wedding invitations, Christmas cards, or simply adding a personal touch to your mail."

These are similar to the original P-(ersonalised)stamps from Australia and Smilers from the UK, but are more like the Commemorative Sheets (for instance marking the Centenary of the Halley's Comet) that Royal Mail issued.  AusPost have made hundreds of such issues featuring all manner of cartoon and sports associations.

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There's something you should know: Music Giants XII bumper bundle of Duran Duran memorabilia issued on 17 September 2026

Music Giants 12 - hard to believe isn't it?   This is what WIkipedia has to say about the band:

Duran Duran are an English pop rock band. Formed in Birmingham in 1978 by keyboardist Nick Rhodes, guitarist (later bassist) John Taylor and singer/bassist Stephen Duffy. The band went through several early changes before the band's line-up settled in May 1980 as Rhodes, Taylor, singer Simon Le Bon, guitarist Andy Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor.

And this is what Royal Mail say:

Few bands have defined the sound and style of an era quite like Duran Duran. As pioneers of the New Romantic movement and one of the most influential groups of the 1980s, their blend of innovative pop, striking visual identity, and boundary-pushing music videos helped rewrite the rules of global stardom.

The stamp issue coincides with the start of the band's UK and European Tour in Autumn 2026.

The stamps  

Set of 8 x 1st class Duran Duran stamps issued 17 September 2026.

The stamps show the album artwork for Duran Duran, Rio, Ragged Tiger, Notorious, The Wedding Album, Astronaut, Paper Gods, and Future Past.  (No acknowledgements available.)

Miniature Sheet

Miniature sheet of 4 x 1st class Duran Duran stamps issued 17 September 2026 - what a mess! 

Technical details

The 38 x 35 mm stamps were designed by Royal Mail using existing album cover artwork. They were printed by Cartor Security Printers in lithography in gummed sheets of 48, in se-tenant strips of four, perf 14.

The 180 x 74 mm miniature sheet was designed by True North and printed by Cartor Security Printers in litho on self-adhesive paper.  Two stamps are 27 x 37 mm, one 37 x 27 mm perf 14, and one 35 mm square perf 14.5.

The stamps on the MS show posters for the Careless Memories Tour (1981), Sing Blue Silver Tour (1983-4), Astronaut Tour (2005-6), and the Invisible Tour (2025). 

This is the first miniature sheet that has a printed image on the rear of the sheet and features the four current band members: John Taylor, Roger Taylor, Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, as seen here on images of the press sheet of 12 miniature sheets (price £86.40)

Prestige Stamp Book

Sadly this once again includes two definitives which we have seen before from PSBs, the 50p and £1, coded M26L MPIL as expected. 

A limited edition (3,000) PSB has a red cover as shown and comes in a matching display box. It also includes five special postcards. (£50)

Collector sheet and fan sheets

As with all Collector sheets  10 x 1st class stamps (which means duplicating two of the stamps from the set) and accompanying labels.  As expected the stamps are self-adhesive unlike the sheet stamps. Price £19.20

Duran Duran Collector Sheet of 10 self-adhesive stamps

Two Fan Sheets, one for the Invisible Days Tour including four stamps from the miniature sheet, and one for the album Seven and the Ragged Tiger. The sheets are printed in the same way as the original stamps, so now new stamps.  The edition is 10,000 of each, individually numbered, priced £10 

Products available (if I don't run out of space!)

Set of 8 stamps, miniature sheet, presentation pack, first day covers (2, or 3 if you count the pointless PSB pane cover), prestige stamp book (PSB), limited edition PSB (£50), stamp cards, collector sheet, Fan Sheets (2), press sheet of 12 miniature sheets,  medal cover with set of stamps (£25), set and MS on 2 separate 'souvenir carriers' (£7.50), Limited edition silver ingot (£25), framed set & MS (£45), framed set (£40), framed collector sheet (£40), signed framed Invisible Days fan sheet - edition of 25 (£300).

Phew!

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Centenary of the Birth of Queen Elizabeth II, set, MS, PSB etc - 21 April 2026

Queen Elizabeth II was born on 21 April 1926 and so this year marks the centenary of her birth.  Royal Mail is marking the anniversary with a set of 8 stamp and a miniature sheet, plus a lot more merchandise.

For a younger person's view on this and other stamps marking the centenary, see 13-year-old Xanthe's Stamp Magazine. 

The stamps feature a selection of carefully curated photographs taken throughout her lifetime with the miniature sheet of four stamps reflecting her lifelong love of animals. 

The eight 1st class stamps are produced as a set of four se-tenant vertical pairs featuring black and white, and colour photographs spanning the decades of her life.  Each stamp has a portrait superimposed on a background image, some of which we may have seen before on stamps.

Details of the photographs were not provided in a form suitable for including here as text, but they can be seen on the FDC filler card here (click to enlarge).

UPDATE: My thanks to RB who has managed to process the data on the filler to reveal these details. We can't guarantee that it's 100% correct, but here goes:

Listed as portrait first then background.


Black & white stamps:  
Princess Elizabeth at the age of six, July 1932;  Members of the Royal Family with their dogs at Royal Windsor Lodge, June 1936. 
Princess Elizabeth at Windsor Castle, May 1944;  Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret giving their first Children's Hour radio broadcast from Windsor Castle during the Second World War, October 1940. 
Queen Elizabeth II in November 1955;  Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip after the Coronation, June 1953. 
Queen Elizabeth II during the Royal Tour of India, 1961;  Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles riding horses in the park of Windsor Castle.

Colour stamps:  Queen Elizabeth II during Trooping the Colour 1976;  Queen Elizabeth II during Trooping the Colour 1971. 
Queen Elizabeth II in the White Drawing Room, Windsor Castle, November 1987;  Queen Elizabeth II visiting Treherbert, Wales, April 1989. 
Queen Elizabeth II in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, October 2001;  Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in the Gold State Coach during Golden Jubilee celebrations, June 2002. 
Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, 2022;   Queen Elizabeth II and members of the Royal Family arriving at The Eden Project, Cornwall, during the G7 Summit, June 2021. 

Miniature Sheet:  Princess Elizabeth with her pet dog, London 1936; Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle with one of her corgis, September 1952;  Queen Elizabeth II with a horse at Sandringham, 1964; 
Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, May 1997.

Part of FDC filler card showing details of photos on the stamps, etc. Click to enlarge.

Miniature Sheet

Technical details 

The 50 x 30 mm stamps, designed by Baxter & Bailey are printed in lithography in sheets of 60 by Cartor Security Printers, perf 14.   The stamps in the 115 x 89 mm miniature sheet are 35 x 35 mm (corrected) and perf 14.5.  All stamps have phosphor bands are on PVA-gummed paper.

Prestige stamp book

This 24 page publication, tells the story of the life of Queen Elizabeth II accompanied with beautiful photography throughout the decades. As Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II presided over a time of incredible change, acting as a constant source of comfort and stability to the nation. 100 years since the monarch was born, the Prestige Stamp Book pays tribute to Elizabeth II that reflects on her remarkable life and a record-breaking reign.

Prestige book cover and panes 1, 3, 4, 5.

 

Prestige stamp book pane 2 with two each 50p & £1 definitives coded M26L MPIL

 

Collector Sheet 

The collectors Sheet contains all 8 stamps from the stamp set and accompanying labels featuring carefully curated photography matching the time period of the paired stamp. The stamps and labels sit on a background of the official “100” logo.  The Collector Sheet is self-adhesive and lithography, making the stamps in the Collector Sheet different from those printed in the set.

Queen Elizabeth II Centenary Collector Sheet.

Products available 

Set of stamps, miniature sheet, first day covers (2), presentation pack, prestige stamp book, fdc of PSB definitive pane, collector sheet, stamp cards (13), press sheet of 16 miniature sheets, £5 coin covers (3 - gold, silver, and cupronickel), framed products (set, MS, collector sheet). 

All available from Royal Mail's website and some available from a Post Office branch quite near you if you are lucky.

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Lord of The Rings - again but different - 20 March 2026

The 2004 Royal Mail issue related to the Lord of the Rings marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of the first books in the series. Consequently they focussed on the books and showed the author's drawings illustrating locations in the books.  This set, incidentally, was one of many consisting of 10 x 1st class.

2004 set of 10 x 1st class Lord of the Rings stamps.

Now, it's 25 years since The Fellowshop of the Ring hit a screen near you bringing New Zealand director Peter Jackson to our notice - not his first film, but the series which has featured most on stamps, notably those of New Zealand. 

Selection of New Zealand Lord of the Rings stamps depicting Frodo, Gandalf, Aragon and Legolas.

New Zealand Post has issued several sets of LOTR stamps.  How will Royal Mail's stamps compare?  Time will tell, and they will be revealed around 11 March.

As you have probably predicted, Royal Mail have made this another blockbuster issue, aiming to sell much more merchandise to fan collectors than stamp collectors.  For this reason there is the usual wide range of products available, starting with...

The set of 8 x 1st class stamps 

[Royal Mail] This set of 8 mint stamps showing montages from the film trilogy are perfect for film fans. 

Each stamp celebrates iconic characters from the 3 films. British Actors from the epic featured are Orlando Bloom as Legolas, Ian McKellan as Gandalf, Dominic Monaghan as Merry, Billy Boyd as Pippin and Christopher Lee as Saruman.

This stunning imagery also has a secret UV layer revealed using a UV light, Elvish writing in a circle appears on each stamp. Fans will recognise this as the writing on the One Ring.

Set of 8 1st class stamps illustrated with montages from the Lord of the Rings films./The lower illustration shows the Elvish writing revealed if you have a UV lamp.

 The characters: The Hobbits, Gandalf, Arwen, Gimli, Saruman, Aragon, Legolas, and Frodo & Gollum.

The miniature sheet

Lord of the Rings miniature sheet of four x 1st class stamps issued 20 March 2026 depicting The Shire at Hobbiton, Rivendell, The Gates of Argonath and Mount Doom.

Technical details and acknowledgements

The 50 x 30 mm stamps were designed by True North, veterans of Royal Mail stamp design - Harry Potter, Women's Rugby, Blackadder, Visions of the Universe etc. They were printed in litho by Cartor Security Printers in sheets of 60 (30 se-tenant pairs), perforated 14½ x 14.  The 192 x 74 mm self-adhesive* miniature sheet contains 60 x 30 mm stamps, perforated 14½. (*Not gummed as stated on Royal Mail's web shop).

© New Line Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY and all names of the characters, items, events, and places therein are TM of Middle- earth Enterprises, LLC under license to New Line Productions, Inc. (s26).

Prestige Stamp Book (£25.32) (Thank you JohnH for the correction to my typo.)

"The Prestige Stamp book brings together all the stamps from the Lord of the Rings issue plus a unique pane of definitive stamps available only in this book.

"Inside readers will find expertly written pieces on some of the battles between good and evil, like Arwen vs the Black Riders, Gandalf vs the Balrog and Frodo vs Gollum. Whilst many people are aware of the lead character Frodo, many fans acknowledge that the saga is made up of a host of heroes and this stamp book celebrates the feats and battles won and lost throughout the three films.

"A real journey through Middle Earth, this stamp book is a wonderful addition to any Lord of the Rings Fan’s collection."

The Limited Edition (2001) PSB with gold cover in gold-coloured presentation box (£49.99)

Fan Sheets (£8 each)

Two gummed Fan Sheets containing three of the relevant stamps - Frodo and Sam, and Gandalf.  Limited editions of 5,000.

Gandalf's picture looks familiar, doesn't it? Scroll up to the New Zealand stamps!  

Collector Sheet (£14.80)

The landscape-oriented Collector Sheet as usual features all 8 stamps, with additional imagery on the attached labels.   As usual the sheet is self-adhesive.

Lord of the Rings self-adhesive Collector Sheet of 8 stamps issued 20 March 2026.

Products Available from Royal Mail

Set of 8 stamps, miniature sheet, first day covers (2), presentation pack, stamp cards (13), press sheet of 10 miniature sheets (edition of 200), framed products.

(Incidentally, in each of NZ Post's LOTR issues they had six gummed stamps, the same six stamps in individual miniature sheets, the same six stamps in a single self-adhesive miniature sheet, and a self-adhesive folded booklet containing four of the lowest value, two of one other, and one each of the rest. There are also official maximum cards which had a stamp stuck to the picture side and postmarked, and also printed in black & white on the address side; the cards are thus prepaid for posting to anywhere in the world.)

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