Do you agree with Royal Mail’s 11-man squad?
Most of us will recognise a few, if not all, of these famous faces. This line-up is Royal Mail’s ultimate ‘dream team,’ eleven greatest ever football players, chosen to feature on their new set of stamps – on sale now – marking the FA’s 150th anniversary.
If you haven’t guessed all eleven, here’s the full line-up:
(Back row, from left to right):
Jimmy Greaves, John Charles, Gordon Banks, George Best and John Barnes
(Front row):
Kevin Keegan, Denis Law, Bobby Moore, Bryan Robson, David MacKay and Bobby Charlton
Now you know who they all are, do you agree with Royal Mail’s selection?
There are a number of obvious choices that few would contest. Bobby Moore, for example, the only World Cup winning captain or Gordon Banks, regarded by many as the greatest goal keeper ever to play for England.
Now I’m no expert on the beautiful game but I’m surprised Paul Gascoigne isn’t included on this list. The same possibly goes for Peter Shilton.
Royal Mail themselves admit not everyone may agree with their choices but that they chose 11 men “whose key senior career was within the years 1963-1990s” or, those “who have a cult following and widespread agreement of genius on the pitch” such as the late George Best.
The naturally gifted George Best
Of course if the team had included present day players, it would have looked different again. But whatever your views on the chosen team, there’s no doubt they would have made a formidable line-up.
So who would you liked to have seen in the line-up? Let me know below …
Which is your favourite portrait of the Queen?
I recently reported that Royal Mail had revealed six of the best painted portraits from the Queen’s sixty-year reign as part of its new ‘Six Decades of Royal Portraits’ issue. A fitting tribute to the Queen as patron of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, sixty years after her Coronation.
The six included an early 1953 Coronation portrait plus the first one ever commissioned by Royal Mail. But which one gets your royal seal of approval? Here’s a brief reminder of all the contenders:
The Coronation portrait – by official Coronation artist Terence Cuneo 
whose portrait depicts a young, newly-crowned Queen.
The Italian job – still the most iconic portrait of her reign? Fifty-seven years on, Pietro Annigoni’s portrayal continues to court controversy.
Chelsea pensioners’ portrait – Andrew Festing’s 1999 portrait, painted for the Royal Hospital Chelsea, home of the famous pensioners, where it still hangs today.
The new Millennium portrait – unveiled by the Queen herself in 2000, Sergei Pavlenko’s portrait is said to be the Queen’s favourite but is it yours?
The first forty years – displayed at the National Portrait Gallery from 1992, Richard Stone’s portrait now hangs in the more modest setting of Colchester town hall.
The Royal Mail world-exclusive – painted over three sittings by Nicky Philipps at Buckingham Palace at the end of her Diamond Jubilee year, 2012.
Vote now!
I know which is my favourite but which one’s yours?
My top 5 sell-out stories of 2013 so far …
Less than half way into the year and a number of 2013 coins have already been making the headlines – in some cases, selling out extremely quickly. Here’s my list of top 5 sell-out coins for the year so far.
1. The Britannia ‘DateStamp’ Silver Set
With the new year came a new Britannia struck, for the first time ever, in 999/1000 Silver up from 958/1000 – bringing Britannia in line with coins like the US Eagle and Canada’s Maple Leaf and securing her position as Britain’s purest silver coin.
Featuring one of the last ‘958’ coins and one of first ever ‘999’ versions, all 495 Britannia ‘DateStamp’ Silver Sets were snapped up by collectors in just 15 days.
Other ‘DateStamp’ products are still available to buy here .
2. The Canadian Maple Leaf Premium Set
In January, The Royal Canadian Mint announced all 600 of its 2013 Gold Maple Leaf Premium Sets had sold out. This year’s set was all the more sought-after as it featured the 1 oz Gold coin in high relief – only the second ever struck by Canada.
Considering the demand for the rare high relief Gold coin and the rapid sell-out of the 2011 and 2012 versions and it’s no wonder the 2013 set sold out in weeks.
3. The Canadian Ice Hockey Silver $20 Coin
Continuing the trend of the previous six coins, the $20 Silver Ice Hockey Coin became the latest sell-out in the Royal Canadian Mint’s $20 silver coin series – now the fastest-selling silver coin series in the world – with all 250,000 pieces now officially sold out.
Every single coin in this series has sold out incredibly quickly – but none more so than the Polar Bear whose record 25 days beat even the Diamond Jubilee coin. Few doubt the next one, the Wolf, will sell out quickly but can it beat the Polar Bear?
This has now sold out.
4. The Coronation Jubilee Gold £5 Crown
This beautiful Gold £5 Coin was issued exclusively by The Westminster Collection with a tiny worldwide edition limit of just 95 pieces.
The significance of the occasion, the coin’s 22 Carat Gold content and the beauty of its designs proved popular with royalty collectors looking to mark this year’s 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Coronation – and investors keen to add this piece to their portfolios.
5. The 2013 Australian Silver Holey Dollar and Dump Set
In March, I reported that an original Holey Dollar and Dump dating back to 1813 had sold for AUS$495,000.
An intriguing coin with a fascinating story, 2013 saw The Perth Mint issue their own 200th anniversary tribute to the Holey Dollar. All 4000 sets of 2013 1oz Silver Holey Dollar and Dump sold out not long afterwards.