Comic Potential?
Stamp Magazine|April 2017

Some of Britain’s proposed stamp issues for 2017 look a little desperate. Will September’s set praise or parody Ladybird Books?

Comic Potential?

Here’s a thought. Why doesn’t Royal Mail let Stamp Magazine readers choose the themes for its commemorative issues in 2018? After all, it is collectors who are actively going to seek out the new issues, so why not give them what they really want, instead of what’s been picked by a committee of non-collectors scrabbling for ideas?

The 2017 programme rather makes the point. The 15 issues announced in January are a mixture of the good, the bad and the desperate.

The good speak for themselves. No-one objects to the idea of an issue celebrating the 65th anniversary of the accession of the Queen (though some might think an unnecessary £5 stamp is a strange way of doing it). Nor could anyone think that marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele was anything but worthwhile. But as for the rest...

We have a set illustrating Windsor Castle. Why? Your guess is as good as mine, though the stamps seems aimed at tourists and overseas collectors rather than the domestic market.

This story is from the April 2017 edition of Stamp Magazine.

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This story is from the April 2017 edition of Stamp Magazine.

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