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United Kingdom commemorative stamps 1990–1999 facts for kids

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Commemorative stamps, also known as special stamps, are postage stamps made to celebrate a special place, event, or person. The United Kingdom started releasing these unique stamps in 1924. Many different sets of these stamps were released during the 1990s.

History of UK Commemorative Stamps

The very first postage stamps were used in Great Britain on May 6, 1840. This was when the world's first sticky postage stamp, called the Penny Black, was introduced. Before 1924, all British stamps only showed a picture of the king or queen at the time. The only exception was a set of 'High Value' stamps, known as the "Sea Horses" design, released in 1913. These were bigger than normal stamps and had extra pictures.

In 1924, the first 'Commemorative' stamp was released for the British Empire Exhibition. For the next thirty years, these special stamps were only released now and then. But after that, new commemorative stamps started coming out much more often. From the mid-1960s, usually six to nine new sets of commemorative stamps have been released every year. PHQ Cards, which are postcards with pictures of these special stamps, have also been made for every new set since the mid-1970s.

Commemorative Stamps from 1990 to 1999

The 1990s saw many interesting commemorative stamp issues in the United Kingdom. These stamps celebrated a wide range of topics, from important anniversaries and famous people to nature, sports, and even popular culture. The table below shows the different sets of commemorative stamps released each year during this decade.

British Commemorative stamps issued between 1990 and 1999
Issue Date What the Stamps Celebrated Number of Stamps in Set Designer(s)
1990
23 January 1990 150th Anniversary of Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) Four
6 February 1990 Greetings Stamps "Smiles" Ten
6 March 1990 Europa & Glasgow 1990, European City of Culture Four
10 April 1990 25th Anniversary of Queen's Award for Export & Technology Two
3 May 1990 "Stamp World 90" International Stamp Exhibition, (Miniature Sheet) One (MS)
5 June 1990 150th Anniversary of Kew Gardens Four
10 July 1990 150th Birth anniversary of Thomas Hardy (Author) One
2 August 1990 90th Birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Four
11 September 1990 Gallantry Awards (for bravery) Five
16 October 1990 Astronomy (study of space) Four J. Fisher
13 November 1990 Christmas Five
1991
8 January 1991 Dogs – Paintings by George Stubbs Five
5 February 1991 Greetings Stamps "Good Luck" Ten
5 March 1991 Scientific Achievements (like computing and jet engines) Four: Charles Babbage (computing), Michael Faraday (electricity), Frank Whittle (jet engine), Robert Watson-Watt (radar). J Harwood
26 March 1991 Greetings Stamps "Smiles", same set as issued 06/02/90
reprinted, inscribed "1st" instead of "20p"		 Ten
23 April 1991 Europa, Europe in Space Four
11 June 1991 World Student Games, Sheffield (22p, 26p & 31p)
& Rugby World Cup, London (37p)		 Four
16 July 1991 9th World Congress of Roses, Belfast Five
20 August 1991 150th Anniversary of Dinosaur's Identification by Owen Five Bryan Kneale
17 September 1991 Bicentenary of Ordnance Survey (map making). Maps of Ham Street, Kent Four Howard Brown
12 November 1991 Christmas Five
1992
14 January 1992 Wintertime Five
28 January 1992 Greetings Stamps "Memories" Ten
6 February 1992 40th Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's Accession to the throne Five
10 March 1992 Death Centenary of Alfred, Lord Tennyson (poet) Four
7 April 1992 Europa, International Events Five
16 June 1992 350th Anniversary of the Civil War Four
21 July 1992 150th Anniversary of Sir Arthur Sullivan (composer) Five
15 September 1992 Protection of the Environment, Children's Paintings Four
13 October 1992 Single European Market One
10 November 1992 Christmas Five
1993
19 January 1993 600th Anniversary of Abbotsbury Swannery (swan sanctuary) Five David Gentleman
2 February 1993 Greetings Stamps " Gift Giving" Ten
16 February 1993 300th Anniversary of John Harrison,
inventor of the marine chronometer (sea clock)		 Four
2 March 1993 £10 Definitive (high value stamp) One
16 March 1993 14th World Orchid Conference, Glasgow Five
11 May 1993 Europa, Contemporary Art Four
15 June 1993 Roman Britain Four
20 July 1993 Inland Waterways (canals and rivers) Four
14 September 1993 The Four Seasons, Autumn Five
12 October 1993 Sherlock Holmes (famous detective) Five Andrew Davidson
9 November 1993 Christmas Five
1994
18 January 1994 The Age of Steam (steam trains) Five
1 February 1994 Greetings Stamps "Messages" Ten
1 March 1994 25th Anniversary of Investiture of the Prince of Wales
Paintings by Prince Charles		 Five
12 April 1994 Centenary of Picture Postcards Four
3 May 1994 Opening of Channel Tunnel (Joint issue with La Poste) Four
6 June 1994 50th anniversary of D-Day (World War II event) Five K Bassford
5 July 1994 Scottish Golf Courses Five
2 August 1994 The Four Seasons, Summertime Five
27 September 1994 Europa, Medical Discoveries Four
1 November 1994 Christmas Five
1995
17 January 1995 Cats Five
14 March 1995 Springtime Five
21 March 1995 Greetings Stamps 'Greetings in Art' Ten
11 April 1995 Centenary of the National Trust Five
2 May 1995 Europa, Peace & Freedom Five
6 June 1995 Science Fiction, Novels by H. G. Wells Four
8 August 1995 Reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Five
5 September 1995 Pioneers of Communication Four
3 October 1995 Centenary of Rugby league Five
30 October 1995 Christmas Five
1996
25 January 1996 Death Bicentenary of Robert Burns (poet) Four
25 February 1996 Greetings Stamps, Cartoons Ten
12 March 1996 50th Anniversary of Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust Five
16 April 1996 Centenary of Cinema Five
14 May 1996 European Football Championship Five H. Brown
9 July 1996 Olympic & Paralympic Games, Atlanta Five
6 August 1996 Europa, Famous Women Five
3 September 1996 50th Anniversary of Children's Television Five
1 October 1996 Classic Sports Cars Five
28 October 1996 Christmas Five
1997
6 January 1997 Greetings Stamps, 19th century Flower Paintings Ten
21 January 1997 450th Death Anniversary of King Henry VIII Seven
11 March 1997 Religious Anniversaries Four
21 April 1997 Royal Golden Wedding Gold Definitives, 26p & 1st values Two
13 May 1997 Europa, Horror Stories Four
10 June 1997 British Aircraft Designers Five Turner Duckworth
8 July 1997 "All the Queen's Horses", 50th Anniversary of the British Horse Society Four
12 August 1997 Sub-Post Offices Four
9 September 1997 Birth Centenary of Enid Blyton (author) Five
27 October 1997 Christmas, 150th Anniversary of the Christmas Cracker Five
13 November 1997 Royal Golden Wedding (Queen Elizabeth II's 50th wedding anniversary) Four
1998
20 January 1998 Endangered Species Six Robert Maude
3 February 1998 Diana, Princess of Wales Commemoration Five
24 February 1998 The Queen's Beasts (650th Anniversary of the Order of the Garter) Five Jeffrey Matthews FSCD
24 March 1998 Lighthouses Five Dick Davis
23 April 1998 Comedians Five Gerald Scarfe
23 June 1998 Health (50 Years of the NHS) Four Vince Frost
21 July 1998 Magical Worlds (Classic Fantasy Books for Children) Five Peter Malone
25 August 1998 Europa. Carnival (Notting Hill Carnival) Four Tim Hazael
29 September 1998 Speed (Great British Land Speed Records) Five Roundel
2 November 1998 Christmas (Angels) Five Irene von Treskow
1999
12 January 1999 The Millennium Series. The Inventor's Tale Four David Gentleman
2 February 1999 The Millennium Series. The Traveller's Tale Four
2 March 1999 The Millennium Series. The Patient's Tale Four
6 April 1999 The Millennium Series. The Settler's Tale Four
4 May 1999 The Millennium Series. The Worker's Tale Four
1 June 1999 The Millennium Series. The Entertainer's Tale Four
15 June 1999 The Wedding of Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones Two John Swannell
6 July 1999 The Millennium Series. The Citizen's Tale Four
3 August 1999 The Millennium Series. The Scientist's Tale Four
11 August 1999 Solar Eclipse
7 September 1999 The Millennium Series. The Farmer's Tale Four
21 September 1999 World Changers: Charles Darwin, Edward Jenner, Michael Faraday and Alan Turing.
5 October 1999 The Millennium Series. The Soldier's Tale Four
2 November 1999 The Millennium Series. The Christian's Tale Four Clare Melinsky
7 December 1999 The Millennium Series. The Artist's Tale Four
14 December 1999 The Millennium Series. Millennium Timekeeper One David Gentleman

Other Decades of Stamps

Learn More About Stamps

  • List of people on stamps
  • Philately (the study of stamps)
  • PHQ Cards
  • Stamp Collecting
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