Editing Millennium stamp

{{Short description|A type of postage stamp}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
A '''Millennium stamp''' is a postage stamp issued by a [[postal administration]] commemorating a [[millennium]] associated with that country's history but several countries issued stamps for the beginning of the 3rd millennium in same cases depicting some of their country's achievements over the preceding years.
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France (5)
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Great Britain (42)
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Guernsey (6)
Iceland (2)
Ireland (24)
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Jersey (4)
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==Canada==
{{main|Canada Post millennium stamps}}
Canada Post released 68 specially designed stamps as a series of 17 Millennium souvenir sheets, each depicting four different stamps, starting 17 December 1999 through to 17 March 2000.  It is not clear, at the present date, whether these issues were justified by any rational policy – or, perhaps, may have been primarily to raise cash from collectors – seventeen four-stamp sets in about thirteen weeks.<ref>Canada Post Corporation, Canada's Stamp Details, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2000, p. 14–15.</ref>

==Fiji==
[[Fiji]] released a series of eight stamps depicting some of the flora and fauna of the island nation, being concepts by four artists, Joe Nasau, Jane Borg, Muni Deo Raj and fourteen-year-old Myron Williams.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stampsfiji.com.fj/stamps/millennium/index.html |title=Fiji – Where The New Millennium Begins |publisher=[[Post Fiji]] |accessdate=3 September 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100518105529/http://www.stampsfiji.com.fj/stamps/millennium/index.html |archivedate=18 May 2010 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==United Kingdom==
[[Image:MilleniumStamp.png|thumb|upright|1999; [[Freddie Mercury]] (with Queen bandmate [[Roger Meddows-Taylor|Roger Taylor]] in background)]]

===1999===

In 1999 [[Royal Mail]] issued a series of stamps that were classified into 12 groups (known as "tales") including Entertainment, Science & Technology and Sport, with one group released in each month during the year. The set issued in September 1999 called ''The Farmers' Tale''<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.collectgbstamps.co.uk/displayset.asp?setid=244 |title=Millennium Series. The Farmers' Tale (1999) |publisher=CollectGBStamps |accessdate=3 September 2010
}}</ref> contained a 19p stamp that doubled as Royal Mail's contribution to that year's [[Europa postage stamp]] issue, which was on the theme of Parks and Reserves.

One of the most notable postage stamps in the collection was one commemorating the life of [[Queen (band)|Queen]] frontman (and avid stamp collector) [[Freddie Mercury]].<ref>[http://www.collectgbstamps.co.uk/displayset.asp?setid=239 Millennium Series. The Entertainers' Tale (1999) : Collect GB Stamps]</ref> It caused controversy for the appearance of [[Roger Meddows-Taylor|Roger Taylor]] in the background at the drums, as it was an understood rule at the time that the only living people allowed to appear on British stamps could be members of the [[British Royal Family]]. However, Sir [[Francis Chichester]] had appeared on a Royal Mail postage stamp, while still alive, in 1967.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7669252.stm BBC | News – The politics of stamps]</ref>

Other stamps featured: English football hero [[Bobby Moore]]; a picture of the structure of [[DNA]]; and a fossil of [[Archaeopteryx]], the first known bird.

The pack called "Entertainers' Tale" was – 19p : [[Freddie Mercury]] (photo, Mercury's Magic/P Blake); 26p : [[Bobby Moore]] (artwork, World Cup/M White); 44p : Dalek (photo, Doctor Who/Lord Snowdon) and 64p : [[Charlie Chaplin]] (artwork, Chaplin's Genius/Ralph Steadman).

[[Image:Scoseabirdstamp.jpg|thumb|upright|2000; Scottish Seabird Centre]]
===2000===
These stamps commemorated a selection of projects throughout the UK which had received funding from the [[Millennium Commission]]. The stamps were released in 12 monthly sub-collections with 4 stamps apiece, making a total of 48 stamps.  So, in 1999 and 2000, some 96 millennium stamps.

The stamps featured such projects as the [[Eden Project]], the [[Tate Modern]] art gallery, the [[National Space Centre]] and the [[Scottish Seabird Centre]].

==Ireland==

===Dublin millennium===

The millennium of [[Dublin]], Ireland, was celebrated in 1988 when [[An Post]] issued a 28-pence stamp available both as individual stamps and in a stamp booklet. The ''Dublin Millennium booklet'' was the first to contain commemorative stamps; until then all Irish stamp booklets had only contained [[definitive stamp]]s.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Philatelic Facts from the last 25 Years |journal=The Collector |volume=An Post 25 Year Special Edition |pages=4 |publisher=[[An Post]] |location=Dublin |year=2009 |url=http://www.anpost.ie/NR/rdonlyres/39E69F78-A0B1-4B7E-B652-B5A3E3D9FA64/0/CollectorsNewsIssue30.pdf |accessdate=23 April 2011 }}</ref>

===Year 2000===

During 1999 and 2000 a series of 24 stamps was issued depicting a selection of Irish and world-famous people, such as, [[Grace Kelly]], [[Nelson Mandela]], [[Thomas Edison]] and [[Ludwig van Beethoven]] and some significant events in Irish history like, [[Flight of the Earls]], [[Irish National Land League|Land League]] and [[Irish Free State|Irish Independence]].

==Hong Kong SAR==
Hong Kong SAR issued gold millennium stamps.

==Laos==
[[Laos]] issued a miniature sheet of four stamps, showing a Laotian landscape, and, on the [[selvage]], fireworks bursting high in the sky.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://saodarly.com/millennium-2000-lao-stamp/ |title=Millennium 2000 Lao Stamp |publisher=Sao Darly |year=2012 |accessdate=6 May 2012}}</ref>

==Tonga==
[[Tonga]] – which was 'first to the millennium', issued a miniature sheet.  The stamps (2) are circular.

==See also==
* [[History of Dublin#Founding and early history|History of Dublin]]
* [[Postage stamps of Ireland]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.queenonline.com/fm-stamp.html Media reports] on the [[Queen (band)|Queen]] controversy Queenonline.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Millennium Stamp}}
[[Category:Topical postage stamps]]
[[Category:Postage stamps of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1999 in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:2000 in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Republic of Ireland postal system]]