New Issues
Interest in Iron Lady memorabilia soars
Whether you loved or loathed her, the fact of the matter is that since her death, demand for Baroness Thatcher memorabilia has rocketed.
A huge amount appeared online just 24 hours after the announcement. Ranging from the downright bizarre to the slightly comical such as toby jugs, key rings and coasters, more genuinely sought-after items such as signed copies of her memoirs, photographs and Christmas cards are also proving popular.
The Margaret Thatcher NumisProof
Incredibly sought-after
Political memorabilia has always been in high demand and none more so than for Lady Thatcher, Britain’s first and only female PM.
Even before her death, her Northern Ireland “Battle Bus” sold for $26,000 in February this year. Last September, Christie’s sold her one of her trademark jade green wool business suits for £25,000 (they had also sold her famous, if rather unflattering, Spitting Image puppet for just over £2,000 in December 2007).
Special one-day-only commemorative cover postmarked 17th April, the day of Lady Thatcher’s funeral
Divided opinion
And if you’re thinking the Iron Lady’s unpopularity among certain factions means less interest and less demand, you couldn’t be more wrong.
The fact she was so controversial during her three consecutive terms as PM at No 10 – due largely to the poll tax, trade unions and the miner’s strike – has only fuelled interest further.
Available while stocks last, a selection of commemoratives, issued to mark the life of Baroness Thatcher, is now available exclusively from The Westminster Collection.
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.