5 April 2004
THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS ISSUED BY THE PRESS SECRETARY TO THE QUEEN
The Royal Philatelic Collection will be exhibiting at the Smithsonian Institution National Postal Museum, Washington from 6th April, 2004.
The exhibition from The Queen's collection will feature material produced in the lead-up to the introduction of the Penny Black, Twopenny Blue and the Mulready for use from 6th May, 1840.
Commenting on the exhibition, the Keeper of Royal Philatelic Collection, Michael Sefi, said: "This will be a rare opportunity for visitors and Washingtonians alike to see some unique and very special material from The Queen's collection."
Highlights include the "Kirkcudbright Cover" - in fact, a wrapper - bearing the largest multiple (10) of Penny Blacks known on first day of use, bought by Her Majesty The Queen in 2001. The unique block of 38 unused Twopenny Blues from Plate 1 is also being shown.
Also included will be the pre-Treasury Essay material, some of the Treasury Essays and material illustrating the development of the Penny Black, Twopenny Blue and the Mulready envelopes and lettersheets.
The exhibition will also illustrate the work undertaken in selecting a new colour for the Penny stamp, by showing some of the obliteration experiments and "Rainbow Trials", and goes on to display Penny Red printings from the "Black" Plates.
The stamps will be shown with other rare stamps from the Collection, including: the "Post Office" Mauritius penny and twopence; British Guiana and Bermuda items; The Cape of Good Hope "Woodblock" errors of colour; as well as other "gems" from the Collection.
Notes to Editors
1. Housed in St James's Palace, the Royal Philatelic Collection is the most comprehensive collection in the world of postage stamps devoted to Great Britain and the Commonwealth.
The Royal Philatelic Collection is a private collection belonging to The Queen; it is not part of the Royal Collection, which she holds as Sovereign in effect in trust for the nation.
2. Much of the Royal Philatelic Collection is due to George V who, as an enthusiastic and expert collector from the 1890's, acquired a huge range of collections, rare stamps and artist's sketches for stamp designs, either by purchase from dealers and auctions, or through official presentations.
From 1906, he decided to concentrate his collection on stamps (and their designs) of Great Britain and the Empire; the designs include a sketch of the 1840 penny black sent to Rowland Hill to show him how the stamp would look.
3. Since the First World War, material from the Royal Philatelic Collection has been put on public display in the United Kingdom and also exhibited at many of the major international stamp exhibitions.
In the last five years, items from the Collection have been displayed at the International Stamp Exhibition at Earl's Court, as well as exhibitions in China, Monaco, Spain, Australia, Bulgaria and elsewhere both in the United Kingdom and abroad.
4. The exhibition is open from 6 April 2004 to 11 January 2005 and admission is free.
5. The National Postal Museum, housed in the Old Post Office near Union Station in Washington D.C., is one of a number of mainly Washington based museums, all part of the Smithsonian Institution.
