Remembering Queen Elizabeth II

It’s been three years since Queen Elizabeth II’s passing. She wasn’t only a beloved monarch to the British people—she provided a sense of calm and stability in a changing world. We can be grateful for Queen Elizabeth’s long life… not only because of her service to her country and impact on world history, but because she shared our passion for stamp collecting. And in doing so, the queen preserved thousands of important stamps and their history for future generations.

**#MFN291** – 2022 Queen Elizabeth II, Platinum Jubilee, Canada

Get the full sheet here.

Queen Elizabeth inherited the Royal Stamp Collection from her father, King George VI, as he did from his father, George V. And like them, she was an avid collector. Far from letting her collection sit unappreciated, Elizabeth loved showing it off to dignitaries visiting Buckingham Place. She sold duplicates in her collection to pay for new additions. She acquired a one-of-a-kind block of ten Penny Blacks postmarked May 6th, 1840, for the tidy sum of a quarter of a million pounds. And that’s not all…

Queen Elizabeth II enjoying her stamp collection

The queen’s collection of Great Britain and Commonwealth stamps is the most comprehensive in the world. It’s valued at 100 million pounds and includes some of the world’s most rare and valuable stamps. Still, one major stamp eluded Elizabeth’s collection. I guess even the queen found the British Guiana 1¢ Magenta too expensive for her budget!

Queen Elizabeth was proud of her collection because she added to this treasured family heirloom and made it even better. I like to think we’re doing the same when we add to our own collections. They too will be passed on one day, with all their fascinating history and stories.

2022 Great Britain Stamps Capture Important Moments from the Queen’s Life

**#MFN247** – Set of 8 Stamps Picturing Queen Elizabeth II from 1957 to 2020

**#MFN243** – Queen Elizabeth II Souvenir Sheet of 4 Stamps with 2002 Photo of the Queen in Treorchy, Wales

**#MFN244** – Queen Elizabeth II Souvenir Sheet of 4 Stamps with 1965 Photo of the Queen with Her Husband Prince Phillip in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

**#MFN245** – Queen Elizabeth II Souvenir Sheet of 4 Stamps with 1994 Photo of the Queen in Victoria, Canada

**#MFN246** – Queen Elizabeth II Sheet of 8 Stamps with 1961 Photo of the Queen in New Delhi, India

Fun Facts About Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth gave President Ronald Reagan an honorary knighthood for US assistance during the Falklands War.
She sent President Dwight Eisenhower her recipe for drop scones.
The queen recorded a video with Paddington Bear to kick off her Platinum Jubilee. Click here to join them at tea.
She acted alongside Bond, James Bond. Click here to “see” her parachute into the Olympic Stadium.

**#AC847** – 1953 Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Aerogramme

Pictured on Stamps Over 200 Billion Times!

**#MFN327** – Over 1,000 Great Britain Machins Off Paper (50 Grams)

The queen not only collected stamps—she appeared on them throughout her 70-year reign. Britain’s tradition, as the originator of adhesive postage stamps, is to omit the country name. Instead, an image of the reigning monarch appears on all its postage stamps. Since 1967, that image was a sculpture of Queen Elizabeth in profile by Arnold Machin. This portrait has been printed on stamps of Great Britain and many of its realms over 200 billion times! It remained unchanged at the request of the queen. According to Peter Cockburn, president of the Royal Philatelic Society London, it is an icon, “the most used image the world has ever seen.”