King George V Stamps

King George 5th reigned from 1910 to 1936, leading the British Empire through the tumultuous years of the First World War and the post-war era.

Our collection brings together the comprehensive range of King George 5th stamps. From the classic "Seahorses" to the iconic "Downey Head" varieties, these stamps are a tapestry of the time period. 

Issues of George V

Downey Heads - named after the Royal Photographers W & D Downey. They were contentious upon their issue due to their quality. The Postmaster General rushed for the stamps to be ready for Coronation Day, meaning Harrison & Sons and the Royal Mint did not produce their best work. The halfpenny (green dolphins) and 1d (red lions) were available for sale, but the other designs and values had to be abandoned.

Royal/Block Cypher Mackennal Heads - the King insisted on abandoning the Downey design in favour of the Mackennal profile - an effigy for coins and medals. These replaced the Downeys in 1912, introducing a full range of values printed again by Harrison & Sons exept for the 6d which was printed by Somerset House.

Dark Frame Photogravures - in 1933 a mandate was made for use of the Photogravure method so the existing Mackennal head designs were adapted for Photogravure by Harrison & Sons. Further high value designs were proposed, but due to the King's death were never issued.

Seahorses - when designing the low values, Mackennal proposed a separate design to the King for high values, depicting Britannia riding a chariot through the sea. The King was directly involved in the printing process, insisting on a recess printing method and so Waterlow, Harrison and the Royal Mint collaborated to get the design to print.

First Commemoratives - the first British Commemorative stamp was designed as part of a competition so the set was the 1924 British Empire Exhibition set featuring the King's profile alongside a roaring lion.