Norvic Philatelics - GB New Stamps and Special Postmarks

Olympic & Paralympic Games 2012 - 22 October 2009

The London 2012 Games commences on 27 July and concludes on 12 August.  The Paralympic Games commences on 29 August and concludes on 9 September. Royal Mail will commemorate London’s hosting of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games by issuing three sets of 10 x 1st Class stamps in the run up to the London 2012 Games in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

The concept is to issue 30 stamps to mark the 30th Olympiad and London 2012 Paralympic Games. Each of the sporting areas celebrated in these Games will have its own stamp.  And each of the 30 stamps will be created by a different contemporary artist, illustrator or designer.

Pre-Olympic stamps showing canoeing, archery, athletics, aquatics & paralympic boccia.
Sheet 1: Canoe Slalom, Paralympic Games: Archery, Athletics: Track, Aquatics, Paralympic Games: Boccia

Pre-olympic stamps showing Judo, paralympic equestrian, badminton, weightlifting and basketball.
Sheet 2: Judo, Paralympic Games: Equestrian, Badminton, Weightlifting, Basketball
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Details

Sports from each of the Olympic disciplines were selected to illustrate the subject of each stamp.  The Olympic Games comprises 26 different sporting disciplines, such as Cycling. Cycling includes several different events where medals are won – including road racing, various time trials and velodrome races as well as mountain biking events and BMX. Many gold medals can be won in different events, and all will be symbolised by one Cycling stamp symbolising the sport of Cycling.

The Paralympic Games features 21 sports, such as Judo (which is also competed in the Olympic Games), as well as Paralympic specific events such as Goalball. 

In all, 29 different sports are played at the Olympics and Paralympics. There will be one stamp design for each sport with the exception of athletics which will be presented across two stamps as Athletics: Track and Athletics: Field, hence 30 sport stamps.

Royal Mail’s design team with David Hillman, from Studio David Hillman, set to work allocating each sport to one of the quality image makers who agreed to work on this three-year project. Royal Mail also consulted with the sports’ governing bodies and specialist clubs for each stamp. Each stamp will have the London 2012 Olympic or Paralympic logo in the lower corner.

Commemorative Sheet

The Commemorative Sheet (below left) contains all ten stamps with se-tenant labels, and looks at what it takes to be an Olympic competitor, focusing on the sports featured on the stamps while taking a look at the various venues where the action will unfold.

2009 Pre-Olympic Commemorative Sheet of 10 stamps. 2009 pre-Olympic presentation pack.

Technical details:
The stamps' designers are listed below.  The overall design task was by Studio David Hillman, and the 35mm square stamps are printed in litho by Cartor Security Printing, perf 14½ with all-over phosphor.  The stamps are printed in two sheets of 25 (5 each of 5 designs in vertical columns), enabling collectors to buy vertical strips of any single sport/discipline.

The Presentation Pack (above right), First Day Cover, and Commemorative Sheet are designed by True North.   We expect that the Commemorative sheet is also printed by Cartor.

Designers: 2009 pre-Olympic first day cover.
Canoe Slalom: John Royle; Archery: George Hardie; Athletics - Track: Natalie Guinamard (collage); Diving: Julian Opie; Boccia: David Doyle; Judo: Paul Slater; Equestrian: Andrew Davidson; Badminton: David Holmes; Weightlifting: Guy Billout; Basketball: Huntley Muir.


Special Postmarks
Special postmarks available for the day of issue will be shown here (not to scale). The deadline for obtaining special postmarks & FDCs has been extended to 18 November 2009.

Official Philatelic Bureau FD postmark for Olympic and Paralympic stamps 2009. Official Badminton FD postmark for Olympic and Paralympic stamps 2009. Official Badminton non-pictorial first day of issue postmark. Stratford Countdown postmark for Olympic and Paralympic stamps 2009. postmark showing the Badminton shuttlecock - Olympic issue 2009.
Ref FD917
Official Philatelic Bureau Athletes FD postmark
Ref FD918
Official Badminton (aquatics) FD postmark
Ref FD918NP
Official Badminton non-pictorial FD postmark
Ref L11517
Countdown to London 2012, Stratford E16. Games of the XXX Olympiad
Ref L11524
London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, London

postmark showing Union Flag. postmark showing stars and streamers. postmark showing slalom canoe. postmark showing athlete. postmark showing horse & rider, olympic equestrianism.
Ref L11522
Sporting Disciplines 2012, London
Ref L11523
Sporting Disciplines 2012, London
Ref L11527 Sporting Disciplines 2012, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire Ref L11525 Sporting Disciplines 2012, Marshgate Lane, London E15 Ref L11526 Sporting Disciplines 2012, Greenwich Park, London SE10
Postmark showing Yngling yacht. Postmark showing single-handed yacht, Olympics. Postmark showing archer. Postmark showing athlete. Postmark showing Kuzushi Judo logo.
Ref W11519 A Tribute to the Yngling Team, Weymouth, Dorset Ref W11520 - Ben Ainslie - Silver & Triple Olympic Gold Medallist, Falmouth, Cornwall Ref M11518 Sports Disciplines, Archers Close, Birmingham Ref L11516
Games - Wembley
Ref L11529
Kuzushi Judo, Slough, Berks
Postmark showing athlete logo.



Ref L11531
Stratford, London, E15




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This page updated 27 October 2009.

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21 Italia 2009 Smilers Sheet
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17 Machin Definitives - Signed For
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4 MonacoPhil 2009 Expo Smilers Sheet


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