London Underground Stamps for 150th Anniversary Celebrations

What do London Underground, Jane Austen and Doctor Who have in common?  Next year they're all going to have commemorative Royal Mail Stamps.  As part of the 150th anniversary celebrations for the Tube in January 2013, Royal Mail will be issuing eight new stamps.  The Tube was last featured on postage stamps in 2009, when Royal Mail highlighted the Tube map as a British Design Classic.  The first six stamps feature the system from 1863 to 1999 and the remaining four cover a selection of London Underground posters through the years.


The six historical stamps, designed by Hat-Trick Design, show a timeline of the development of the London Underground from the early Metropolitan Line service with its steam driven trains to the most modern Jubilee Line Station, Canary Wharf, designed by Sir Norman Foster.

The poster stamps each show three posters including work from Tom Eckersley, Edward McKnight-Kauffer and Abram Games.  Interestingly enough Abram Games was also a stamp designer himself.

Philip Parker, Royal Mail Stamps spokesperson, said: “The London Underground has a unique status as the oldest and one of the busiest underground railway networks in the world.

“For this first stamp issue of 2013 we have tried to capture the incredible history behind ‘the Tube’, which for millions of people is an integral element of their daily lives and an iconic part of London’s identity.

“Both London Underground and Royal Mail share a rich and extraordinary design heritage, so it’s a wonderful opportunity to celebrate a dozen classic Underground posters, featuring several artists who also designed posters for the GPO.”   Check out Stamp Magazine to see all of the stamps.

Other "everyday" items in production to help celebrate the London Underground's 150th birthday are a special Oyster card (available from the middle of this month) and also a £2 coin (available from mid/late January 2013).  I've already seen some of the commemorative stamps available on eBay for those eager beavers who can't wait to get hold of them.

Related posts
Tube Map on new Postage Stamps
"Your New Met" Tube Poster from London Transport Museum
Mail Rail Open Day - Post Office London Underground Railway
Steam Train on the London Underground - Video - Test Run for 150th Birthday Celebrations 

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Wednesday, December 05, 2012 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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