60th Anni. of First Stamps
60th Anniversary of the First British Antarctic Territory Stamps
2023 sees the 60th Anniversary of the first British Antarctic Territory stamps. Until 2022 all of the issues had featured either the Queen’s portrait or Royal Cypher. 2023 sees the first issues to be released featuring the new King Charles III Portrait.
Prior to the establishment of the territory in 1962, stamps were issued for the South Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands, and Graham Land as parts of the Falkland Islands Dependencies.
The first issue in 1963 was a beautifully engraved set of 15 values, ranging from ½d to £1 featuring a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and various scenes of activity in the Antarctic.
To mark the 60th Anniversary 4 se-tenant pairs are being released focusing on the modes of transport featured in the original series. Each pair includes both an original artwork from the 1963 series (from which the engravings were then developed) together with a more modern depiction of the subject matter.
The two 74p pairs feature the DHC-2 Beaver aircraft and the RRS John Biscoe. The 80p pairs feature the DHC-3 Otter aircraft and a Sno-Cat. The FDC includes depictions of some of the original 1963 stamps.
Technical details:
Designer Bee Design
John Biscoe Photograph Martin White, British Antarctic Survey
Printer Cartor Security Printing
Process Lithography
Stamp Size 42 x 28mm
Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 ½ per 2cms
Sheet Layout 10 (5 pairs)
Release date Expected November 2023
Production Co-ordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd