Norvic Philatelics - GB New Stamps and Special Postmarks

Christmas - 7 November 2006

This year's Christmas stamps feature secular designs of Father Christmas, a Snowman, a Reindeer and Christmas Tree.

Because of the introduction of Pricing in Proportion this year's stamps include two each for 1st class and 2nd class. The 2nd class stamp is illustrated with a Snowman, the 1st class with Father Christmas sitting on a chimney, 72p shows a reindeer, and £1.19 has a decorated Christmas Tree surrounded by presents.

Royal Mail Christmas stamps 2006 - Father Christmas, Snowman, Reindeer, Christmas Tree.
Royal Mail Christmas miniature sheet 2006.

Stamp design and Background

The stamps feature illustrations by Japanese digital illustrator Tatsuro Kiuchi. He works in Adobe Photoshop and calls his work digital printmaking.
“The brief for the stamps was very open”, explains Tatsuro. “I was asked to come up with some sketch ideas on a Christmas theme which would incorporate the graphic and print-like quality of my work.” This resulted in a series of instantly recognisable symbols of Christmas.“Even though many Japanese people are not Christian, Christmas is quite popular in Japan,” he continues.

“Christmas Day itself is not a holiday. Some people go out for dinner with their friends and families, but I usually work. New Year, which we celebrate on the first three days of January, is much more special to Japanese people, and that is our holiday. However, I have worked on the Christmas theme a couple of times before.” This has been mostly for magazine and book illustrations published in Japan.

Kiuchi works exclusively on computer. “I build up the image using many layers of transparent colours. To get the detail right, I created an image on screen that could be printed four times larger than the actual stamp. I set out to make the colours vary, but as the work progressed, blue became dominant. In the final set, I have used a lot of blue in a range of different shades.”


Technical details:
Formatted by CDT Design and Rose Design, the stamps have been designed by Tatsuro Kiuchi, and printed by De la Rue Security Print in gravure. The small stamps are definitive size - 20 x 24mm - and the Large Letter stamps 30 x 24mm. The stamps will be die-cut on the self-adhesive sheets.
As the stamps are definitive-sized, the Christmas stamp booklets will be the same size as definitive books of 12. The 1st class stamps have red covers and the 2nd class blue covers. On booklets seen today, there are no cylinder numbers, the edge strip has winter scene colouring, in the same way that the Greetings/Smilers booklets have stripes.
The 115x102mm Miniature Sheet will be conventionally gummed. It contains the six stamps, arranged as a block of 4 and a pair, against a Christmas Landscape background by Tatsuro Kiuchi.


Smilers Sheet

The generic self-adhesive Smilers sheet was designed by Rose Design and comprises 20 stamps: 10 x 1st Class and 10 x 2nd Class set within a border and labels illustrated by Tatsuro Kiuchi. This background features a snow scene in the park together with illustrations of children and adults, snowflakes and an image of a steam train passing below the hills. The Smilers sheets are printed in litho by Cartor Security Printers. Click on the image for a larger one in a new window.

Royal Mail Christmas stamps 2006 - Smilers Sheet.


Norvic Philatelics First Day Cover

We will produce our limited edition FDCs for this issue: the preliminary design is shown below - Price £8.95

Norvic Philatelics 2006 Christmas First Day Cover set of 6 stamps - image.

The Miniature Sheet cover - Price £8.95
Norvic Philatelics 2006 Christmas First Day Cover miniature sheet of 6 stamps - image.

The Smilers Sheet is available as
Set of 4 Norvic FDCs each with 5 Smilers stamps (ie the whole sheet) - £16.50
Norvic FDC with pair of Smilers stamps 1 x 1st class, 1 x 2nd class  - £3.95 Norvic Philatelics 2006 Christmas First Day Cover for Smilers stamps - image. Norvic Philatelics 2006 Christmas First Day Cover for Smilers stamps - image.

Also available:
Post Office FDC with a full set or miniature sheet - £5.25 with any postmark if ordered by 4 November.
Set of 6 stamps or miniature sheet unused or VFU - £4.10
Presentation Pack - £4.95
Set of 7 stamp cards (PHQ cards) - £2.90
Set of 6 stamp cards with stamps fixed to the front cancelled with appropriate postmarks - £6.50
Smilers Sheet:
Mint Smilers Sheet - £7.25


Special postmarks available on the Day of Issue are shown below

Postmark: Snowman. Postmark: Christmas Tree text in English & Welsh. Postmark: first day of issue Bethlehem, also in Welsh. Postmark: Santa in his sleigh, pulled by 3 reindeer. Postmark: Christmas tree. Postmark: Holly.
Ref FD639
Official Bureau postmark
Ref FD640
Official Bethlehem postmark
Ref FD640N
Official Bethlehem non-pictorial postmark in Welsh and English
Ref M10261
St Nicholas Gardens, Birmingham
Ref N10264
Happy Christmas, York
Ref W10270
40 Years of Christmas Stamps, Bethlehem, Llandeilo
Postmark: Reindeer. Postmark: Christmas Tree. Postmark: Snowman. Postmark: Father Christmas. Postmark: cartoon reindeer. Postmark: Snowman.
Ref L10244
Rudolph Road, E13
Ref L10245
Yuletide Close, NW10
Ref S10267
Snowhill, Enniskillen
Ref W10271
St Nicholas, Goodwick
Ref L10246
Santa arrives for Christmas, Cold Christmas, Ware
Ref L10248
Bletchley Post Office, Bletchley Park, YZWFN COKZR
Postmark: dog. Postmark: Star. Postmark: Donna's dream house. Postmark: Stars. Postmark: cartoon reindeer. Postmark: Angel.
Ref L10243
Christmas Puppy, Dog Lane, London NW16
Ref L10242
Christmas Greetings, Royal Mail London EC1
Ref N10263
Donna's Dream House, Blackpool Providing Free Holidays for Terminally Ill Children
Ref S10268
The Night Before Christmas, Star, Glenrothes
Ref L10247
Christmas 2006, Lords Ground London NW8
Ref W10272
Seasons Greetings Cyfarchion y Tymor, Bethlehem Llandeilo

This page updated 20 October 2006

For all enquiries, or if you would like to be contacted when this page is updated please email us.

2 0 0 5
2006 stamp issues
Visit our online shop!
January
10
Animal Tales Joint issue with USA
Paddington Bear Smilers
February
7
British Journey - England
23 Bicentenary of Isambard Kingdom Brunel
March
1
Welsh Assembly MS
7 Fun Fruit 'n' Veg Smilers
21 Ice Age Animals
28 New definitives and country stamps
April
18
80th Birthday of HM The Queen
May
25
Smilers Sheet for Washington 2006 Stamp Expo
June
6
World Cup (Soccer) & Smilers Sheet
20 Modern Architecture
July
4
Generic Smilers Sheet - pictorial definitives
18 150th ann National Portrait Gallery
August
1 & 15
New PIP definitives for new postage rate structure
31 Miniature sheet: Year of the Three Kings 1936
September
12
New PIP definitives
21 Victoria Cross
October
3
Sounds of Britain (Europa)
17 Smilers Booklet and Generic sheet
November
7
Christmas
9 Lest We Forget
14 Belgica 2006 Smilers Sheet
30 St Andrew's Day

HOME
Site Map


Norvic Philatelics, PO Box 119, Dereham, NR20 3YN, GB. Phone: 08450 090939