Sunday, May 04, 2008

Intaglio pleasure in British lithographic kingdom

These recent years, Royal Mail tends to play it easy by copy/paste picture database on offset lithography stamps. There may be some graphic inspiration (watch the next 13 May Cathedral series), but reflexion seems to lack some issues (James Bond in January).

But, some topics requires effort: Rowland Hill birth's bicentenary for example.

Is he to be presented, the one who successfully convince the British Government to develop the post paid by expeditors and to decrease rates, provoking the need of postage stamps?

How can a philatelic office be original when large numbers of postal administrations did reproduce the Penny Black and the sideburn portrait of Hill under all kind of forms, prints, contexts, etc. It has yet to be done, because every collector is waiting for the classical picture, see the 25 pence stamp.

To propose a younger portrait and a poster reminding all the postal reform, that is the role of the unexpected 19 pence.

Printing now: a mix of intaglio for portraits, offset for backgrounds. Rare enough in British philately to be told. And to do things correctly, don't go half way, let's get a great engraver: Czesław Słania !

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