This is a sponsored post. As you know, we are big sports fans here and are very excited about the Olympics. The arrival of our tickets for the football at Old Trafford has just ramped that up yet another notch.
There's going to be loads of Olympic memorabilia on sale over the next few months, but nothing says it quite like commemorative stamps. Having issued stamps to commemorate the 1948 London Olympics with a stamp bearing the five Olympic rings, Royal Mail has a proud history of commemorating London Olympic games. There are already stamps on sale, marking 2012 as the Olympic and Paralympic year. On 27th July, a "Welcome to the Olympic Games" special set of stamps will be issued. But that's not all.
This year, Royal Mail has come up with a unique approach to stamps. For the first time ever, they will issue Gold Medal stamps for each gold medal won by Team GB. Not only that, their aim is to have each stamp on sale by lunchtime the next day at 500 post offices across the UK and on the Royal Mail site. Each stamp will feature, where possible, a photograph of the athlete of team in action during their gold medal winning performance. If that's not possible, it will feature either a shot of them in action during a heat or on the podium receiving their medal.
The stamps will then be distributed to a further 4,500 post offices during the Games 3 times. It's the first time Royal Mail has issued next day stamps and it's a huge undertaking, with their team of designers and picture editors on standby throughout the Olympics, ready to create new stamps every time Team GB wins gold. It's also the first time that a host country has turned action shots from gold medal winning performances and made them into stamps so quickly. They are going to be pretty unique, (and possibly worth a bob or two?). It will be no mean feat as during the Beijing Olympics, Team GB won 19 medals, which is more than one every day.
There are also going to be some of the 500 post offices which will open for the first time ever on Sundays during the Olympics. You'll be able to buy stamps individually, or as part of a special sheet. Also, at the start of the Paralympics at the end of August, Royal Mail will also be issuing stamps to commemorate the start of those games - another first.
If you want to keep up to date with all the stamps from the Olympic year, you can register your interest now and be kept up to date. I think I will be buying some for the children to keep as a little piece of history.
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