King George VI Stamps

King George VI reign marked by historical events, including World War II and the dissolution of the British Empire.

The stamps issued during King's have distinctive designs and greater variety of denominations. These stamps echo the cultural shifts and technological advancements of the mid-20th century.

Issues of George VI

The issues of George VI are the most straightforward and most alike the issues of Queen Elizabeth II that many will be familiar with.

Commemorative issues featured heavily during the reign of George VI, with these forming the bulk of the various designs. The first stamp featuring the new King's head is the 1937 Coronation commemorative issue, and the final new design during his reign being the Festival of Britain commemorative issue.

The definitives of George VI have simple variations of colour to set them apart; George VI had done away with his predecessor's fondness for lions, seahorses, different portraits and regal frames. The first issue featured dark colours, which made it hard to read dark ink or postmarks. So the same stamps were reissued and were identical save for the colours being lighter. The third issue of definitives simply had the colour of each denomination changed.