http://www.stampandcoin.co.uk FEBRUARY 2016^43GB STAMPS 1966Landscapes
2 May
The first shock of 1966 was the replacement of the traditional
‘proper’ head of the Queen with a formal silhouette based on Mary
Gillick’s design for the coinage. It was an innovation appropriate
to the UK’s first purely thematic set (UK rather than Britain since
Northern Ireland was included). The designer, Leonard Rosoman,
produced four stamp-sized scenes for each country which could be
printed in four colours or less. He left sufficient space for what he
assumed would be the Wilding head. Unfortunately the new head
was designed to fit in a much smaller space, and hence the blank
silhouettes are wholly out of proportion to the design. They were
derisively nicknamed the Camay Soap heads.World Cup Football Championship
1 June
If 1966 were to be remembered for just one thing it would probably be the World
Cup at Wembley in which England emerged as the winners. Just three stamps
were allocated (today it would probably be dozens). They were ill-matched and
rather a disappointment. The best of the three is William Kempster’s design on
the 6d which at least gave a sense of the stadium and showed spectators as well
as players. David Caplan’s 1/3 design was in the pop art style of the time. Since
(like Kempster’s) it shows three players jumping for the ball, it might have worked
better in vertical format. David Gentleman based his characteristically uncluttered
design for the 4d stamp on photographs of two men kicking a ball about. Though
anonymous, they were the first commoners ever to appear on a British stamp
(their names were Harrington Smith and David Ridgeway). The design stressed
the competitiveness of the game although one player seems to be fouling the other.
Most press attention focussed on a discarded design by Caplan that showed the
flags of the competing nations. Unfortunately it included the flag of North Korea
which Her Majesty’s Government did not recognise!World Cup Football Championship
1 JuneWorld Cup Football Championship
1 JuneWorld Cup Football Championship
If 1966 were to be remembered for just one thing it would probably be the World
Cup at Wembley in which England emerged as the winners. Just three stamps
were allocated (today it would probably be dozens). They were ill-matched and
rather a disappointment. The best of the three is William Kempster’s design on
the 6d which at least gave a sense of the stadium and showed spectators as well
as players. David Caplan’s 1/3 design was in the pop art style of the time. Since
(like Kempster’s) it shows three players jumping for the ball, it might have worked
better in vertical format. David Gentleman based his characteristically uncluttered
design for the 4d stamp on photographs of two men kicking a ball about. Though
anonymous, they were the first commoners ever to appear on a British stamp
(their names were Harrington Smith and David Ridgeway). The design stressed
the competitiveness of the game although one player seems to be fouling the other.
Most press attention focussed on a discarded design by Caplan that showed the
flags of the competing nations. Unfortunately it included the flag of North Korea
which Her Majesty’s Government did not recognise!World Cup Winners
18 AugustThe Post Office had time only to reprint the 4d stamp with ‘England
Winners’ in the space between the value and the Queen’s head. With
the print technology of the time, a wholly new design would have
taken weeks if not months. For the 1970 World Cup they had the
stamps ready but this time England was beaten by Germany.England captain Bobby
Moore lifts the Jules
Rimet trophy at Wembley,
30 July, 1966p42 1966.indd 43 21/12/2015 09:45