Norvic Philatelics

Ian Fleming's James Bond - 6 stamps, Miniature Sheet & Prestige Book: 8 January 2008

This stamp issue celebrates the centenary of the birth of author Ian Fleming and the 50th anniversary of the publication of Dr No - the first Bond novel to be filmed. The first James Bond story to be published was Casino Royale in 1953.

The issue consists of 6 stamps, the same six stamps in a miniature sheet, and a prestige stamp book.

The stamps depict six different books from the series, and each stamp features four editions: beginning with the Jonathan Cape first editions, then running through the UK paperback Pan edition, the US Jove paperback edition and the most recent Penguin paperback edition.

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1st class stamp - showing book covers of Casino 
				Royale.

1st class stamp - showing book covers of Dr No.

1st class - Casino Royale and Dr No

54p stamp - showing book covers of Diamonds 
				are Forever.

1st class stamp - showing book covers of 
				Goldfinger.

54p Diamonds are Forever and Goldfinger.

78p stamp - showing book covers of For Your 
				Eyes Only.

1st class stamp - showing book covers of From 
				Russia With Love.

78p For Your Eyes Only and From Russia With Love.

The books, and credits for the cover designs:

1st class - Casino Royale Bond’s first adventure (published 1953) pitted him against the ruthless SMERSH (Death to Spies Russian counter intelligence) paymaster Le Chiffre across the gaming table of Royale-les-Eaux. The original Jonathan Cape edition pictured here had a dust jacket designed by Fleming himself. Pan edition, artist unknown; Jove edition, illustration by Barnett Plotkin; Penguin edition cover design by Roseanne Serra and Richie Fahey. First U.S. paperback edition was retitled You Asked for It.

1st class - Dr No Published in 1958, Dr No pits Bond against the scientist Dr Julius No from his secret base at Crab Key in Jamaica. The Cape edition has a cover by Pat Marriott; Pan edition, artist unknown; Jove edition, illustration by Barnett Plotkin; Penguin edition cover design by Roseanne Serra and Richie Fahey.

54p - Goldfinger In Goldfinger Bond foils a plot by the gold smuggler Auric Goldfinger to steel Fort Knox’s gold deposits. The Cape book jacket here is designed by Richard Chopping; Pan edition, artist unknown; Jove edition, illustration by Barnett Plotkin; Penguin edition cover design by Roseanne Serra and Richie Fahey

54p - Diamonds are Forever In Diamonds are Forever Bond takes on the Spangled Mob, a group of American gangsters running a diamond smuggling racket out of Africa to the USA. Cape edition jacket is by Pat Marriott; Pan edition, artist unknown; Jove edition, illustration by Barnett Plotkin; Penguin edition cover design by Roseanne Serra and Richie Fahey.

78p - For Your Eyes Only Five Bond short stories in one volume. Cape dust jacket designed by Richard Chopping; Pan edition, artist unknown; Jove edition, illustration by Barnett Plotkin; Penguin edition cover design by Roseanne Serra and Richie Fahey

78p - From Russia with Love In From Russia with Love SMERSH hatch a plan to kill Bond using a decoding device and its beautiful operator as bait. Cape edition jacket devised by Ian Fleming and illustrated by Richard Chopping; Pan edition, artist unknown; Jove edition, illustration by Barnett Plotkin; Penguin edition cover design by Roseanne Serra and Richie Fahey.

Miniature sheet

A miniature sheet containing all six stamps will be issued on the same day. The one on the first day cover (below) is a publicity image - this is the actual sheet with considerably changed background.

James Bond miniature sheet issued 8 January 2008.

Technical details:
The 60 x 21mm stamps and the miniature-sheet measuring 190 x 67mm, are designed by A2, and are litho-printed by De La Rue Security Print, perforated 14½ x 14½. The stamps are printed in sheets of 24 and 48. The Prestige Stamp book is printed by De La Rue Security Print and all panes are printed in litho.
All images are Copyright (c) by Royal Mail 2007/2008.


Prestige Stamp Book

The prestige stamp book features a biography of Ian Fleming written by novelist and critic Kim Newman, comparing Fleming’s life to the career of his great creation according to the novels in the James Bond series. There are six stamp panes. Two with the James Bond stamps, a single pane of two Union Jack and two White Ensign stamps paying homage to Fleming and Bond’s wartime service in Royal Navy Intelligence and a mixed Machin pane. The book is printed by De la Rue security Printers, and the stamps are all litho printed, meaning that the 1st class Machin, and the flag stamps* will be new versions. (* Both flag stamps have been issued in Smilers Sheets in the past but these are the first to be sold at face value with no premium, and they should have separate catalogue listings.)

These images are from pre-release publicity photos.
Pane 1 from Ian Fleming's James Bond Prestige Stamp 
	Book Pane 2 from Ian Fleming's James Bond Prestige Stamp 
	Book
Pane 1 contains 8 x 1st class gold Machin definitives around a label showing Ian Fleming's typewriter. Pane 2 contains the Casino Royale, Goldinger and For Your Eyes Only stamps.
Pane 3 from Ian Fleming's James Bond Prestige Stamp 
	Book Pane 4 from Ian Fleming's James Bond Prestige Stamp 
	Book
Pane 3 contains the Dr No, Diamonds Are Forever and From Russia With Love stamps. Pane 4 contains two 2001 Union Jack and two White Ensign flag stamps paying homage to Fleming and Bond’s wartime service in Royal Navy Intelligence.

Norvic Exclusive First Day Cover

We will produce exclusive limited edition covers for the set, the miniature sheet and the prestige stamp book panes.

Our FDC for the set of 6 stamps and miniature sheet is illustrated with martinis and a Walther PPK gun (courtesy Bob Adams, Albuquerque, NM. The covers are priced at £8.95 each. SOLD OUT
Note: FD postmark is shown for illustrative purposes only; we actually used L10799.
Norvic FDC for James Bond stamp issue 8 January 2008.
Note: Norvic's miniature sheet fdc is now SOLD OUT
Norvic FDC for James Bond stamp issue 8 January 2008.


This cover is for all four prestige stamp book panes (see above) - the set is priced at £18.50.
A different postmark has been used for each pane: L10819, L10797, L10801, L10816
, not FD801 as shown here. SOLD OUT
Norvic FDC for James Bond prestige stamp book issued 8.1.08.


Products issued: Ian Fleming's James Bond Royal Mail first day cover.
Mint set of 6 
miniature sheet 
Prestige Stamp Book 
Presentation Pack 
Set of 7 stamp cards mint 


Special First Day of Issue Postmarks

... are shown below. Postmarks cannot be obtained after 8 January, except as shown below.

Official Bureau First Day of Issue postmark for James Bond stamps. Official London SE1 First Day of Issue postmark for James Bond 
		stamps. Official London SE1 non-pictorial First Day of Issue postmark for James 
		Bond stamp issue. postmark showing martini glass. postmark showing cross-hairs. postmark showing female silhouette.

Ref FD801
Official Philatelic Bureau postmark

Ref FD802
Official London SE1 first day of issue postmark * See note below

Ref FD802NP
Offficial London SE1 non-pictorial FD postmark

Ref L10799
Ian Fleming Centenary, Bond St, London W1

Ref L10798
James Bond, London W1

See last panel in table, below.
postmark showing dice. postmark showing pistol. postmark showing pistol and bullets. postmark showing target. postmark showing scuba-diver. postmark showing female silhouette.

Ref L10800
Ian Fleming Centenary, Mayfair London W1

Ref L10797
007 Ian Fleming, Bletchley Park PO Milton Keynes

Ref L10803
Bond Street, London E15

Ref L10796
Target Close, Feltham, Middlesex

Ref L10801
Ian Fleming Centenary, St Margaret's-at-Cliffe, Dover

Ref L10804
Ian Fleming Centenary, Ebury Street, London SW1
postmark showing dice. postmark with text as shown. postmark showing old-style British passport. postmark showing a martini. postmark showing pistol. postmark showing Centenary logo.

Ref N10810
Leo Casino, One of Liverpool's Top Night Spots, Queens Dock, Liverpool.

Ref L10823
On Her Majesty's Postal Service, TOP SECRET, Dartford

Ref L10816
Centenary Ian Fleming Fleet Street, London EC4

Ref L10817
Centenary Ian Fleming Pall Mall, London SW1

Ref L10818
Centenary Ian Fleming Whitehall, London SW1

Ref L10819
Ian Fleming Centenary, Green Street Mayfair, London W1

postmark showing dice. postmark with text as shown. postmark showing old-style British passport. postmark showing pistol. postmark showing Centenary logo. postmark showing a pistol.

Ref L10820
Centenary Ian Fleming, Ebury Street, London SW1.

Ref L10821
Centenary Ian Fleming, Vauxhall Cross, London SE1.

Ref L10822
Ian Fleming's 007 Doctor No, Bond Street W1

Ref L10824
Her Majesty's Secret Agent 006½ Kew, Richmond

Ref L10825
Ian Fleming 1908-1964, Sevenhampton, Swindon

Ref M10805
Bond Street, Birmingham
Orders for this postmark must be sent by 26th January

* The copy of postmark FD802 actually used was without the words "ROYAL MAIL" - as shown here.


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This page updated 12 March 2009.

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Ian Fleming's James Bond
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Norvic Philatelics, PO Box 119, Dereham, NR20 3YN, GB. -- UK Phone: 08450 090939 -- Skype:ian.billings-norvic