First Christmas Stamps

Britain lagged behind other parts of the world in issuing special stamps for Christmas. But why? After all, the world's first-ever stamp - the Penny Black - was a British innovation. To some extent, the Penny Black could be to blame...

With the iconic Penny Black, the Post Office made the head of the monarch the dominant feature of British stamp design for more than a hundred years. It was felt to be impossible to do justice to a representation of the birth of Christ on a stamp, and maintain the monarch's dominance.

When Tony Benn became Postmaster General in 1964, he decided that Christmas stamps should finally be issued in Britain, using the concept of the smaller silhouette of the Queen's head also developed around that time. 

Tony Benn also ordered a competition to have the Christmas stamps designed by children, and you can see the winners on this page. There is 'King Wenceslas' by Tasveer Shemza (aged 6) and 'Snowman' by James Berry (aged 6). The stamps were issued in 1966.

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