Posts Tagged ‘Christmas Stamp’
FIVE BRAND NEW Christmas Carol 50p COINS REVEALED
Whether it’s in person or virtually this Christmas, we are ready to start singing from the hymn sheet as one of our favourite times of year approaches. And to make it even better, we can now reveal with great excitement our brand new Christmas Carol 50p Coins!
The tradition of singing Christmas Carols during the festive period dates back to the 19th century. In fact, it is believed that the Christmas Carol Service was invented in Truro by Edward White Benson, who later became the Archbishop of Canterbury.
These stunning new festive 50p coins celebrate some of the most renowned Christmas carols and I’m sure there are many of us, myself included, with very fond memories of singing carols throughout the festive season.
The FIVE new coins have been issued by Guernsey Treasury and are fully authorised by Her Majesty the Queen. Each feature a specially commissioned design by artist Jo Goodberry (you may remember she designed the incredibly popular Pantomime 50ps last year), including; Away in a Manger, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, O Little Town of Bethlehem, While Shepherds watched their flocks, and We Three Kings.
So whether you’re looking for the new centrepiece for your collection, you’re an avid 50p collector, or you’re looking for the perfect Christmas gift for a loved one, I’m sure you’ll love these new 50p coins.
Find out more about the different ways you can own these wonderful Christmas Carol 50p Coins below:
The Christmas Carol 50p Brilliant Uncirculated Coin Collection Pack
Over the last couple of years, new 50p coins have launched a whole new generation of collectors and so demand for these latest 50ps is expected to be very high. The coins will arrive ready to display in a customised presentation pack. You can secure the complete set of FIVE TODAY for only £30.00!
The Limited Edition 2020 Christmas Carol Silver Proof 50p Coin Collection
The coins you can see here have all been struck from .925 Solid Silver to a pristine Proof finish and feature selective colour printing. Importantly, this set is one of the only ways you can own all five of these designs. None will be released individually. With an extremely limited worldwide mintage of JUST 2,020 they’re not expected to be available for long.
Click here to secure yours today >>
The 2020 Christmas Carol 50p Christmas Card
The new Brilliant Uncirculated ‘Hark the Herald’ Christmas 50p is the only coin from the collection to be available on its own within this stunning Christmas card. What better way is there to wish family and friends a very Merry Christmas? Priced at just £7.99 it’s the perfect way to get ahead with your Christmas shopping this year.
The Christmas Carol Ultimate 50p Coin Cover
The ULTIMATE Stamp and Coin Cover is also available for pre-order. Featuring all five coins in Brilliant Uncirculated quality, this cover has been carefully paired with the elusive 1982 Royal Mail Christmas Carol stamps. These stamps are not easy to get hold of, and only 750 covers are being released worldwide with a postmark on the first day of Advent – 1st December 2020.
Prices start from just £7.99 so if you’re interested please click here to see the whole range >>
Who issued the world’s first Christmas Stamp?
Britain’s First Christmas Stamps from 1966
Did you know that since Royal Mail issued their first Christmas stamp in 1966, over 17 billion Christmas stamps have been printed in Britain? But as popular as they are today, Great Britain was late to the table when it came to issuing Christmas stamps. So which country can lay claim to issuing the first Christmas stamp?
The Contenders…
Canada – 1898
The first country to lay claim is Canada, which produced a stamp bearing the words ‘Xmas 1898’. But many people question whether this was really a Christmas stamp at all…
Denmark – 1904
Denmark claims it printed the first Christmas stamp in 1904 after an idea from postmaster, Einar Holboell, to add an extra stamp to the Christmas mail and the money go to help sick children. However these “stamps” were actually labels and not issued for postage.
Austria – 1937
Austria issued two stamps on 12th December 1937 for use on Christmas mail and New Year greeting cards.
Hungary – 1943
Finally, there is Hungary. Many people think the 1943 Hungarian stamps to be the first real Christmas stamps as they feature religious imagery.
The secret behind the Canadian stamp
The World’s First Christmas Stamp?
It is fair to say however that the issue of the Canadian Christmas stamp did not really have much to do with Christmas. In fact it was a result of then Canadian Postmaster General William Mulock lobbying to standardise postage rates across the Empire at one penny.
After failing to get the new rules introduced at the 1897 Universal Postal Union, Mulock returned the following year more determined than ever, with a new proposal. This time he succeeded, and in July 1898, the Imperial Penny Postage rate was unveiled. Canada made the move to be effective on Christmas day 1898.
As a result, the stamp was officially released on 7th December 1898 bearing Mercator’s famous map with the British Empire highlighted in red, and also the words “XMAS 1898”.
So who can lay claim to issuing the first Christmas stamp?
Well despite the controversy, to me, there is only one winner – and that is Canada. Whether it was issued specifically for Christmas or not, it bears the words ‘Xmas 1898‘ and therefore I think it rightly deserves the title of first Christmas stamp.