Royal Mail's Football Heroes

Here's an interesting  new release from Royal Mail that features football heroes. This issue celebrates the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the rules of Association Football and also coincides with the 150th anniversary of the Football Association and the 140th anniversary of the Scottish Football Association.

The 1st Class stamps feature eleven (11) talented individual footballers from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales who stood out above the rest.  All of these players are included in the National Football Museum's Hall of Fame. 

Stamp 1: Gordon Banks, the greatest keeper to ever play for England.
Stamp 2: Bobby Moore, the legendary English World Cup winning captain.
Stamp 3: John Charles, the finest Welsh player of all time.
Stamp 4: Dave Mackay, a Scottish legend in the field of football.
Stamp 5: Bryan Robson, England's Captain Marvel.
Stamp 6: Bobby Charlton, considered as one of the greatest English footballers of all time.
Stamp 7: Kevin Keegan, two-time European Footballer of the Year.
Stamp 8: John Barnes, a great English winger.
Stamp 9: George Best, a Northern Irish football genius.
Stamp 10: Jimmy Greaves, known as one of the most instinctively gifted footballers in the game's history.
Stamp 11: Dennis Law, the Scottish Football Association’s outstanding player for the past 50 years. 

The stamps were illustrated by Andrew Kinsman who did a great job in creating a composite artwork by placing the players together to achieve a traditional team shot.  

James Bond 007 @ 50

Royal Mail has come up on May 1, 2012 with a special limited edition commemorative sheet that highlights the 50th anniversary of the James Bond 007 series.

Bond fans were given the opportunity to vote for the 10 iconic Bond movie posters from the 22 Bond movies that will be featured in the sheet. 

The poster art is used on ten stamp labels, alongside ten Union Flag stamps. The sheet is beautifully presented in an attractive ‘golden’ anniversary pack, with a backing card carrying stills from all the Bond films featured, as well as a précis of each plot, dates of release and the names of the main characters and who played them.

The featured films are Casino Royale, From Russia with Love, Dr No, For Your Eyes Only, Goldeneye, Goldfinger, The Living Daylights, Live and Let Die, Moonraker, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

Thomas the Tank Engine Chugs in Royal Mail's Stamps

Royal Mail celebrates the birth centenary of Reverend Wilbert Awdry, the creator of the hit TV show, Thomas and Friends that was first aired in 1984.

This special stamp issue released on June 14, 2011 features the engines as they as they appear on TV and in the original book illustrations.

Relive the adventures of Thomas, James, Percy, Daisy, Toby and Gordon through these beautiful stamps.

Royal Mail Celebrates Musicals Through Stamps

The United Kingdom’s Royal Mail came out with a set of stamps to celebrate the diversity of British musicals.

The stamps were from a selection of seven decades of popular stage musicals. These are Oliver, Blood Brothers, We Will Rock You, Monty Python's Spamalot, Me and My Girl, Return to the Forbidden Planet and Billy Elliot.

Released on February 24, 2011, these beautiful stamps feature a combination of both the posters and the performances that helped to make these shows the hottest tickets in the West End.

Britain Releases The House of Stuart Stamps

The Royal Mail releases today June 15, 2010, a new issue on British royalty featuring the House of Stuart. This is the fourth in the Kings and Queens series of stamp issues which profiles every monarch from 1399 to the present.

The Stuarts ruled Scotland for over two centuries before inheriting the English throne and established a reputation as both ambitious and accident-prone. Of nine monarchs, six of them died violently.

They ruled Britain from 1603, when the Union of the Crowns caused James VI of Scotland to become James I of England. Stuart rule ended in 1714, but in between there was the Fire of London, the gunpowder plot, civil war and the beheading of Charles I, which makes this issue truly fascinating.

Featured above are the seven Stuart monarchs that reigned over the British Isles from the union of the crowns of England and Scotland.

Britain Alone

In the dark days of 1940, Britain and the Commonwealth stood very much alone against the Axis powers.

The darkest period in England's history was also her finest hour as millions of Britons came together to 'do their bit' for the war effort.

Royal Mail comes out with a special issue on May 13, 2010 to honor those fine people whom the country owe so much.

Royal Mail Highlights Endangered Mammals

Stamps featuring mammals are set to be released on April 13, 2010 by the Royal Mail as its contribution to the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity.

Presented as a block of ten special stamps featuring natural portraits, these beautiful stamps comprise the fourth part of the continuing Action for Species series.

The stamps highlight ten of United Kingdom's most engaging but endangered indigenous mammals such as the sperm whale, humpback whale, dormouse, brown long-eared bat, greater horseshoe bat, otter, wildcat, polecat, hedgehog and water vole.

Pink Floyd Rocks on a Souvenir Stamp Sheet

England's Royal Mail and famous rock band Pink Floyd came out with a unique collaboration featuring a souvenir stamp of the band's last studio album, The Division Bell.

Fans worldwide will surely love the souvenir stamp sheet that was released on March 6, 2010 which coincides with the birthday of the band's guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour.

The lyrics of "High Hopes", the final song of the band's final studio album is also featured.

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home

The Royal Mail issues today March 11, 2010, the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home stamps to commemorate the center's 150th year.

The United Kingdom's oldest and most famous rescue center for dogs and cats was established and founded in 1860 by Mrs. Mary Tealby and is situated in the Battersea area of London, England.

Her Majesty Queen Victoria became Patron of the Home in 1885 and has been under Royal Patronage since then. At present, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the Patron with Prince Micheal of Kent as President.

Ten animals of the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home were selected by the Royal Mail design team. Animal photographer Steve Hoskins came out with beatiful photos of the animals.

Royal Mail Turns Down Benny Hill Stamp

I used to watch the Benny Hill show on tv. He is one of the popular comedians in the United Kingdom aside from Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) with his show being aired in ITV for 20 years.

The committee meeting of the Royal Mail confirms that the Benny Hill proposed stamp was rejected because his saucy antics contravened company policy on harassment in the workplace.

"Benny Hill has been included in previous presentations but concerns were raised by our public relations team as it was in direct opposition to company's policies on harassment in the workplace."

The Benny Hill show is best known for its closing credits wherein Hill chased scantily-clad women.

Instead, a picture of a front door from the opening credits of Rising Damp was chosen for the stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of ITV.

More of this story here.