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| SCOTLAND’S patron saint is to feature for the first time ever on a Royal Mail postage stamp as part of a new special stamp edition to celebrate Scotland and St Andrew’s Day. |
| The centrepiece of this special edition, to be launched on St Andrew’s Day, 30th November 2006, is the stamp depicting St Andrew himself. It is an unusual landscape format stamp, featuring a specially commissioned image by renowned, Dumfriesshire-based artist and illustrator, Clare Melinsky. |
| The special edition of stamps for St Andrew’s Day also celebrates Scotland’s capital city what better image to capture the essence of Edinburgh’s rich history and dramatic cityscape than its castle. It is an iconic image of the castle, lit-up against the night sky, which adorns the stamp. |
| The set is completed by a reworking of the Saltire flag definitive stamp and with a reproduction of the classic Lion Rampant First Class definitive stamp. Together the four stamps capture the essence of St Andrew’s Day as Scotland’s national day of celebration. |
| The St Andrew and Edinburgh Castle stamps both carry valuations of 72p, which means they can be used to post airmail letters up to 20grams to anywhere in the world and can therefore be used by proud Scots to send postcards, cards or letters celebrating St Andrew’s Day to their friends and family around the globe. The Saltire and the Lion Rampant stamps are both First Class and can be used to post a letter to anywhere in the UK. |
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The St Andrew’s Day stamps cannot be bought separately, but in the Miniature Sheet set of four at a price of £2.08 (two First Class stamps 32p and two international postage 72p). |
| The stamps also make a wonderful gift or personal memento of St Andrew’s Day and they can be purchased as part of a special presentation pack. As well as the stamps, the presentation pack contains an illustrated pictorial examination of Scotland and what it is to be Scottish, and it can be bought for £2.60. |
| Following on from the St Andrews Day stamps, Royal Mail will also produce miniature sheets and packs for St George, St David and St Patrick in 2007 and 2008. |
| The Miniature Sheet and the presentation packs can be ordered from Royal Mail’s online shop at www.royalmail.com/standrew or by calling Royal Mail’s philatelic bureau on +44 131 316 7483. Customers can also write to Royal Mail, Tallents House, 21 South Gyle Crescent, EDINBURGH, EH12 9PE. |