03 October 2022
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Members of the stamp trade have begun speculating on the collecting trends we will see over the coming years, as the stamp world anticipates the switch from QEII to stamps to those featuring a portrait of King Charles III.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II means a new stamp era is about to begin, with special stamps and definitive designs soon to feature a portrait of King Charles III. So what does this mean for the hobby and how will it affect demand for British stamps? We asked members of the stamp trade for their thoughts.
Will GB collectors embrace KCIII stamps?
Brian Bayford, owner of BB Stamps, told All About Stamps:
‘Many collectors have only ever collected QEII stamps and have never known another Royal on philatelic material. Lots of collectors collect QEII stamps and will, I am sure, continue to do so.
'But what will actually happen next is unknown, will they stick to QEII or branch out and welcome another Royal KCIII into their collections?’
QEII Commemorative magazine
The November issue of Stamp Collector magazine will be a special commemorative issue reflecting the remarkable reign of Queen Elizabeth II and the many thousands of stamps issued since 1952. Find out more.
Will some collectors stick with QEII stamps?
Mark Johnson, of Mintgbstamps Ltd, is also curious to see how collectors will react to the end of the Elizabethan stamp era.
‘Firstly, modern collectors collect by catalogue or album and want completion, and have therefore continued to collect as long as new issues kept coming. There was no reason or excuse to stop as it would mean the collection would never be complete,’ he told us.
‘The sad death of Queen Elizabeth II has given an awful lot of people a reason to stop buying new issues as soon as King Charles III appears on a stamp.
'This isn’t however “bad news” as far as I can tell though, as the £2-3k a year some collectors have been spending via Royal Mail will now be diverted into “filling gaps” through the GB dealer community.’