Royal Armouries stamp collection unveiled

The stamps celebrate the UK's national museum of arms and armour

Royal Mail has unveiled 12 stamps being issued to celebrate the UK's national museum of arms and armour.

The museum collection, consisting of more than 75,000 objects, is displayed at three sites in London, Leeds and Fareham, Hampshire.

The stamps, which will be available from 30 January, show examples of armour made between 1520 and 1686 as well as other items from the collection dating as far back as 1365.

"Each object tells a story and we hope these stunning pieces will inspire curiosity about the role of arms and armour in shaping our world," said Royal Armouries senior licensing and partnerships manager Jack Wanstall.

The stamps will be available from 30 January

The armour on display in the stamps was worn by monarchs, including King Henry VIII, King Charles I, King Charles II and King James II.

The stamp collection also features a rare sword and scabbard from the Ming dynasty, c.1420; an ornately decorated flintlock gun by Simpson of York, c.1738; a Japanese helmet from the Edo period, c.1680 and a European sword bearing Arabic inscriptions, c.1365–1432.

"These stamps show magnificent examples of craftsmanship, engineering and high fashion, proving that for royal warriors of the past, dressing to impress was as important on the battlefield as anywhere else," said David Gold, Royal Mail's director of external affairs and policy.

The Royal Armouries collection is displayed at the Tower of London, a purpose-built museum in Leeds and at Fort Nelson near Portsmouth.

According to stamp dealer Stanley Gibbons, there are an estimated 60 million stamp collectors worldwide.

The Royal Armouries stamps can be pre-ordered from the Royal Mail website from Thursday.

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