The United Kingdom, known in philatelic circles as Great Britain, released many commemorative stamps (postage stamps issued to honour or commemorate a place, event or person) in the 1980s.
Postage stamps were first issued in the United Kingdom on 6 May 1840, with the introduction of the world's first adhesive postage stamp, known as the Penny Black. Until 1924, all British stamps depicted only the portrait of the reigning monarch, with the exception of the "high value" stamps (also known as the "Sea Horses" design) issued in 1913, which were twice the size of normal stamps with added pictorial design.
In 1924, the first "commemorative" stamp was issued for the British Empire Exhibition. There were then occasional issues over the next thirty years, when the frequency of new issues became more regular. From the mid-1960s, in most years, six to nine sets of commemorative stamps have been issued every year. PHQ cards, postcard-sized reproductions of commemorative stamps, have also been issued to accompany every new set of stamps since the mid-1970s.
| Issue date | Issue details | Stamps in set | Designer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | |||
| 16 January 1980 | Centenary of Wild Bird Protection Act | Four (10p, 11+1⁄2p, 13p, 15p) | Michael Warren [1] |
| 12 March 1980 | 150th Anniversary of Liverpool & Manchester Railway | Five (5 × 12p se-tenant) | David Gentleman [2] |
| 9 April 1980 | "London 1980" International Stamp Exhibition | One (50p) | Jeffery Matthews |
| 7 May 1980 | "London 1980" International Stamp Exhibition (Miniature Sheet) | One (Minisheet 50p. Was sold for 75p, the premium being used for the exhibition) | Jeffery Matthews |
| 7 May 1980 | London Landmarks | Five (10+1⁄2p, 12p, 13+1⁄2p, 15p, 17+1⁄2p) | Sir Hugh Casson |
| 9 July 1980 | Famous Authoresses | Four (12p, 13+1⁄2p, 15p, 17+1⁄2p) | Barbara Brown |
| 4 August 1980 | 80th Birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother | One (12p) | Jeffery Matthews |
| 10 September 1980 | British Conductors | Four (12p, 13+1⁄2p, 15p, 17+1⁄2p) | Peter Gauld |
| 10 October 1980 | Sport Centenaries | Four (12p, 13+1⁄2p, 15p, 17+1⁄2p) | Robert Goldsmith |
| 19 November 1980 | Christmas | Five (10p, 12p, 13+1⁄2p, 15p, 17+1⁄2p) | Jeffery Matthews |
| 1981 | |||
| 6 February 1981 | Folklore | Four | Fritz Wegner |
| 25 March 1981 | International Year of the Disabled | Four | John Gibbs |
| 13 May 1981 | Butterflies | Four | Gordon Beningfield |
| 24 June 1981 | 50th Anniversary of the National Trust for Scotland | Five | M Fairclough |
| 22 July 1981 | Royal Wedding | Two | David Gentleman using photos taken by Lord Snowdon |
| 12 August 1981 | 25th Anniversary of Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme | Four | P. Sharland |
| 23 September 1981 | Fishing Industry | Four | B. Sanders |
| 18 November 1981 | Christmas | Five | |
| 1982 | |||
| 10 February 1982 | Death Centenary of Charles Darwin | Four | David Gentleman [2] |
| 24 March 1982 | Youth Organisations | Four | |
| 28 April 1982 | Europa – British Theatre | Four | |
| 16 June 1982 | Maritime Heritage | Five | Marjorie Saynor [3] |
| 23 July 1982 | British Textiles | Four | |
| 8 September 1982 | Information Technology | Two | |
| 13 October 1982 | British Motor Cars | Four | |
| 17 November 1982 | Christmas | Five | |
| 1983 | |||
| 26 January 1983 | British River Fishes | Four | |
| 9 March 1983 | Commonwealth Day, Geographical Regions | Four | |
| 25 May 1983 | Europa – Engineering Achievements | Three | |
| 6 July 1983 | British Army Uniforms | Five | |
| 24 August 1983 | British Gardens | Four | |
| 5 October 1983 | British Fairs | Four | |
| 16 November 1983 | Christmas | Five | |
| 1984 | |||
| 17 January 1984 | 500th Anniversary of College of Arms | Four | |
| 6 March 1984 | British Cattle | Five | |
| 10 April 1984 | Urban Renewal | Four | |
| 15 May 1984 | 25th Anniversary of C.E.P.T. ('Europa') & second elections to European Parliament | Four | |
| 5 June 1984 | London Economic Summit Conference | One | |
| 26 June 1984 | Centenary of Greenwich Meridian | Four | |
| 31 July 1984 | Bicentenary of First Mail Coach Run, Bath and Bristol to London | Five | |
| 25 September 1984 | 50th Anniversary of the British Council | Four | |
| 20 November 1984 | Christmas | Five | |
| 1985 | |||
| 22 January 1985 | Famous Trains | Five | |
| 12 March 1985 | Insects | Five | |
| 14 May 1985 | Europa, European Music Year, British Composers | Four | |
| 18 June 1985 | Safety at Sea | Four | |
| 30 July 1985 | 350 years of Royal Mail Public Postal Service | Four | |
| 3 September 1985 | Arthurian Legends | Four | |
| 8 October 1985 | British Film Year | Five (Sir Alfred Hitchcock, Sir Charlie Chaplin, Vivien Leigh, Peter Sellers and David Niven). [4] | |
| 19 November 1985 | Christmas | Five | |
| 1986 | |||
| 14 January 1986 | Industry Year | Four | |
| 18 February 1986 | Appearance of Halley's Comet | Four | |
| 21 April 1986 | 60th Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II | Four | |
| 20 May 1986 | Europa, Nature Conservation-Endangered Species | Four | |
| 17 June 1986 | 900th Anniversary of Domesday Book | Four | |
| 15 July 1986 | 13th Commonwealth Games, Edinburgh & World Hockey Cup for Men, London | Five | |
| 22 July 1986 | Royal Wedding | Two | |
| 19 August 1986 | 32nd Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference | One | |
| 16 September 1986 | History of the Royal Air Force | Five | |
| 18 November 1986 | Christmas – 13p, 18p, 22p, 31p & 34p values | Five | |
| 2 December 1986 | Christmas – 12p value | One | |
| 1987 | |||
| 20 January 1987 | Flower Photographs by Alfred Lammer | Four | |
| 24 March 1987 | 300th Anniversary of "The Principia Mathematica" by Sir Isaac Newton | Four | |
| 12 May 1987 | Europa, British Architects in Europe | Four | |
| 16 June 1987 | Centenary of St. John Ambulance Brigade | Four | |
| 21 July 1987 | 300th Anniversary of Order of the Thistle | Four | |
| 8 September 1987 | 150th Anniversary of Queen Victoria's Accession | Four | |
| 13 October 1987 | Studio Pottery | Four | |
| 17 November 1987 | Christmas | Five | |
| 1988 | |||
| 19 January 1988 | Bicentenary of Linnean Society. | Four | |
| 1 March 1988 | 400th Anniversary of Welsh Bible | Four | |
| 22 March 1988 | Sports Organisations | Four | |
| 10 May 1988 | Europa, Transport & Mail Services in 1930s | Four | |
| 21 June 1988 | Bicentenary of Australian Settlement (Joint issue with Australia Post) | Four | Greg Emery [5] |
| 19 July 1988 | 400th Anniversary of Spanish Armada | Five | |
| 6 September 1988 | Death Centenary of Edward Lear | Four | |
| 27 September 1988 | Death Centenary of Edward Lear, Miniature Sheet | One (MS) | |
| 18 October 1988 | New Issue of 'Castle' High Value Definitives | Four | |
| 15 November 1988 | Christmas | Five | |
| 1989 | |||
| 17 January 1989 | Centenary of Royal Society for the Protection of Birds | Four | |
| 31 January 1989 | Greetings Stamps | Five | |
| 7 March 1989 | Food and Farming Year | Four | |
| 11 April 1989 | Anniversaries | Four | |
| 16 May 1989 | Europa, Toys and games | Four | |
| 4 July 1989 | Industrial Archaeology | Four | Ronald Maddox |
| 25 July 1989 | Industrial Archaeology (Miniature Sheet) | One (MS) | Ronald Maddox |
| 5 September 1989 | 150th Anniversary of Royal Microscopical Society | Four | |
| 17 October 1989 | Lord Mayor's Show, London | Five | |
| 14 November 1989 | Christmas | Five | David Gentleman [2] |
Philately is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection, appreciation and research activities on stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps. For instance, the stamps being studied may be very rare or reside only in museums.
Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is an area of philately, which is the study of stamps. It has been one of the world's most popular hobbies since the late nineteenth century with the rapid growth of the postal service, as a never-ending stream of new stamps was produced by countries that sought to advertise their distinctiveness through their stamps.
A first day of issue cover or first day cover (FDC) is a postage stamp on a cover, postal card or stamped envelope franked on the first day the issue is authorized for use within the country or territory of the stamp-issuing authority. Sometimes the issue is made from a temporary or permanent foreign or overseas office. Covers that are postmarked at sea or their next port of call will carry a Paquebot postmark. There will usually be a first day of issue postmark, frequently a pictorial cancellation, indicating the city and date where the item was first issued, and "first day of issue" is often used to refer to this postmark. Depending on the policy of the nation issuing the stamp, official first day postmarks may sometimes be applied to covers weeks or months after the date indicated.
This is a list of philatelic topics.
Postage stamps and postal history of Great Britain surveys postal history from the United Kingdom and the postage stamps issued by that country and its various historical territories until the present day.
This is an overview of the postage stamps and postal history of Australia.
A Christmas stamp is a postage stamp with a Christmas theme, intended for use on seasonal mail such as Christmas cards. Many countries of the world issue such stamps, which are regular postage stamps and are usually valid for postage year-round. They usually go on sale some time between early October and early December, and are printed in considerable quantities.
A revenue stamp, tax stamp, duty stamp or fiscal stamp is a (usually) adhesive label used to designate collected taxes or fees on documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses, firearm registration, and many other things. Typically, businesses purchase the stamps from the government, and attach them to taxed items as part of putting the items on sale, or in the case of documents, as part of filling out the form.
The postage stamps of Ireland are issued by the postal operator of the independent Irish state. Ireland was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland when the world's first postage stamps were issued in 1840. These stamps, and all subsequent British issues, were used in Ireland until the new Irish Government assumed power in 1922. Beginning on 17 February 1922, existing British stamps were overprinted with Irish text to provide some definitives until separate Irish issues became available. Following the overprints, a regular series of definitive stamps was produced by the new Department of Posts and Telegraphs, using domestic designs. These definitives were issued on 6 December 1922; the first was a 2d stamp, depicting a map of Ireland. Since then new images, and additional values as needed, have produced nine definitive series of different designs.
PHQ cards are postcards issued by the British Post Office depicting the designs of their commemorative stamps. They are generally available to buy in main post offices about two weeks prior to the release of each new set of stamps.
The United Kingdom, known in philatelic circles as Great Britain, released many commemorative stamps in the 1970s.
Commemorative stamps, postage stamps issued to honour or commemorate a place, event or person, have been released by Great Britain since 1924. Several sets were released during the decade of the 1990s.
A list of Great Britain commemorative stamps 2000–2009:
The postal history of Malta began in the early modern period, when pre-adhesive mail was delivered to foreign destinations by privately owned ships for a fee. The earliest known letter from Malta, sent during the rule of the Order of St John, is dated 1532. The first formal postal service on the islands was established by the Order in 1708, with the post office being located at the Casa del Commun Tesoro in Valletta. The first postal markings on mail appeared later on in the 18th century.
The postage stamps and postal history of Christmas Island, in the Indian Ocean, was linked to its original economic situation until 1993. Mainly ruled by a phosphate production commission, the island was part of the British Straits Settlements colony from 1901 to 1942, then of Singapore from 1946 to 1958. Although it was placed under Australian control in 1958, the island remained postally and philatelically independent until 1993 when Australia Post became the island's postal operator.
The postage stamps and postal history of Papua New Guinea originated in the two colonial administrations on the eastern part of the island of New Guinea and continued until their eventual merger, followed by independence in 1975.
The first postage stamps of Bhutan were issued in 1962, the same year that the first motorable road was opened. Before that there was a mail delivery system in place for official mail using mail runners, and between 1955 and 1962 revenue stamps were accepted as payment for internal mail. With the opening up of Bhutan in the early 1960s, a formal postal system was introduced. The American entrepreneur Burt Todd assisted in establishing a postage stamp program in the country and Bhutan became known for the unusual designs and materials of its stamps which were chosen by Todd specifically to attract attention. With the assistance of the Indian postal advisor Dr. K. Ramamurti, who was in Bhutan from 1964 to 1968, a proper postal organization and infrastructure was set up under the leadership of a young Bhutanese officer Mr. Lam Penjor, who became the Director of the Department of Posts and Telegraphs.
This is a list of Great Britain commemorative stamps 2010–2019
This is a list of Great Britain commemorative stamps 2020–2029
