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.
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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 - Casino Royale and Dr No
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54p Diamonds are Forever and Goldfinger.
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78p For Your Eyes Only and From Russia With Love.
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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.
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.)
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These images are from pre-release publicity photos.
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| 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. |
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| 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.
Note: Norvic's miniature sheet fdc is now SOLD
OUT
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
Products issued: 
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.
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Ref FD801
Official Philatelic Bureau postmark
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Ref FD802
Official London SE1 first day of issue postmark *
See note below
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Ref FD802NP
Offficial London SE1 non-pictorial FD postmark
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Ref L10799
Ian Fleming Centenary, Bond St, London W1
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Ref L10798
James Bond, London W1
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See last panel in table, below. |
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Ref L10800
Ian Fleming Centenary, Mayfair London W1
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Ref L10797
007 Ian Fleming, Bletchley Park PO Milton Keynes
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Ref L10803
Bond Street, London E15
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Ref L10796
Target Close, Feltham, Middlesex
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Ref L10801
Ian Fleming Centenary, St Margaret's-at-Cliffe, Dover
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Ref L10804
Ian Fleming Centenary, Ebury Street, London SW1 |
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Ref N10810
Leo Casino, One of Liverpool's Top Night Spots, Queens Dock,
Liverpool.
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Ref L10823
On Her Majesty's Postal Service, TOP SECRET, Dartford
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Ref L10816
Centenary Ian Fleming Fleet Street, London EC4
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Ref L10817
Centenary Ian Fleming Pall Mall, London SW1
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Ref L10818
Centenary Ian Fleming Whitehall, London SW1
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Ref L10819
Ian Fleming Centenary, Green Street Mayfair, London W1
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Ref L10820
Centenary Ian Fleming, Ebury Street, London SW1.
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Ref L10821
Centenary Ian Fleming, Vauxhall Cross, London SE1.
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Ref L10822
Ian Fleming's 007 Doctor No, Bond Street W1
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Ref L10824
Her Majesty's Secret Agent 006½ Kew, Richmond
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Ref L10825
Ian Fleming 1908-1964, Sevenhampton, Swindon
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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.