Robert Burns First Non-Royal With Three Stamp Collections

Insync

oi-Staff

By Staff

Thursday, January 22, 2009, 13:37

The first non-royal person to be honored with three collections of stamps is Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns.

Reportedly burns has left behind the like of Winston Churchill, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens and is ready to launch his whose new edition of stamps. The latest edition will be unveiled by Royal Mail. The honour is a moment of pride for the Scotland's icon to be recognised by the Royal Mail.

The miniature sheet of the first-class stamps featuring two Burns designs and four Scottish designs will be released on January 22. Some of the most outstanding stamps include the one that feature the title of the poem 'A Man's a Man For a' That', with a detail from a copper-plate engraving from a painting by James Sargent Storer of Robert Burns turning up a mouse in her nest with his plough, inspired by Burns's poem 'To A Mouse'.

Another one shows Alexander Nasmyth's famous portrait of the Ayrshire poet, the other four feature saltire, a thistle, a lion rampant and a cloth of tartan. The first edition was issued in 1966, to celebrate hie 200th birth anniversary. However the campaign was denied by the parliament in spite of the house facing 30 questions.

When Labour MP Tony Benn became the postmaster general in 1964, the decision was revised and released the first two commemorative stamps. The year 1996 saw the release of the second collection of four stamps each of which featured a line of Burns' poetry, were released in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of his death.

Now, latest item to be on sale is a Robert Burns commemorative 2 pounds coin, produced in association with the Royal Mint. AGENCIES