British stamps celebrate the music of Paul McCartney

By Denise McCarty

Royal Mail revealed the designs of its 12 stamps honoring Paul McCartney as a music icon on May 6, a little more than three weeks ahead of the May 28 issue date.

Royal Mail also reported that it collaborated with McCartney and his team at MPL Communications Ltd. for this stamp issue, adding that McCartney was personally involved “in the images used and the wider product range created for the issue.”

McCartney was previously commemorated on a set of British stamps as a member of the Beatles (Scott 2420-2426). That set, issued Jan. 9, 2007, included six stamps showing iconic Beatles’ album covers and a souvenir sheet of four se-tenant (side-by-side) stamps depicting Beatles’ memorabilia.

The new Paul McCartney set includes eight stamps featuring covers of his albums as a solo artist and with his band Wings, and a souvenir sheet of four stamps showing black-and-white photographs of McCartney in the recording studio.

The stamps mark the 50th anniversary of the release of one of these albums, Ram, as well as the 50th anniversary of the formation of Wings in 1971.

The cover of Ram, the only album credited to both McCartney and his first wife, Linda (1941-98), is shown on a nondenominated first-class stamp.

Another first-class stamp depicts the cover of Venus and Mars, Wing’s fourth studio album. Released in 1975, the album reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Two other first-class stamps show the covers of two self-titled albums: McCartney released in 1970, and McCartney II, released 10 years later in 1980.

The cover of McCartney III, released in December 2020, is featured on one of the four £1.70 stamps.

Pictured on the other three £1.70 stamps are the covers of his solo albums Tug of War (1982), Flaming Pie (1997) and Egypt Station (2018),

The souvenir sheet, which is titled “McCartney in the Studio,” includes two first-class stamps and two £1.70 stamps.

In announcing the Paul McCartney set of 12 stamps, David Gold of Royal Mail said: “Paul McCartney remains a vital figure at the centre of rock and pop — an artist whose legacy is immense, but whose work continues to generate popular attention and critical acclaim. This dedicated stamp issue is a fitting tribute to one of the UK’s much loved and revered musical icons.”

The stamps and a range of collectible products are available for pre-order beginning May 6 from www.royalmail.com/paulmccartney.

Ordering information also is available from Royal Mail, Tallents House, 21 S. Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB, Scotland.

Royal Mail’s agency in the United States is Interpost, Box 400, Hewlett, NY 11557.

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