Norvic Philatelics - GB New Stamps and Special Postmarks

Mythical Creatures - 16 June 2009

A set of six stamps depicting Mythical Creatures will be issued by Royal Mail this summer.

Fantasy and myth are popular subjects for both films and books. Here fantasy artist Dave McKean (who worked on the Harry Potter movies) takes a look at some of the most popular and unusual creatures from legend. The UK has a rich and diverse folklore around mythical creatures: some famous nationally and others regionally. This set features: unicorn, mermaid - legends very common around UK coast inc northern isles of Scotland), Giant (inspired by Finn McCool associated with the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland), Fairy queen (in a chariot pulled by birds), Pixie (which feature in Cornish folklore), and Dragon (emblem of Wales).

Set of 6 new british stamps showing dragon, unicorn, giant, pixie, mermaid, and fairies.
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Set of 6 stamps:


1st class - Unicorns and Dragons;

62p - Giants and Pixies

90p - Mermaids and Fairies

Face values have been changed 
for new postage rates.

From the land of the giants, to the prank-loving world of the pixies, the UK has a rich history of folklore and legend dating back to the oral tales handed down the generations by Celtic bards - and brought right up to date through Harry Potter and the hugely successful Dragonology books. 

But is this really what they look like? Who can tell, but one thing’s for sure, it’s the hold these creatures have upon the imagination that has ensured their images have been incorporated into everything from heraldry to architecture. Perhaps that’s also why the popularity of these creatures remains undiminished to this day thanks to the success of the works of authors such as JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, Michael Moorcock, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, together with the vast array of CGI animated films and computer games.


The stamps in detail

1st Class – Unicorns 
Traditionally represented as a horse with a single horn, a billy goat’s beard, cloven hooves and a lion’s tail, perhaps the unicorn made sense of travellers’ descriptions of the rhinoceros? Two unicorns support the Coat of Arms of Scotland, while one together with a lion the Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom. 

1st Class – Dragons 
Common to the mythologies of many countries the dragon has a reptilian body, traditionally breathes fire or spits poison and often has a pair of bat like wings. Often the guardian of treasure hordes, and frequently the terror of fair maids. Apart from the famous associations with St George and the red dragon of Wales, dragons also appear in the Mabinogion, a series of 12 medieval Welsh stories. 

First Day Cover and Presentation pack for Mythical Beasts on stamps issued 16 June 2009 62p – Giants 
Legend has it that the Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway is the remains of a pathway between Scotland and Northern Ireland created when the Scottish giant Fingal hurled the first clod into the Irish Sea and the Irish giant Finn McCool hurled more back. 

62p – Pixies 
Or Piskies as they are known in their native West Country look like old men with wrinkled faces. They are small in stature with red hair and dress in the colours of the earth especially green, usually cheerful and helpful, but they also like playing pranks. 

90p – Mermaids 
Part woman and part fish the Mermaid would often entrance sailors with their song causing them to run ships aground or jump overboard, then carry them off to their undersea home forgetting that they breathe air. 

90p – Fairies 
Sometimes good and sometimes bad, the fairy folk come in many forms; here Queen Mab takes to the air in her hazelnut chariot. Queen Mab is described in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as a tiny fairy who drives her chariot across the faces of sleeping people.


Technical details:

Designed by Morgan Radcliffe using illustrations by Dave McKean, the stamps are printed in gravure by De La Rue Security Print. The stamps are 35mm square, perf 14½ in individual sheets of 25/50; they are not issued in se-tenant pairs. All images are by kind permission of Royal Mail, Copyright 2009. This website is copyright Norvic Philatelics 2009.


Products issued:

Royal Mail FDCs
Mint set, mint gutter pairs and strips
Presentation Pack (see above)
Set of 6 Stamp Cards unused

The eyes have it! - the sheet margins in this issue include images 'of the creatures eyes' - although the eyes in the margins do not actually match those in the stamp images. Best collected as gutter pairs or strips - please ask if interested.
Mythical Creatures stamps sheet margins showing marginal illustrations.


Special Postmarks
Postmarks available for the day of issue will be shown here, others may be added later. these may not be to scale. These postmarks cannot be obtained after the date of issue.

Official Bureau first day of issue postmark for Mythical Creatures stamp issue 16 June 2009. Official Dragonby, Scunthorpe, first day of issue postmark for mythical creatures stamp issue. Official Dragonby, Scunthorpe, first day of issue non-pictorial postmark for mythical creatures stamp issue . postmark showing unicorn. postmark showing unicorn.
Ref FD915
Philatelic Bureau Official Postmark
Ref FD916
Dragonby, Scunthorpe, official postmark 
Ref FD916NP
Dragonby, Scunthorpe,  Official non-pictorial Postmark
Ref M11387
Unicorn Hill, Redditch
Ref L11384
Mythical Creatures, London
postmark showing unicorn. postmark showing burnt dragon. postmark showing "Ivor The Engine" with dragon on smokestack. postmark showing mermaid postmark showing fairy.
Ref L11383
Unicorn Walk, Greenhithe, Kent
Ref N11389
Dragonby, Scunthorpe
Ref W11393
50th Anniversary of Ivor the Engine, Bala, Merioneth, Wales
Ref W11396
Sea, Ilminster
Ref W11395
Fairy Cross, Bideford
postmark showing fairy. postmark showing unicorn. postmark showing logo of Wookey Hole caves attraction. postmark showing warrior elf?.
Ref N11388
GBFDC Association, Cottingley, Bingley
Ref N11390
Dragonby, Scunthorpe,
Ref W11394
Wookey Hole Caves, Wells, Somerset 
Ref L11382
Elvedon, Thetford (Norfolk)


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This page updated 3 June 2009

2007 - 2008
2009 stamp issues
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January
13
Design Classics
22 Robert Burns
February
12
Charles Darwin
17 Machin Definitives with Security Features I
26 Dathlu Cymru - Celebrating Wales
March
2 Design Classics Concorde Smiler Sheet
10 Pioneers of the Industrial Revolution
10 Design Classics Retail Booklet - Phone & Bus
17 Northern Ireland Castles Smilers Sheet
31 Machin Definitives with Security Features II
31 New Rate Machin & Country Definitives

April
21
Kings & Queens II (Tudors)
21 Design Classics Retail Booklet - Mini-car
23 Castles of England Smilers Sheet
30 Smilers for Kids II

May
19
Endangered Plants & Kew Gardens MS
21 Flowers retail booklet

June
16
Mythical Creatures

July
? Possible pre-Olympics Issue
21 40th ann of Moon Landing Commemorative Sheet
August
3 Thaipex Smilers Sheet
18 Wall Mounted Post Boxes MS & Smilers Sheet
18 Treasures of the Archive PSB
18 Design Classics Retail Booklet - Concorde
September
1 Fire Service
17 British Military Uniforms (III - Royal Navy)
17 Design Classics Retail Booklet - Mini-skirt/Quant
18 Commemorative Sheet - Big Ben 150th Anniversary
October
7 Commemorative Sheet - Cambridge University 800th anniversary
8 Eminent Britons (Europa)
21 Italia 2009 Smilers Sheet
November
3
Christmas
30 Castles of Scotland Smilers Sheet

December
4 MonacoPhil 2009 Expo Smilers Sheet


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Norvic Philatelics, PO Box 119, Dereham, NR20 3YN, GB. -- UK Phone: 08450 090939 -- Skype:ian.billings-norvic