The Queen's head removed from postage stamps

Out with the old in with the new: Tess Daly displays the new internet stamp
13 April 2012

The Queen's head has been banished from a new hi-tech version of the stamp that is launched today by the Royal Mail. The decision ends a tradition dating back more than 160 years.

In future, the public will be able to download a 'stamp' from the internet which can be printed directly on to an envelope or label.

However, this new era stamp will be a barcode, rather than the traditional image. Currently, all paper stamps have an image of the queen on them, even if it is miniaturised and placed in the corner. However, there is no place for the reigning monarch on the new barcodes.

Penny Black

The world's first official stamp, the Penny Black, was first issued for use on May 6, 1840 and featured the profile of a young Queen Victoria.

The decision to abandon the Queen's head has raised eyebrows and questions among traditionalists - not least the many thousands of stamp collectors in Britain and around the world.

There are legitimate questions as to whether the name 'Royal Mail' can be maintained as the postal organisation signals a seismic shift in the way people pay for postage.

For it seems the opportunity to buy and download barcode stamps from the internet 24 hours a day will signal the the start of a slow death the traditional paper version.

Many members of the Royal Philatelic Society London, which was established in 1869 and is the oldest society of its kind in the world, are not amused.

One critic, Ashley Lawrence, said: "A barcode purchased over the internet sounds unattractive. It is unlikely to appeal to those of us who are keen postal historians, or to encourage youngsters to take up the excellent and informative hobby of stamp collecting.

"It is a pity that Royal Mail - of all people - should allow the Queen's head to disappear from our postage stamps.

"Great Britain was the first country to issue stamps, in 1840, and the Monarch's head has graced our stamps since then.

"We are the only country which has not needed to display its name on postage stamps; the Queen's head gave our stamps their unique distinction."

RPS press spokesman, Michael Pitt-Payne, complained: "This is another nail in the coffin of the traditional stamp."

Another RPS member, Patrick Reid, said: "The traditionalists will hate this. The traditional stamp adds a bit of colour and interest to people's lives.

"I can see the attraction for the Post Office because it will help their automatic sorting machines. But it does nothing for the collector or to help children develop an interest in stamp collecting. "Children are interested in things with pretty pictures. Stamps provide that and will often help you learn things about the country.

"A lot of the geography I know is because I started collecting stamps as a seven or eight year old. Looking at a barcode doesn't capture the imagination.

Bizarrely, Mr Reid said some people in the stamp collecting community may decide to collect and decode the new barcodes.

The Royal Mail yesterday enthusiastically launched the first service allowing the public to buy and print their 'stamps' online. It said: "The online postage service gives customers more choice and flexibility in the way they access Royal Mail's services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"Customers pay for their postage on the internet by selecting the appropriate amount for their letter or parcel, and paying by debit or credit card or via a pre-pay account. A unique barcode is then printed directly onto envelopes, labels or paper before posting in the normal way."

There is no subscription fee for the service, while the charges are the same as normal postage. Customers can choose from a full range of posting options, from First Class to international services.

Royal Mail marketing director, Alex Batchelor, said: 'We have launched this service in response to demands from the general public who want to be able to buy and print their postage online, direct onto an envelope or a label.

"The service is perfect for busy people, but it is also aimed at home workers who post small quantities of mail on a regular basis as well as people who sell goods via auction websites."

When challenged about the criticism, a spokesman said: "Royal Mail want to provide a range of services that meet the needs of all their many and varied customers. The Online Postage system is designed to be complementary to traditional stamps, not a replacement."

He pointed out that many companies have used franking machines, rather than stamps, for a number of years.

The Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell, condemned the Royal Mail saying: 'I am personally outraged by this.

'In theory, making stamps available over the internet is a great leap foward, but it is an apalling decision not to combine this modern approach with traditions that are embedded in national life.

'The monarch's head has always been on stamps since the first one was issued. There is no justification to take it off. This is a very sad day.'

He added: 'It is just one of the many examples of how the monarchy is being airbrushed from national life. That is totally unjustified and at odds with the opinion of the vast majority of the nation.'

Tory MP Nigel Evans joined the attack, saying: 'I find this incredibly worrying. This organisation is famous for wasting millions of pounds rebranding into Consignia and then having to go back to the Royal Mail after realising the new name meant nothing,

'This latest episode demonstrates they have learned absolutely nothing. The people at the top of the Royal Mail have shown scant regard for tradition and the fact people like stamps to have the monarch's head on them.

'There is no sense of tradition, history and continuity. I would ask the Royal Mail to think again.'

The controversial decision will have been approved by the Royal Mail's chief executive, Adam Crozier, a former boss of the Football Association, and its chairman Allan Leighton.

The new internet stamp includes an intricate barcode. It is accompanied by a separate print block identifying whether the letter is first or second class and the Royal Mail name with a crown above it. There is no technical reason why the print out could not also include a silhouette of the Queen's head. Asked why the Queen's head is not on the electronic stamps, a Royal Mail spokesman initially said: 'The design we have got, we thought was appropriate.'

Subsequently, a spokesman denied the new system is an electronic stamp at all. Rather, he said it was a new form of online postage and therefore it was not appropriate to use the Queen's head.

The Royal Mail also blamed technical problems. Today's printers are capable of reproducing pin-sharp colour photographs, while the new Royal Mail postage print-out includes intricate and small print.

However, the organisation said one of the reasons it has not used the monarch's head is because home printers would not be able to accurately reproduce it.

Officialdom is gradually removing the monarchy from the name of the country's public institutions.

Her Majesty's Prison Service has been renamed the National Offender Management Service following a merger with the Probation Service. While Her Majesty's Stationery Office is now The Stationery Office.

The Home Office has floated the idea of renaming the Crown Prosecution Service as the 'Public Prosecution Service'.

The staff of the new Serious and Organised Crime Agency, which includes police officers, immigration and customs officials, are not asked to swear allegiance to the Crown and the Queen. This is at odds with the oath traditionally sworn by serving police officers.

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