The Legend of King Arthur

2021 (March 16 2021)
Commemorative

Designed by Godfrey Design
Size 35mm (h) x 35mm (v)
Printed by International Security Printers
Print Process Lithography
Perforations 14.5 x 14.5

Stamps

The Legend of King Arthur 1st Stamp (2021) Merlin and the baby Arthur

Merlin and the baby Arthur

1st

Merlin holds baby Arthur, the future king, whose origins remain shrouded in mystery, and in Merlin’s power, until Arthur is revealed to be Uther Pendragon’s rightful son and heir.

The Legend of King Arthur 1st Stamp (2021) Arthur draws the sword from the stone

Arthur draws the sword from the stone

1st

Arthur’s birthright to the crown of England, according to later romance traditions, is confirmed when he pulls out the sword in view of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the whole court.

The Legend of King Arthur 1st Stamp (2021) Arthur takes Excalibur

Arthur takes Excalibur

1st

Arthur’s famed sword, Excalibur, is the gift of the Lady of the Lake, and a symbol of his tutelage by Merlin and his mission in the world. Destined for greatness, Arthur excels in all human virtues.

The Legend of King Arthur 1st Stamp (2021) Arthur marries Guinevere

Arthur marries Guinevere

1st

Despite Merlin’s warnings, Arthur chooses Guinevere as his wife. Her dowry, Thomas Malory tells us, is the Round Table, which Arthur will use to build a fellowship of knights united around the values of loyalty and equality.

The Legend of King Arthur 1st Stamp (2021) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

1st

Arthur’s nephew and chief counsellor, Sir Gawain, here swings his axe to chop off the head of the Green Knight, whose deadly Christmas game of blows startles Arthur’s court and challenges its values.

The Legend of King Arthur £1.70 Stamp (2021) Knights of the Round Table

Knights of the Round Table

£1.70

Around the Round Table, knights from Europe and all nations in the British Isles share the same values of loyalty and unite as equals to protect the weak and defend the realm.

The Legend of King Arthur £1.70 Stamp (2021) Sir Lancelot defeats the dragon

Sir Lancelot defeats the dragon

£1.70

Emblematic since Arthur Rackham’s illustrations dating from the early 20th century, Lancelot’s slaying of the dragon shows God’s grace granted to Lancelot in the fight with the Devil/darkness, despite Lancelot’s own sins.

The Legend of King Arthur £1.70 Stamp (2021) Sir Galahad and the Holy Grail

Sir Galahad and the Holy Grail

£1.70

Sir Galahad, the pure knight, is the epitome of perfection among Round Table knights, and the opposite of his father, Lancelot. His unique success in the Grail Quest reveals the moral failures of Arthurian chivalry.

The Legend of King Arthur £1.70 Stamp (2021) Arthur battles Mordred

Arthur battles Mordred

£1.70

Arthur and Mordred meet one last time in battle, fulfilling their destiny: Arthur’s, to be mortally wounded by his own son, and Mordred’s, to commit the sin of patricide and treason.

The Legend of King Arthur £1.70 Stamp (2021) The death of King Arthur

The death of King Arthur

£1.70

The wounded Arthur departs for Avalon on a barge driven by three queens. This represents hope for the king’s return, and the agency of women in healing and in preserving his memory and stories.

Presentation Pack

Pack 598
5014721153315
The Legend of King Arthur (2021)

Reverse for The Legend of King Arthur

First Day Cover

The Legend of King Arthur (2021)

Reverse for The Legend of King Arthur

Publicity - First

The Legend of King Arthur (2021)

PHQ Cards

Pack PHQ483

PHQ483 (a) PHQ483 (b) PHQ483 (c) PHQ483 (d) PHQ483 (e) PHQ483 (f) PHQ483 (g) PHQ483 (h) PHQ483 (i) PHQ483 (j)