A team of more than 100 Royal Mail staff have been working against the clock to get the first two Olympic gold medal winners’ stamps – cyclist Bradley Wiggins and rowers Heather Stanning and Helen Glover – out to more than 500 post offices.
The company’s eight-strong stamp design team had just an hour to review images taken by the 100-plus squad of official Olympics photographers, decide on the most fitting image, then prepare it within the template design.
Once the design was complete, it was sent to one of Royal Mail’s six designated printing facilities across the UK, with millions of gold medal stamps then distributed to more than 500 post office branches by lunchtime today.
A fleet of 90 Royal Mail vehicles are delivering the stamps, the company said. Stamps will sell in books of six for £3.60, or individually for 60p. A further 4,700 post offices will receive the gold medal stamps within a week.
The stamps and ‘first day covers’ are also available to buy from its website.
Royal Mail chief executive Moya Greene said: “We’re delighted to be issuing these very special gold medal stamps to recognise our Olympic champion UK athletes.
“This is a first for Royal Mail and we are proud to play our part in celebrating the many victories this summer.
Royal Mail first issued Olympic Games stamps in 1948, and has already showcased all the sports disciplines within three sets of stamps.
It could well have its work cut out, however, as British sportsmen and women took home 19 gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Not that it isn’t prepared – the company has already revealed that if British athletes exceed this total, the 20th issue will be free for those who subscribe to the scheme.
