New issues.
🇮🇪 An Post (postal service of the Irish Republic) -
5 January 2023 - 50th anniversary of the admission of The Irish Republic to the European Union - 1 stamp. The design depicts the values of the European Union though its detractors may wish to add words and phrases such as “Bureaucracy” and “Loss of Sovereignty” to those depicted on the stamp. A poor design which lays itself open to such comments. Designed by Ger Garland and lithographed by Enschedé and perforated 14. Rating:- *.
🇬🇧 Royal Mail -
12 January 2023 - ‘Iron Maiden’ (veteran popular music performance group) - see Blog 2223. In addition to the 8 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing 4 different stamps a large number of paraphilatelic items are to be released including an ‘Eddie Collectors sheet’ containing the 8 different stamps with attached labels (sold for £12.40), a ‘Live performances collectors sheet’ containing the same 8 stamps with attached labels (also £12.40), an ‘Eddie rips up the world’ ‘Fan sheet’ containing 3 different stamps sold for £7.50, an ‘Eddie fan sheet’ (£7.50), a ‘Limited edition gold stamp set’ of 8 (“a special edition version of the Iron Maiden stamp set plated in 24 carat gold with colourised and embossed detailing …. Strictly limited to just 1975 sets”) - sold for £149.99, 1 miniature sheet ‘Limited edition Platinum Eddie stamps (“A highly collectible keepsake featuring platinum-layered Eddie Stamp Sheet stamps packaged in anIron Maiden flight case”) - sold for £199.99.
The basic products were designed by Royal Mail Group Ltd and lithographed by Cartor and are perforated 14. Rating:- 0.
Although I had originally intended to not illustrate such products I felt I really could not resist showing pictures of these expensive products for the interest of readers.
As with most similar examples (e.g. a certain orange-faced Floridian's recent touting of NFTs), Royal Mail's description of its premium offering as a "highly collectible keepsake" translates as "overpriced tat" that will be virtually unsellable in future.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Just Visiting. Australia Post has done these gold stamps for a while. While they are hard to find on the after market and can command a premium, many linger unsold for significant periods of time.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to being expensive, these special Royal Mail products are exceptionally ugly, and I don't just mean Iron Maiden products. The only newer products that I personally like are the "stamp packs" and "MS packs" which I find lighter than traditional "presentation packs" and look nicer in the preentation pack album. But I'm not buying any of those stamps about groups and I preferred it when Royal mail opened each year with issues of classic adult or children's literature. These musician stamps are very similar to esch other.
ReplyDeleteIndeed the Irish stamp could be used for the 1949 Council of Europe (for human rights on the continent) as no word reminisces on the main European Union projects: single market, common regulations and norms, subidies to develop all EU regions, etc.
ReplyDeleteGood feature the new King Charles stamps are out 4th April.
ReplyDeleteIron Maiden are hardly suitable topics for issue. they are a Satanic Heavy Metal band and the stamps showing corpescent satanic skulls, is really the low point of bad taste. Royal Mail needs to realise that we are not Satanic druggies who listen to garbagey meathead metal music.
ReplyDelete