Monopoly has a kind of complicated beginning. Not in a bad way, btw. It was invented and then patented in the United States, but the widely known version, a.k.a. the iconic version, was the London Edition. By “widely known,” I do mean outside of America, cos America has its own version—the OG. Anyhoo, given its lineage to Great Britain, it makes perfect sense that Royal Mail is teaming up with the iconic board game for a highly collectible Monopoly philatelic collection to mark its 90th anniversary.
That’s right, my friends, meet the Royal Mail Monopoly Philatelic Collection. And yes, this game we know and love is nine decades old! Holy mother of… that’s really ancient, and a testament to how a good game can stand the test of time.
Anyways, interestingly, when I first heard about this collection, I thought each stamp would straight-up lift a space directly off the classic Monopoly board—the London Edition, of course. You know, the actual printed artwork from the board itself. But nope. Instead, there are 10 designs, each showcasing iconic spaces, tokens, and more, but reimagined as photographed scenes, each shot from different angles.
The designs include the iconic Go space with the sports car token, Old Kent Road with a house already “built,” Whitehall with a top hat token, Liverpool St Station with a boot token, Vine Street with a house, Oxford Street and Regent Street with two houses each (Oxford also features the iron token), the Chance space with vintage dice, Pentonville Road with the Scottish dog token, Park Lane space with red buildings and some bills, and finally Coventry Street with a boat token.
And that’s just scratching the surface. Alongside the usual suspects—First Day Envelope, Stamp Pack, Stamp Set, Presentation Pack, Full Sheet 1st Class, and Half Sheet 1st Class (two series: PL and GO)—there are also Postcards, a Collectors Sheet, Stamp Souvenir, Frame Set of Stamps, Framed Collectors Sheet, First Day Covers (Tallents House Postmark or London, W1 Postmark), Silver Proof Coin Cover, Brilliant Uncirculated Coin Cover, and even a limited-edition Pillar Box token.
Prices range from thirty pence to a cool 85 quid (works out to be about 40 cents USD to 113 USD). If you’re keen, the Royal Mail Monopoly Philatelic Collection is up for pre-order now at the Royal Mail online store.
Images: Royal Mail.
