Castle series stamps facts for kids
The Castle series or Castle High Value series are special definitive stamps from the United Kingdom. These are stamps that are part of a regular issue, not just for a special event. They were released during the time Queen Elizabeth II was on the throne.
What makes them special? They all feature four famous castles, one from each country in the United Kingdom.
The first set of these stamps came out in September 1955. They were designed by an artist named Lynton Lamb. The second set was released in October 1988. These were unique because their pictures came from photographs taken by Prince Andrew, Duke of York, who is the Queen's second son.
These Castle stamps had the highest values available at the time. They completed the regular stamp sets known as the Wilding and Machin series. Each Castle series was later replaced by new Machin stamps, first in 1969 and then in 1999.
Contents
The First Castle Stamps (1955)
How the 1955 Stamps Were Created
Before the 1955 Castle series, there was another set of high-value stamps from 1951. These showed King George VI and featured images like HMS Victory (Lord Nelson's ship) and the White Cliffs of Dover. When King George VI passed away in 1952, plans began for new stamps with Queen Elizabeth II's picture.
People didn't really like the old pictorial stamps. So, the Postal Services Department wanted new designs. They asked artists to come up with ideas in early 1953.
In June 1953, the first ideas for new stamps didn't impress the Postmaster General or the Council of Industrial Design. But they liked some ideas that used real British monuments, especially castles. These castles were well-known and connected to the Royal Family.
The first list of castles included the Tower of London, Caernarfon Castle, Edinburgh Castle, and Windsor Castle.
Then, the Home Secretary suggested adding a castle from Northern Ireland. So, the Tower of London was replaced by Carrickfergus Castle, which is near Belfast Lough. The colors were also changed. The artists then worked on drawings of these castles during the summer of 1953. They used photos from postmen and public workers to help them.
At the same time, an engraver named H.J. Bard worked on the Queen's portrait. He used a photo by Dorothy Wilding, which was already on other stamps.
In January 1954, the design by Lynton Lamb was chosen. It showed the castle through a hole in an old stone wall, with the Queen's portrait next to it. Lamb visited Edinburgh and Windsor castles himself to make sure his drawings were accurate.
The Postmaster General thought the design was ready by October 1954. Queen Elizabeth II approved the designs in March 1955. The stamps were printed using a special method called intaglio, which creates a raised image. The Queen finally approved the stamps on June 29, 1955.
When the 1955 Stamps Were Used
The four stamps were released in two steps. The 2 shillings 6 pence brown "Carrickfergus Castle" and 5 shillings red "Caernarfon Castle" came out on September 1, 1955. The 10 shillings blue "Edinburgh Castle" and 1 pound black "Windsor Castle" went on sale on September 23.
From 1955 to 1957, the stamps were printed by Waterlow and Sons. They used special paper with a watermark (a faint design in the paper) showing the St. Edward's Crown and the Queen's initials ("E 2 R"). In 1958, another company, De La Rue, took over printing. Later, in 1967, Bradbury Wilkinson started printing them without watermarks.
In the United Kingdom, these four stamps were no longer sold after May 15, 1970. They were replaced by new high-value Machin stamps. The three lower-value Castle stamps could not be used for postage after March 1, 1972.
Castle Stamps Used Abroad
The 2 shillings 6 pence, 5 shillings, and 10 shillings stamps were also used in British postal agencies in other countries. These stamps had an overprint (extra printing on top) to show where they could be used.
For example, around the Persian Gulf, stamps needed new values in Indian rupees or Gulf rupees. So, the Castle stamps were overprinted to be used in places like Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the Trucial States.
In Tangier, Morocco, the three Castle stamps were available at the British post office there in 1955. When this office closed in 1957, they celebrated its 100th anniversary. They added a second overprint ("1857 - 1957") to all Wilding and Castle stamps.
Special Commemorative Stamps
On March 22, 2005, Royal Mail released a small sheet of stamps to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Castle series. The values were changed to 50 pence for Carrickfergus and Windsor Castle stamps, and one pound for Caernarfon and Edinburgh Castle stamps. A Dutch printer, Enschedé, was able to use the original tools to print these new stamps.
The Second Castle Stamps (1988)
What the 1988 Stamps Looked Like
On October 18, 1988, new high-value Machin stamps were released. These replaced the older ones that had been printed since 1977. The new stamps were part of a new Castle series.
These four new stamps were printed using the intaglio method. Their pictures were based on photographs taken by Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Queen Elizabeth II's profile appeared in one of the top corners. This profile was based on a sculpture by Arnold Machin, which is seen on the regular Machin series stamps.
The same castles were used as in the 1955 series:
- Carrickfergus Castle on a £1 green stamp.
- Caernarfon Castle on the £1.50 brown stamp.
- Edinburgh Castle on the £2 blue stamp.
- Windsor Castle on the £5 brown stamp.
Unlike the 1955 stamps with their "broken grotto" design, these new stamps had a simple white background. Some people thought they looked more serious compared to the romantic style of the earlier stamps.
How the 1988 Stamps Were Used
In 1992, the 1988 series was reissued with some changes. This was done to help fight counterfeiting (making fake stamps). They added an oval-shaped perforation (the small holes that help you tear stamps apart) to the sides. Also, the Queen's profile was printed with Optically Variable Ink (OVI). This special ink looks green or gold depending on how you look at it. The Queen's head used for this was a simpler, single-color profile.
In 1995, the £1 Carrickfergus Castle stamp was reissued with a new value of three pounds. This was because inflation meant the one-pound value no longer needed such an expensive printing method. A new £1 Machin stamp was created that same year, printed in a special blue-violet metallic ink.
Finally, on March 9, 1999, the second Castle series was replaced. Four new Machin stamps, printed using the intaglio method, took their place.
