Posts by Ian Glen
About Time – new Royal Mail stamps mark Dr Who’s 50th anniversary
The Royal Mail has today issued a new set of 1st class stamps to mark this year’s 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. The stamps feature each of the eleven actors who have played the lead role in the world’s longest-running science fiction series over the last five decades.
The time-travelling adventures of the Time Lord in his Tardis battling against his arch-enemies like the Daleks and Cybermen have entertained generations of families, and been a regular part of Saturday teatime TV since its first broadcast on 23rd November 1963.
William Hartnell played the first ever Doctor back in 1963
William Hartnell played the first ever Doctor back then. With no colour TV, his stamp, like those first ever episodes, is in black and white. The same goes for his successor, Patrick Troughton. It wasn’t until Jon Pertwee in 1970 that the popular TV show was first broadcast in glorious colour.
Matt Smith currently plays the famous Time Lord
Bringing the set right up to date is current Doctor, Matt Smith. With his distinctive tweed jacket and bow tie, he is the youngest actor ever to play the famous Time Lord, taking over from David Tennant in 2010 at the age of just 28.
Tom Baker has starred in the most episodes
The fourth incarnation, Tom Baker is the longest-serving Doctor to date, having starred in more episodes than anyone else between 1974 to 1981. This could in part explain why for many of us, he remains the archetypal Doctor with his uncontrollable curly hair, frock coat and unusually long scarf!
Re-tracing the Flying Scotsman’s most famous journey
On 24th February 1923, the Flying Scotsman left the works for the very first time. Now, exactly ninety years later, to mark this very special anniversary, I decided to re-trace the famous locomotive’s most historic journey, from London to Edinburgh, taking with me 750 specially designed Flying Scotsman covers.
Starting off at London’s Kings Cross with the 750 Flying Scotsman covers packed away safely in my case!
As Philatelic Manager at The Westminster Collection, part of my job is to come up with unique and innovative ways to add value to our commemorative stamp products. Last year, for example, I arranged for a small number of covers to be carried on board one of the ships taking part in the River Thames Pageant for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It proved an instant hit with collectors.
My ticket dated 24th February, the exact 90th anniversary of Flying Scotsman’s first ever London to Edinburgh journey
So there I was on the 2.45pm train to Edinburgh. Got my ticket, my overnight bag and those all-important covers. Before boarding, I arranged for the Royal Mail English Definitive Stamps on the cover to be postmarked ‘London’ 24th February, and then we were off!
I’ve no idea what the weather was like in 1923 but today, unusually, it got warmer the further north. After just 4 hours 39 minutes, we arrived at our destination, Edinburgh’s Waverley Station. No delays, no leaves on the line and no replacement bus service, it had definitely been a lot quicker than that first 1923 journey!
To complete the Flying Scotsman cover, the following morning before starting my return journey to London, I made my way to Royal Mail’s Edinburgh Postmarking Office to have the second cancellation applied to a set of Scottish Royal Mail Definitive Stamps – this Edinburgh postmark was dated 25th February.
Applying the Edinburgh postmark dated 25th February
Due to the cover’s uniqueness and the fact that this one-day-only journey on 24th February 2013 will never be repeated, no more covers will ever be available once all 750 have been sold.
Order your Flying Scotsman Carried Silver Coin Cover here. The accompanying Certificate of Authenticity confirms it is one of just 750 that travelled from London to Edinburgh on the exact anniversary date.
For a full range of Flying Scotsman Commemoratives – click here.
“Penny not at top of agenda” – President Obama joins the debate
The man responsible for the world’s biggest economy blamed too many more pressing issues when questioned on why the US is still spending millions minting its penny when other countries have got rid of it.
Should the US Penny stay or go?
But during the recent online Q & A, President Barack Obama did give his strongest hint yet that it might be time for America’s lowest value coin – which costs 2.4 cents to produce and circulate – to go once and for all.
Drop the penny and save a mint?
In 2009, the US Government lost nearly £20m minting its one-cent coins. That figure had trebled to almost £60m just two years later. At a time of global recession, many argue that ditching the penny would be an obvious cost-cutting measure. Like many others around the world, the UK included, the US penny can’t even buy itself.
Not a top priority
But is it quite as simple as that? Obama may be President of the world’s most powerful nation but even he needs legislation from Congress who, not surprisingly, has other more important things to do. And should the penny go, the five cent Nickel coin would be used more and that costs nearly five times more than the penny to put into circulation at 11.2 cents.
The end of the Canadian penny
As regular readers of this blog will know, should the bill ever go ahead, the US would be the latest in a long line of countries to eliminate its smallest denomination coin. Its North American neighbour stopped its production of the penny in January after more than 150 years.
But Americans it seems are just as sentimental as we Brits are about holding onto a part of our numismatic heritage – despite the fact we can do very little with our pennies but save them for a very rainy day …