Courtesy of The Royal MailQueen will be the third British music group ever to be honored with a set of stamps by U.K. postal agency The Royal Mail, following The Beatles in 2007 and Pink Floyd in 2016.
Thirteen stamps celebrating the contributions of the legendary band will go on sale to the general public in the U.K. on July 9.
Eight of the stamps will depict Queen album covers: 1974’s Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack, 1975’s A Night at the Opera, 1977’s News of the World, 1980’s The Game, 1981’s Greatest Hits, 1984’s The Works and 1991’s Innuendo.
Four others will commemorate memorable concerts that the band played: Three London shows — Wembley Stadium in 1986, Hyde Park in 1976 and the Hammersmith Odeon in 1975 — and one in Budapest, Hungary in 1986. Rounding out the collection is a stamp featuring a famous 1974 pic of the group taken at its first-ever photo shoot.
“Wow…stamps featuring our albums! What an honor,” says Queen drummer Roger Taylor. “We must be really part of the furniture now! Thanks Royal Mail for stamping on us! In gratitude.”
Adds Queen guitarist Brian May, “It’s hard to put into words what I feel when looking at these beautiful stamps…Sometimes it’s strange to wake up and realize the position in which we are now held — we have become a national institution! And nothing brings this home more than this incredible tribute from Royal Mail.”
The full 13-stamp set, available in a “Presentation Pack,” costs 16 pounds, or about $20. You can pre-order the stamps, and various other collectible items, now at RoyalMail.com/Queen.
By Matt Friedlander
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.