Coming Soon....Star Wars Stamps!!

Coming Soon….From a Post Office Far, Far Away…

STAR WARS STAMPS!!

That’s right…Star Wars Stamps are being issued by Royal Mail of Great Britain and are due to be released on October 20^th. 

The 12 stamps set, along with many other postal products, are being issued to commemorate the release of the latest movie in the Star Wars saga – The Force Awakens. This film is premiering on December 18^th here in the United States and it is the long awaited sequel to Return of the Jedi.

The 12 stamp set:

This set consists of 2 strips of 6 stamps each. Featured on the 1st class stamps are Darth Vader, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Storm Trooper, Han Solo, Princess Leia, The Emperor, Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett and 3 new characters from the upcoming film – Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren.

The Miniature Sheet of 6

Each stamp featuring an image of one of the Star Wars vehicles. Ships pictured are the Resistance X-Wing Starfighter, the Millennium Falcon, Tie Fighters, X-Wing Starfighter, First Order Special Forces Tie Fighters and AT-AT Walkers. All 6 are 1st class stamps.

The Presentation Pack – this contains all 12 stamps and the miniature sheet, with full descriptions of the Light Side and the Dark Side from the new film. The pack is two sides, full of Star Wars facts, figures, imagery and information that will WOW every Star Wars fan!

First Day Covers – stamped on the First Day of issue. There are two different cancels available - Edinburgh and the studio Elmstree, Borehamwood. The Edinburgh cancel is in the shape of the Imperial Crest and the studio cancel is in the shape of the Alliance Starbird.

Set Cover - All 12 stamps are on one envelope, cancelled on the first day of issue. A Starscape scene is depicted on the envelope showing an X-Wing being pursued by Imperial Tie Fighters.

Miniature Sheet Cover – A complete miniature sheets is on the envelope, with the Starscape scene as the cachet.

Stamp Cards – high quality post cards with larger images of the stamps from the set, and all six of the stamps from the miniature sheet. There are 19 cards total in the stamp card pack (18 are pictured).

Stamp Sets on  Presentation Cards – These cards (6 versions in all) feature the stamps presented on a card, secured in place with clear plastic strips. The variations are:

The 12 stamp set, the miniature sheet, 10 Yoda stamps, 10 Darth Vader stamps, 10 Han Solo stamps or 10 Boba Fett stamps.

Heroes & Villains Collector Stamp Sheet

This letter sized sheet features 10 1st class stamps – 3 Yoda, 3 Darth Vader, 2 Stormtrooper and 2 Han Solo along with labels showing film stills from the Lucasfilm archives. The sheet comes with a protective backing card and clear plastic cover.

Smilers Personalized Stamp Sheets

These are the most “interactive” product available for the Star Wars stamps. These sheets come with blank spaces so that you can have your own picture inserted next to the stamp. There are 10 stamps

on each sheet and there are 4 different designs to choose from – Darth Vader, Han Solo, Stormtrooper

and Yoda. These stamps are only available to be personalized through the Royal Mail website at

www.royalmail.com.

What would make a better collectible than having your picture next to one of the iconic characters featured on a stamp?

More Exciting News!!!

In May 2016 there will be a Worldwide Stamp Expo, held at the Javits Center. The 8 day event with feature stamps from all over the world.

Royal Mail is pleased to announce that it will be sharing a booth with Herrick Stamp, and they will be offering the Personalized Smiler Sheets for purchase at the show. Stop by and have your photo taken and put on the stamp sheets next to pictures of Darth Vader, Han Solo, Yoda or a Stormtrooper!

They will also have for sale other Royal Mail products, including the commemorative stamp set celebrating Queen Elizabeth II as the longest reigning monarch.

If you have any questions about these products and their availability for purchase, please don’t hesitate to contact Doris at:

dbode@herrickstamp.com

EUROPA Stamps 2015 Are Here!

EUROPA 2015 - Old Toys!

Europa postage stamps are special stamps that have been issued since 1956 until the present. They represent cooperation among postal authorities and do much to encourage the hobby of philately. They are some of the most collected and popular stamps in the world.

They are issued by the member postal administrations belonging to the PostEurop Association. The first issue from 1956 pictured a tower made up of the letters “EUROPA”. Many topics have been chosen to represent the EUROPA theme – sculptures, paintings, folklore, historic events, inventions, transportation, gastronomy, and this year’s common theme is old toys. 

We are and will continue to offer all the Europa stamps that become available from all nations that participate. Click here to see the newest Europa stamps on our site.

Enjoy!

Happy Anniversary Penny Black!

Stamp Collecting – Where It All Began….

Ever wonder how philately – the study of stamps – and stamp collecting actually started? It’s a really interesting story…..

Stamp collecting dates back to 1840 when the first postage stamp – the British Penny Black – was issued.

Originally, when a letter was sent, it was the recipient that had to pay the postage. More often than not, the letter was refused. This, of course, was not a very profitable way to run the postal service. Sir Rowland Hill, the Postmaster at that time, introduced reforms that would allow mail to be sent for a penny for a ½ ounce and the sender would now have to pay the postage. That first stamp, printed in black with Queen Victoria’s picture on it, became known as the Penny Black. It is still one of the most sought after stamps, even after all these years. It wasn’t long until the rest of the world adopted this type of postal system, and stamp collecting was born!

Oh, how far this hobby has come since those early days! And yet, it remains very much the same – people from all over the world collecting those little pieces of paper, and enjoying all that philately has to offer.

To commemorate the 175^th anniversary of that first Penny Black stamp, Great Britain has issued a four stamp set – two stamps showing the Penny Black, and two stamps showing the Twopenny Blue. The issue date was May 6^th. There are also mini sheets, presentation packs, Smiler sheets – all that Royal Mail offers with their commemorative stamps. The first day covers will offer two different cancels – the traditional one from Edinburgh and the alternate one from Bath.

Click here to see all the Penny Black stamps, both old and new, that Herrick Stamp has to offer.

Latest New Issues Stamps From Around the World!

Hello again! 

Every two weeks Herrick Stamp lists all the latest new issues from countries around the world. I thought it would be fun to showcase a few of them every couple of weeks, just to share what I think is interesting and fun about stamps today. So…here goes….

Great Britain has issued a 10 stamp set (2 strips of 5 stamps each) featuring great British comedians. Included in this set are Spike Milligan, The Two Ronnies, Billy Connolly, Norman Wisdom, Morecambe and Wise, Lenny Henry, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore (my FAVORITE!), Monty Python, French and Saunders, and Victoria Wood.

Admittedly, I’m not familiar with too many of these comedy greats, but those that I do recognize, I LOVE their humor. Dudley Moore and Monty Python are comedic geniuses!

We also have quite a few new issues available for Iraq, Palau and Georgia. Palau has sheetlets and souvenir sheets offered – even a sheetlet featuring Bubble Tea! 

I love to see the diversity of topics available on stamps these days.

I’ll be checking back again in a couple of weeks with more new issue news.

Until then…

Philately On!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

No, I haven’t just woken up like Rip Van Winkle, and missed January 1^st!

But it is the Chinese New Year and this year is the Year of the Sheep (Ram or Goat).

It is said that people born in the Year of the Goat are creative, intelligent, dependable and very calm. They have a very nurturing personality and make excellent care-givers. They are comfortable being alone and enjoy exploring their inner thoughts.

Some famous people born in the Year of the Sheep are Michelangelo, Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, Rudolph Valentino, Barbara Walters, Orville Wright, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Bruce Willis and Matt LeBlanc.

The philatelic world loves to celebrate the Chinese New Year with beautifully designed stamps to commemorate the occasion.

So, click here to be taken to all the Lunar New Year stamps that we have to offer – there is something for every type of collector available on our site – Herrick Stamp.

Dragons!

DRAGONS!

Hold on….are we in a Harry Potter movie? Do any of us know how to Train our Dragons?

No worries! These beautiful dragons are pictured on the new 6 stamp set from Jersey, available here.

Each stamp features a different dragon, beautifully illustrating these mystical creatures, created from legends around the world. Included are The Beowulf Dragon, St. George & the Dragon, The Bukunawa, The Colchian Dragon, The Chinese Dragons and the Welsh Dragon.

Jersey has also produced a six stamp Souvenir Sheet, Presentation Pack, First Day Covers and sheets of 10 stamps.

These stamps and hundred more worldwide new issues are always available on our website at www.herrickstamp.com