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Antarctica issues new Queen Elizabeth Land Stamps – just in the nick of time!
When William Hague announced that part of British Antarctica would be renamed ‘Queen Elizabeth Land’ in honour of Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee, little did he know it would be the start of a race against time for one of the world’s smallest and most remote postal administrations!
Against the odds
The gesture put this tiny island in the South Pole – one of the UK’s 14 British overseas territories – back on the map. For the British Antarctic Post Office, the opportunity to issue new commemorative stamps was not to be missed even though it presented some very big challenges!
With no telephone, internet, running water or electricity, daily life in this inhospitable region can be difficult at the best of times. And as the island can only be accessed during its summer months of October to March, there was also a deadline to beat …
79 days and counting
Following the Foreign Secretary’s announcement on 18th December 2012, in order to issue the new Queen Elizabeth Land stamps before October 2013, they had to be designed, approved, printed and on board the last ship from the Falklands to Antarctica by 7th March. That gave them just 79 days!
It was going to be tight, but soon enough, stamp designs were submitted and approved by the relevant authorities, including the Queen herself, and the presses started rolling. Hot off the press, the first stamps were quickly taken to RAF Northolt to be airlifted to Port Stanley on the Falklands where the ship was waiting.
The finished cover featuring the new Queen Elizabeth Land Stamp
It had been a close shave but on 18th March, the new stamps arrived on Antarctica, ready to be affixed and postmarked, along with 495 exclusive First Day Covers which had also made the long journey south.
The Queen Elizabeth Land Commemorative Silver Coin Cover was later completed with a new silver proof crown, issued by the island’s Government also in celebration of the new name.
Now sold out.
Inverted Stamp expected to sell for £70,000 today
One of the world’s rarest stamps featuring Queen Victoria’s upside down head goes under the hammer later today at London auctioneers, Spink.
One of only a tiny number now available, the ‘inverted’ Queen Victoria Stamp is likely to fetch in the region of £70,000
Out of over 200,000 stamps printed in Calcutta in 1854, it’s thought that less than 30 of the ‘inverted’ Queen Victoria stamps – caused by a printing error which nobody noticed – now exist anywhere in the world.
Whoops!
Of course, the philatelic world’s most famous printing error is probably the ‘Inverted’ Jenny Stamp, so-called because the Curtiss JN-4 bi-plane at its centre was mistakenly printed upside down. It’s thought there are just 100 in existence today – one of which sold for a staggering $977,500 in November 2007.
The ‘Inverted’ Jenny Stamp – probably the most famous print job to go badly wrong
Who wouldn’t want one?
Inverted stamps are incredibly rare and highly sought-after among private collectors.
Sadly, most of us won’t ever get to hold an inverted stamp, be it Jenny or Victoria, let alone have the chance to own one.
The closest most of us will ever get…
Little consolation, I know, but here’s the next best thing to owning the legendary Jenny stamp – The 1918 US Curtiss Jenny Airmail Stamps – Click here.
Did you correctly guess the other ‘Hobbit’ stamps?
We probably guessed Gollum and Gandalf but how many of us predicted that Thorin Oakenshield and Radagast would appear on the new ‘Hobbit’ stamps?
Following their earlier sneak preview of the new Bilbo Baggins stamp, New Zealand Post has now revealed to fans and collectors its complete set of six new ‘Hobbit’ stamps. Issued to coincide with Sir Peter Jackson’s new blockbuster trilogy, the first film “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” is due for release in the UK on 14th December.
The complete set of 6 stamps issued by New Zealand Post
So here’s who else features on the new Middle Earth stamps …
70c Bilbo Baggins – Like all Hobbits, Bilbo Baggins lives a quiet life in the Shire but finds himself on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.
$1.40 Gollum – Once a hobbit-like creature named Sméagol, Gollum’s body and soul have been poisoned by the power of the precious one.
$1.90 Gandalf – One of the most powerful Wizards in all Middle-earth, Gandalf the Grey joins the quest to reclaim Erebor and the great treasure that lies within its stone halls from a fire-breathing dragon, Smaug the Terrible.
$2.10 Thorin Oakenshield – A strong, fearless fighter and respected leader of The Company of Dwarves, Thorin is determined to reclaim his homeland and destroy the beast that brought misery upon his people.
$2.40 Radagast – Forgetful, easily distracted and quite eccentric, Radagast is more comfortable talking to animals than people. A fellow Wizard and friend of Gandalf the Grey, Radagast is one of the guardians of the great forests of Middle-earth.
$2.90 Elrond – Elrond is one of the wisest and most ancient of the Elves remaining in Middle-earth. He is also Master of Rivendell, the Last Homely House East of the Sea.
New Zealand Post is also issuing the only official legal tender commemorative coins from Middle earth.
The second film, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” will follow in December 2013, with the final film, “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” earmarked for release in July, 2014.
A superb range of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” collectables including coins and stamps is now available to buy from The Westminster Collection.