The Stamp Art ‘King & Snowman’ project using the 1966 Christmas 3d King and 1/6 Snowman, showcases the gold head progression error and missing ‘T’ error. The postal stamp issue is an award winning stamp design, presented in full mint sheets with a showcase of the error varieties and presented in an infomative and educational review of this postal stamp issue. A number of ‘Limited Edition’ Fine Artwork prints available for sale in the Stamp Art Gallery Shop.
Private commission for exhibition’s and corporate display, in large format artwork design options with accompanying messaging, are available by request. Please contact info@stampartist.co.uk. for more information.
The Stamp Art project focusing on The 1966 Christmas issue of the 3d King and 1/6 Snowman, using full sheets of 80 postage stamps with the famous printing error ‘Gold Head Progression’ and missing the ‘T’. The Queens Gold Head should sit with the middle of the queens gold head being above the forth right hand spike of the kings crown but has shifted to the left.
The gold shift error on the GB 1966 King Wenceslas postage stamp is attributed to a printing mishap where the gold ink used to depict the Queen’s head was misaligned during the printing process. This resulted in the Queen’s head appearing shifted or misplaced on some of the stamps.
The missing error on the GB 1966 King Wenceslas postage stamp In this particular instance, it appears that the omission of the letter ‘T’ was a constant variety, meaning it occurred on multiple stamps within a sheet rather than being a random, isolated incident. This suggests a potential issue with the printing plate or the process of engraving the designer’s name, leading to the consistent absence of the ‘T’ on some stamps.
The ‘G’ King is a sheet of 80 stamps all with the gold head progression error. The stamps which are nearer the middle are more valuable than the stamps with the head in the correct position. The ‘G&T’ King Artwork has the gold head progression error and a missing ‘T’ error, which is the ‘T’ of the name of the design winner T Shemza, which is printed on the bottom of the stamp effected and is missing on the G&T King Artwork, on the 6th stamp down and 2nd stamp across.
These stamps are known as errors and due the limited number of these error stamps being available, makes them sort after by collectors. The 1966 3d and 1/6 stamp was the first GB issue to show a design replacing the traditional head of the reigning monarch which makes these stamps sheets the perfect material for a stamp artwork display.
The 1966 Christmas King (Wenceslas) stamp and the snowman stamp were part of a children’s design competition. The high quality printing production and vibrant colours makes a valuable wall art display and conversation piece. The vibrant blue background shows off the striking gold of the queens head and the award winning design of the kings face on the pillar box red. The provence of this stamp issue being the first designed commemorative stamp that replaced the reigning monarch head, and the ‘G’ King and ‘G&T’ King being fine full sheet examples of the spectacular errors, makes these unique sheets a must have art work for the art enthusiast seeking to add to their modern art collection.
“Good King Wenceslas looked out
On the Feast of Stephen
When the snow lay round about
Deep and crisp and even
Brightly shone the moon that night
Though the frost was cruel
When a poor man came in sight
Gathering winter fuel”
A unique modern Stamp Art project, incorporating the famous 1966 Christmas Stamp Errors in a limited edition collection of Full Mint Sheets of rare material.
The G King
1966 christmas 3d king with gold progression error
The Gold Queens Head is over the crown of the king and moves
left from right to left of the sheet
Size: 51cm x 63cm on White Pearl
The 3d ordinary issue of the 1966 Christmas stamp was sold with phosphor band and ono-phosphor variety. Ordinary: 3d – 153,318,160 sold / Phosphor: 3d – 8,756,960 sold.
Issued on 1st December 1966: the 3d sold out in January 1967. Fine MINT examples of the 1966 Christmas 3d with Gold Shift error are available for between £10.00 to £20.00 for each stamp. The ‘G’ King displays a Full Fine Mint sheet of the Full range of the Gold Head Progression, the nearer to the left the more obvious the error. Rare. By Tino
The Snowman
1966 christmas 1/6 Snowman Mint Sheet
The first commemorative design to be used on a GB stamp with the 3d King (Wenceslas)
Size: 51cm x 63cm on White Pearl
The 1/6 ordinary issue of the 1966 Christmas stamp was sold with phosphor band and non-phosphor variety. Ordinary: 1/6 – 20,774,000 sold / Phosphor: 1/6 – 2,109,280 sold. Issued on 1st December 1966: the 1/6 sold out in 1967. There are a number of examples examples of the 1966 Christmas 1/6 available on the market. Fine MINT unused sheets are harder to find. A wonderful display of the 1966 1/6 Snowman with traffic light and excellent blue colour, against the award winning design of the Snowman. Rare. By Tino
The G&T King
1966 christmas 3d king with gold progression error & missing ‘T’
The Gold Queens Head is over the crown of the king and moves left from right to left of the sheet. On stamp 6 down and 1 right the ‘T’ is missing from the name
T Shemza at the bottom of the stamp
Size: 51cm x 63cm on White Pearl
The ‘G&T’ King displays a Full Fine MINT unused sheet of the Full range of the
Gold Head Progression error, and the missing ‘T’ error on the same sheet.
Displayed with Half traffic light confirming the error sheet of this
Award winning children’s design competition. Very Rare. By Tino
The 3 G King shift
1966 christmas 3d king with gold progression error
The Gold Queens Head is over the crown of the king and moves left from right to left of the
3 blocks from different sheets including traffic lights
Size: 32.5cm x 18.5cm on White Pearl
The 3 G King ‘Key’
1966 christmas 3d king with gold progression error
The Gold Queens Head is over the crown of the king and moves left from right to left of the
2 examples, with description
Size: 31cm x 21cm on White Pearl
King & Snowman
1966 christmas 3d king & 1/6 Snowman
Size: 29cm x 18.5cm on White Pearl
Conclusion
Royal Approval – Edward Short, the new PMG, wrote to the Queen on 29 July 1966 submitting the four designs for the stamps. He explained that, due to the Queen’s ‘lively interest in the gold portrait depicted in two of the Battle of Hastings stamps’, the GPO had employed the same process on one set of essays, adding that the GPO had ‘gone one stage further’ and presented her with an additional set of essays with embossed gold heads. Designs A and B, with or without an embossed head, were submitted as the first choice designs.
On 1 August 1966 the Queen sent her approval of designs A and B with embossed head. These were forwarded to Harrisons on 12 August with the recommendation that the Queen’s head be reduced slightly in size.
Private commission for exhibition’s and corporate display, in large format artwork design options with accompanying messaging, are available by request. Please contact info@stampartist.co.uk. for more information.
Fine Art Limited Edition & Numbered Prints
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Fine Art Limited Edition Prints for sale.
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* Origininal Stamp Artworks.
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