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2½d - designed by
Edmund Dulac, showing a cornucopia (prosperity) and a caduceus (commerce)
with the effigy of Britannia opposite the King’s portrait.
4d - designed by
Abram Games, showing the Festival symbol
Printed in photogravure by Harrison & Sons in sheets of 20
rows of 6
Issued 3 May, 1951
Numbers issued - 2½d 260,142,000 - 4d
22,197,000
Watermark
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In December 1947 the government announced its intention of
marking the centenary of the Great Exhibition of 1951 by a nationwide
celebration, to be known as the Festival of Britain. The focal point was to be
the South Bank of the Thames - an area ready for redevelopment.
The main exhibition was placed on a 27 acre site bounded by
Waterloo Station, the Thames and County Hall. 8,500,000 attended in 5 months.
Dedicated by the King and Queen at a service in St.Paul’s
Cathedral on 3 May, 100 years after the Great Exhibition of 1851. Gerald
Barry, the director general of the Festival saw it as an antidote of ‘fun,
fantasy and colour’. It symbolised to many an end of the hungry forties. The
King was too ill to attend the final night in September, (closing cabaret sung
by Gracie Fields).
Machine cancellations and a pictorial handstamp were
used at the exhibition.
Gibbons Stamp Monthly, June, 1951, shows some of the sketches
and designs made by Abram Games for the 4d stamp.
Cylinder Numbers and Varieties:
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2½d
cylinders |
Varieties |
Perforations |
| 3nd |
- |
a. Broken upper wing next to
staff - cyl 3nd, row 3/6
b. Dark spot on lower wing - cyl
3nd, row 5/2
c. Break in snake's tail - cyl
3nd, row 5/4
d. Line across Britannia's face
and neck - cyl 3nd, row 10/4 (multipos)
e. Short hairline across upper
loop of ribbon as it crosses cornucopia, cyl 3nd, row 12/6
f. Hairline across upper wing -
cyl 3nd, row 16/6
g. Dark spot by Britannia's eye -
cyl 3nd, row 19/1 (multipos) |
Type A |
| 5nd |
5d |
a. Scallops on lower left hand
edge reduced - cyl 5nd, row 2/1
b. Dot on lower wing - cyl 5nd,
row 4/6
c. Broken top left corner - cyl
5nd, row 7/3
d. Extra spot in lower loop of
snake's tails - cyl 5nd, row 11/5
e. Scallops on right hand edge reduced due to design being cut away - cyl 5nd, row 16/6
------------------------------------------------------------------------
a. Red spot by upper right scallop - cyl 5d, row 2/5
b. Line across Britannia's face and neck - cyl 5d, row
10/4 (multipos)
c. Broken lower wing - cyl 5d, row 13/5
d. Broken scallop 4th from right at top - cyl 5d, row
14/3
e. Spur to R - cyl 5d, row 15/6
f. Joined plumes in lower part of Britannia's helmet -
cyl 5d, row 17/2
g. Dark spot by Britannia's eye and red spot on staff
between wings - cyl 5d, row 19/1 (multipos)
h. Break in staff between wings - cyl 5d, row 20/1
i. Distorted 2 in 1/2 - cyl 5d, row 20/2 |
Minor flaws
cyl 3nd -
small dark spot on upper wing row 11/6; ruffled plume row 15/2; diagonal lines
on base of King's neck on lower number panes row 16/5
cyl 5nd - vertical hairline rising into top margin over 1951 row 1/2;
break in foot of 2 in 1/2 row 2/5; dark spot enlarging King's mouth row 5/2; two
spots on cornucopia above winged staff row 5/4; flaw on King's temple row 10/2;
break in dash between dates row 10/4; two spots on upper wing row 12/6; white
spur to T of Festival row 13/4; white spot on King's cheek row 14/3; dark spot
on top border scallop on right row 14/6; broken tip of Britannia's plume row
16/4; crack in rim of Britannia's helmet row 19/6; dark spot on base of large 2
in value row 20/3
cyl 5d - small white spot under N row 3/5
Minor multipositive flaws on cyls 3nd and 5d
Small dark spot on 1 of 1951 row 1/6; short line from corner of Britannia's
mouth row 9/6; dark spot above King's hair parting row 13/3
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4d cylinders |
Varieties |
Perforations |
| 1nd |
- |
a. Fine
hairlines, row 3/3
b. Fine hairlines
down plume of helmet, row 5/2, 6/2, 7/2, 8/2, 9/2, 10/2
c. Fine hairlines
down lower star-point, row 6/4, 7/4, 8/4, 9/4, 10/4
d. Fine
hairlines, row 9/6
e. Fine
hairlines, row 10/6
f. Fine hairlines
down right star-point, row 11/2, 12/2, 13/2, 14/2, 15/2
g. Fine hairlines
down left hand star-point, row 16/2, 17/2
h. Small white
spot at back of King's head, row 18/2 |
Type A |
First day covers
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Festival logo designed by
Abram Games, fdc comes with insert giving
details of Festival and aerial view of site. Cover produced by H.E.Wingfield
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