[press release]
Inventive Britain – 19th February 2015
Reason and inspiration
The United Kingdom has a long and rich history as an inventive nation. The Inventive Britain stamp issue celebrates this vital and creative aspect of the national character with eight key inventions of the past century in a range of disciplines and applications, from materials to medicine. From the splitting of the atom to the discovery of penicillin to the jet engine and in vitro fertilisation, Britain’s creative and resourceful spirit has not been bound by any particular field, crossing the breadth of science and technology, engineering and medicine. The eight inventions featured on the stamps, from the mighty Colossus (right) to super-strong carbon fibres, comprise only a handful of the transformative great British inventions from the 20th and 21st centuries.

Stamp details
Designed by GBH, each of the eight special stamps – available as 4 se-tenant strips of 2 stamps -depict key inventions created by British inventors over the last century: Colossus, World Wide Web, Catseyes, Fibre Optics, Stainless Steel, Carbon Fibre, DNA Sequencing, i-limb. The design company created original visual interpretations of the inventions’ key functions for six out of the eight stamps, while two were designed using existing imagery and Computer-generated imagery (CGI) illustration.

Number of stamps: Eight
Design: GBH
Acknowledgements: Colossus, Catseyes, Stainless Steel, Carbon Fibre, DNA Sequencing and i-limb stamp imagery created by GBH, 2015 © Royal Mail Group Ltd 2015; World Wide Web – Internet blog map image © Matthew Hurst/Science Photo Library; Fibre Optics – CGI illustration by Gecko Animation Limited; Catseyes is a registered trade mark of Reflecting Roadstuds Ltd; i-limb is a registered trade mark of Touch EMAS Limited t/a Touch Bionics
Stamp Format: Square
Stamp Size: 35mm x 35mm
Number per sheet: 30/60 (4 se-tenant strips of 2)
Printer: International Security Printers
Print Process: Lithography
Perforations: 14.5 x 14.5
Phosphor: Bars as appropriate
Gum: PVA
Stamp Set Price: £8.36
Code: AS66A

Product Portfolio

Stamps First Day Cover
Designed by GBH, the envelope design comprises a graphic representation of the Union Flag in the background, playing up the flag’s red, white and blue colour-ways. For consistency with the Presentation Pack design, the title typography comprises a CAD-style graphic treatment, with aspects of the inventions forming part of the letters’ construction.
Price: £10.51 (overseas £8.76)
Code: AF389

Filler Card
Written by Dr Lesley Paterson, the filler card includes eight pithy summaries referencing the development of each of the eight inventions while the title typography replicates that on the First Day Cover.

Dr Lesley Paterson is a professional science and engineering communicator at the Royal Academy of Engineering. She has written articles, reviews and book chapters on a range of topics from cloning to prosthetic limbs and has worked in communications and public engagement with science, technology and engineering for over 15 years.

Prestige Stamp Book First Day Cover
Price: £3.87 (overseas £3.23)
Code: HF065
First Day Envelope
Price: 30p
Code: AE347

Presentation Pack
Designed by London agency GBH, the Presentation Pack has been designed on a science-style graph-paper grid featuring an outline of the Union Flag. The title typography comprises a CAD-style graphic treatment, with aspects of the inventions forming part of the letters’ construction. Written by Dr Lesley Paterson of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the editorial content consists of a general overview about the subject of British innovation as well as a summary of each invention, referencing the key people behind the success stories and an insight into how the ground-breaking work was achieved.
Price: £8.90
Code: AP398

Prestige Stamp Book
The Inventive Britain Prestige Stamp Book celebrates the genius of the inventive British mind. Starting with the origins of stainless steel and concluding with the creation of the i-limb, writer Eugene Byrne reveals the background to all eight inventions and describes how each was developed and reached its potential. An informative timeline, relevant to each invention, also runs throughout the book.

Eugene Byrne is an author, freelance journalist and historical researcher based in Bristol. He edits the local history section of the Bristol Post and is a regular contributor to various national newspapers and magazines on history and heritage. He has written numerous Royal Mail products, mainly on science and technology subjects, including the Charles Darwin PSB, Concorde Medal Cover, The Royal Society Presentation Pack and PSB, the Halley’s Comet Commemorative Sheet, the 2010 Yearpack and the David Livingstone Commemorative Sheet.

Stamp Cards
The eight special stamps are reproduced at postcard-size in this collectable set of stamp cards.
Price: £3.60
Code: AQ217

Prestige Stamp Book Album
The Prestige Stamp Book Album allows you to keep your collection of these wonderful mini masterpieces in pristine condition. It comprises a single format binder with 10 single pocket leaves. Additional packs of 10 leaves can be ordered separately.
Album:
Price £15.99
Code: PA707

Album Leaves
Price: £4.50
Code PA708

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