Concorde stamp issue 1969

Concorde fourpence stamp

Concorde nine pence stamp

Concorde one shilling and sixpence stamp

Key facts

• Concorde was made jointly by the British and the French
• Concorde was a supersonic passenger airliner. This meant it could carry passengers faster than the speed of sound
• Concorde could travel at a maximum speed of 1522.4 miles per hour
• Concorde was originally due to fly on 28 February 1968 and so the new stamps were ready for that date
• The first actual flight of Concorde was on 2 March 1969 and the British stamps were issued on Monday 3 March
• France had its own commemorative stamps for the event
• The stamps were withdrawn from circulation in 1976
• Concorde was taken out of service in 2003 because of a change in the public attitude towards flying after 11 September and the one and only crash of Concorde in 2000
• Concorde’s last flight took place on 24 October 2003
• To fly on Concorde was seen to be a real privilege and often only very rich people could afford it
• Concorde was seen as such an important national icon that it occasionally made flypasts at important events and airshows, sometimes with the Red Arrows