Royal Mail has announced it is issuing a set of 13 stamps to celebrate one of the U.K.’s most influential rock groups of all time, Queen.

The eight stamps collection will feature images of some of the band’s most popular album covers including Queen II (1974), Sheer Heart Attack (1974), A Night at the Opera (1975), News of the World (1977), The Game (1980), Greatest Hits (1981), The Works (1984) and Innuendo (1991).

Completing the collection is a miniature stamp sheet celebrating Queen’s live performances with images from Freddie Mercury at Wembley Stadium (1986), Roger Taylor at Hyde Park (1976), John Deacon at Hammersmith Odeon (1975) and Brian May in Budapest (1986). The centrepiece of the miniature-sheet also includes the group’s first-ever studio photoshoot at Primrose Hill. 

“With their truly original, theatrical sound and effortless ability to mix musical styles, Queen are rock royalty,” says Philip Parker, stamp strategy head, Royal Mail. “We pay tribute to one of the most loved bands of all time with these stunning stamps.” 

Celebrating their 50^th anniversary in 2021, Queen becomes only the third music group to have a dedicated stamp issue. The group follows musical stables such as the Beatles in 2007 and Pink Floyd in 2016.

"It’s hard to put into words what I feel when looking at these beautiful stamps,” says Brian May, guitarist, Queen.  “Since we four precocious boys started out on our quest 50 years ago, our lives have been devoted to making our impossible dream come true.  Sometimes it’s strange to wake up and realise the position in which we are now held – we have become a national institution! And nothing brings this home more than this incredible tribute from Royal Mail. It’s particularly poignant to look at this collection of images now - now that we are all in a world dominated by a coronavirus, in which none of this could have happened.  I just know that I feel an overwhelming desire to own one of these sets!  Somehow it will be a way of persuading myself that it really did all happen!"

Queen’s stamps retail at £16.00 and are available to pre-order on the Royal Mail’s website. The stamps will go on sale starting July 9.

The new stamp collection follows on Queen’s growing licensing portfolio. Earlier this year, the rock band inked a deal with Happy Socks for a line of socks.