Those few, those unhappy few, who are those who are still standing and continue to collect ‘British stamps’ or Royal Mail collectables as they now are, mostly having started to participate in the hobby in the 1950s or 1960s, perhaps urged on by the Blue Peter stamp collection which was frequently highlighted on the then very popular BBC children’s programme, still get little frissons of anticipation at this time of year when they know that they are a matter of days or two or three weeks away from the revelation by Royal Mail of the subjects of the expensive philatelic products it intends to release during the coming year and by doing so, to extort vast amounts of money from collectors and non-collectors who still think that collecting modern British stamps represents an ‘investment’ or even a ‘pleasure’ (it is neither).
Speculation is a pleasant and inexpensive pastime as one sits in a chilly house with bemittened fingers, winter fuel payments snatched away by an unrelenting government, deciding whether to pay for more heat or instead splash out on whatever Royal Mail is producing in 2025 to mop up any spare funds decades-long collectors are psychologically incapable of resisting purchasing.
So what may be in the offing? We do know that Royal Mail is planning to screw a grand total of £249.15p out of collectors if the year’s planned collection of stamps and miniature sheets (excluding new definitive varieties) is purchased prior to the first issue on 14 January 2025. Well, it is a business after all, existing to make money for anyone who has invested in it. One presumes there will be 15 ‘special issues’ or thereabouts, which is the number which Royal Mail managers have felt must be inflicted on collectors in recent years.
Traditionally, collectors have expected Royal Mail’s stamps to be mainly based on important British events and anniversaries but as the number of issues has increased so the randomness of subjects chosen to be depicted on them has increased also, with worthy subjects often being ignored and ephemeral events, anniversaries and people being commemorated instead to address a modern, sometimes woke, agenda of celebrity, fashion and triviality. This probably stems from the leadership of the section of Royal Mail which chooses the subjects to be featured on new stamps - a leadership which has links more with show business than anything else.
So, it is impossible to predict with any certainty what will be featured on next year’s Royal Mail stamps as worthy anniversaries and events could well be ignored while trivial anniversaries, even foreign ones with no genuine relevance to Britain, its people and their achievements, will find a place in the 2025 programme.
Here are my thoughts -
‘Music giants’ - two issues seem to be the norm at present - these often seem to be released because of an anniversary or event relevant to the subject featured. That in mind, perhaps one of these two issues will commemorate the singer Kate Bush, who will be touring Britain and Europe during the year.
For the other issue, I cannot find any relevant anniversaries or events to justify nominating one of the following - George Michael, Status Quo or, a long shot, Black Sabbath. Of the three I can see Royal Mail’s managers might consider it time for Mr Michael to join the likes of Elton John and David Bowie on the Philatelic Walk Of Fame.
The historical issue really ought to feature the Anglo-Saxon era (we’ve had the Ancient Britons, the Romans and then leap-frogged to the Vikings). For the wildlife issue I choose British reptiles and amphibians (it is the Year of the Snake) and an issue featuring Small pets (we have recently had sets featuring domestic cats and domestic dogs).
Issues featuring trains appeal to a section of collectordom, so I predict an issue tying in with the Bicentenary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway (not for the first time but Royal Mail is not presently hesitating to issue stamps on subjects previously commemorated in depth. A British paintings series tying in with 250th anniversary of the birth of JMW Turner whose art has been featured on British stamps before but some time has elapsed and so a revisit to the subject might be quite understandable.
2025 sees the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austin but she has been commemorated by 2 previous issues though not since 2013 so Royal Mail may feature her yet again perhaps even as part of a set of British female authors. The Royal Observatory in Greenwich will commemorate its 350th anniversary in 2025; its tercentenary was commemorated in a set of British architecture stamps and the Royal Astronomical Society was commemorated in 2020 but this could easily be an excuse for a repeat visit to outer space for Royal Mail.
Sport should be featured in the form of a set of stamps highlighting the Women’s Rugby World Cup which is being hosted by England in 2025.
And so to television. The BBC is making a big thing about the 40th anniversary of its soap opera Eastenders which was first broadcast on 19 February 1984. Could this be the subject to be featured on the first issue due on 14 January? I think it might. Later in the year, the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast iconic BBC comedy Fawlty Towers falls on 19 September 2025 and given that a number of BBC comedy programmes have now been highlighted on Royal Mail stamps it is hard to believe that Royal Mail would want to see this anniversary pass without a strong attempt to get the rights to feature it on a set of stamps.
There's no reason to expect that there would not be a Christmas issue.
King Charles III has not fared well as regards appearing on Royal Mail stamps so far, apart from the definitives - his appearance on his own Coronation set took the form of the depiction of a tiny silhouette of a vague figure being crowned and so perhaps we may see a welcome set of stamps (a miniature sheet?) to commemorate his and Queen Camilla’s 20th Wedding Anniversary.
I hope that Royal Mail releases an issue linked to the EuroPhilEx International Stamp Exhibition to be held in Birmingham from 7 to 11 May 2025 - a nice set of Stamps on stamps is always welcome.
So here we go -
Eastenders
Anglo-Saxon Britain
Kate Bush
Small pets
JMW Turner
EuroPhilEx
Royal Wedding 20th anniversary
Stockton & Darlington Railway
Royal Observatory
Women’s Rugby World Cup
Fawlty Towers
Reptiles and Amphibians
Jane Austin
George Michael
Christmas
The above list clearly relies too much on important anniversaries and events and does not allow for the random and/or trivial as much as it should but it is just for fun and a way of passing away a dreary pre-Christmas Sunday afternoon. It does not include any children’s book or television programme and does not reflect Royal Mail’s need to feature the latest, trivial, ephemeral cultural trends and so it is likely to be way off beam. All will be clear soon enough.
It's Jane AustEn
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