Iceland : 2012 London Olympic Stamps and FDC



Day of issue: 03.05.2012
Designer: Björgvin Sigurðsson
Number per sheet: 10
Printer: Joh. Enschedé
Size: 33 x 48 mm
Printing process: 2 lita prentun

Royal Mail : Welcome To The London Olympic Games 2012



Royal Mail will issue a special mini-sheet of stamps to coincide with the spectacular opening of the London 2012 Olympic Games on 27 July.

The sheet of four stamps features a quartet of Olympic sports: Diving, Fencing, Athletics and Cycling 'merged' with four iconic London landmarks: Tate Modern, Tower Bridge, the Olympic Stadium and the London Eye.

To bring out the best of these striking composite images Royal Mail is using one of its widest formats for the mini-sheet which contains two 1st class stamps and two £1.28 stamps.

The two 1st Class stamps feature a fencer's lunge meeting the walkway of Tower Bridge, while runners powering round the curve of a track, 'run' into the Olympic Stadium.

The £1.28 stamps show a diver's arrow-like vertical descent mirroring Tate Modern's imposing 325 foot chimney, while the London Eye's iconic Ferris Wheel becomes the front wheel of an Olympic racing bike.

However, once the drama and excitement of the Opening Ceremony is over and the Olympic Flame is burning bright, it's all about the sport.

Some 10,500 athletes from more than 200 different nations will line up to contest 302 gold medals in a total of 39 disciplines across 26 very diverse sports.

Athletics dominates the gold medal opportunities, with 47 medals, but the Olympics isn't all centered on the Olympic Park, with competitors going for gold at 34 different venues across the UK – another great reason to welcome everyone to the greatest sporting event on the planet.

Canada : 2012 London Olympic Stamps

Rowers are expected to be serious contenders at the 2012 Olympic Games. And the Signals team has captured their power and discipline in Canada’s London 2012 Olympic Games Stamp.

Designed by Kosta and Mike, the stamp features an illustration of a double-scull boat, created by Signals associate, Keith Martin. Kosta says, “We were aiming for a highly stylized, hyper realistic approach to convey the strength and determination of our Olympic athletes.”

The stamp shows a double-scull boat, gliding over a sheet of water that creates its own wake as it moves. The bow of the boat pushes out over the blue edge as if it is crossing the finish line, with an iconic red maple leaf underscoring our Olympic effort. Printed with a seven-colour process, metallic ink was used to enhance the ripples so the water seems to move as light plays across the surface of the stamp.

Canada Post will issue the stamp on June 27th, 2012 in First Day Cover, postcard and booklet formats.

Uruguay : 2012 London Olympic Stamps

Royal Mail : 2012 London Olympic Definitive stamps on January 5, 2012