The Postal Museum Islington first look at King Charles III stamp

The museum in Phoenix Place, Clerkenwell has opened a new exhibition to coincide with the Royal Mail's unveiling of the stamp design.

The King's Stamp looks back over all seven British monarchs to feature on a stamp - displaying treasures from its collection dating back to 1840 and the famous Penny Black featuring Queen Victoria.The new King Charles III stamps go into circulation on April 4 (Image: Courtesy of The Postal Museum)

Rare and valuable stamps from the reigns of other monarchs include King Edward VII’s Tyrian Plum, and Queen Victoria’s Two Penny Blue. Visitors can see how designs developed through original artworks and proofs, and learn how Kings and Queens influenced the final image.

The exhibition is the first chance to see a sheet of King Charles III's definitive or everyday stamps which are based on a profile sculpture for the Royal Mint's coins by artist Martin Jennings, and do not feature a crown.A proof of the first stamp in 1840 The Penny Black featuring Queen Victoria (Image: Courtesy of The Postal Museum)

Printing proofs show how The Penny Black was developed from a sketch of Queen Victoria aged 15, which was used until her death at 81.

Laura Wright, CEO of The Postal Museum said: "The new design for King Charles III’s reign will be the first significant change to everyday stamps in many people’s lifetime. Launching our exhibition on the day the world sees the new design for the first time is a real privilege. We’re looking forward to giving our visitors the first and only chance to see these stamps in person, until they’re in circulation later this year."Plaster cast of King Edward VI head by Edward Dulac, 1937 (Image: Courtesy of The Postal Museum)

Chris Taft, Head of Collections at The Postal Museum said: "The exhibition charts the development of these familiar, everyday objects since the very first stamp was designed for Queen Victoria. Each monarch made decisions about designs that influenced both how the public perceived them, and the decisions successive monarchs made for their stamps. We hope visitors will come away with a better understanding of how the design for King Charles III fits within the rich postal history of the UK."A sheet of rare Tyrian Plum stamps dating back to 1910 (Image: Courtesy of The Postal Museum)

The King’s Stamp runs at The Postal Museum from February 8 to September 3. Entry to the exhibition is included in the museum ticket price which also includes one ride on the underground Mail Rail. https://www.postalmuseum.org/