In brief…(306) British Post commemorates 100 years of commemorative stamps

Royal Mail celebrated the fact that one hundred years ago, on April 23, 1924, the first commemorative stamps were issued, with a sheet containing ten 1s stamps. The stamps feature images of stamps that have appeared at intervals of ten years. In order: the period 1920-1930 and onwards: The 1940s, 1950, 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020. On the first 1st stamp, top left: 1924 British Empire Exhibition 1s, 1929, Postal Union Congress 1 pound and 1935, Silver Jubillee 2 1/2d The sheet is a quintessential milestone in the history of British philately, just as the commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the Universal Postal Union issue is in global postal history (see Brief 303). A fine example of a Dutch milestone is –in my opinion– still the Willem Drees stamp that appeared on July 1, 1986, on the occasion of his 100th birthday. Until then, never in Dutch sports history had a person of non-royal blood been honored on a seal. (NB. Back then, people were still drawing from Drees; now they have the state pension). However, Royal Mail has certainly not stopped there since this Commemorative Issue. For instance, on May 16, a set of eight stamps and a sheet of four stamps were released dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the cartoon Peppa Pig, which is also popular in our country. Furthermore, popular dogs take center stage on June 6 on ten stamps, and on June 20, Red Arrows cleave the skies under the title Red Arrows 60 seasons on twelve stamps, four of which are in a sheet.