On 25 January 2023 the Stamp Division of British Pobjoy Mint released a single stamp portraying an emperor penguin chick on behalf of the British Antarctic Territory. This is a continuation of the Penguin and Chicks series of definitives which had 12 values released on 1 November 2018 (in which an adult Emperor Penguin appeared on the £5 highest value). This stamp pays the airmail rate for postcards which is currently 70p and was released to replenish stocks of the soon to be exhausted postcard rate coil stamps released on 13 November 2016.
The emperor penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching 100 centimeters (39 inches) in length and weighing from 22 to 45 kilograms (49 to 99 pounds). Feathers of the head and back are black and sharply delineated from the white belly, pale-yellow breast and bright-yellow ear patches.
Like all penguins, it is flightless, with a streamlined body, and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat. Its diet consists primarily of fish, but also includes crustaceans, such as krill, and cephalopods, such as squid. While hunting, the species can remain submerged around 20 minutes, diving to a depth of 535 meters (1,755 feet). It has several adaptations to facilitate this, including an unusually structured hemoglobin to allow it to function at low oxygen levels, solid bones to reduce barotrauma, and the ability to reduce its metabolism and shut down non-essential organ functions.
The only penguin species that breeds during the Antarctic winter, emperor penguins trek 50–120 kilometers (31–75 miles) over the ice to breeding colonies which can contain up to several thousand individuals. The female lays a single egg, which is incubated for just over two months by the male while the female returns to the sea to feed; parents subsequently take turns foraging at sea and caring for their chick in the colony. The lifespan is typically 20 years in the wild, although observations suggest that some individuals may live to 50 years of age.
The emperor penguin chicks are born completely covered with grey plumage. As they grow this is lost and they develop their familiar and mostly black and white adult plumage.
Sheet of 10 Stamps
Technical Information
| Date of Issue: | 25 January 2023 |
| Number of Stamps: | One (1) gummed stamp |
| Denomination: | NVI: Airmail Postcard (70p on date of issue) |
| Designer: | Sue Flood, photographer |
| Printer and Process: | Cartor Security Printers, Wolverhampton, England by Stochastic lithography |
| Stamp Size: | 25mm x 36mm |
| Perforation: | 13 ½ x 13 ¼ per 2cms |
| Sheet Layout: | 10 stamps |
Twenty twenty-three will be quite a year for collectors of Commonwealth stamps in general or British Royalty as a thematic. Royal Mail of Great Britain has just revealed its designs for its King Charles III definitives (scheduled to be released on 4 April) and there will be a number of memorial tributes for HM Queen Elizabeth II. One of the first of these is a small omnibus coordinated by the Creative Division of British Pobjoy Mint in Kingswood, Surrey, England. They act as the philatelic agency for seven territories, five of which are releasing two stamps and a miniature sheet each on 15 February to honor the late Queen. These are Ascension Island, British Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Tristan Da Cunha — all located in the South Atlantic Ocean. I suspect that Pobjoy’s other postal administrations (Bahamas and British Virgin Islands) will issue their QEII tribute stamps later in the year.
The following comes from the Stamp Division of British Pobjoy Mint and differs only in the descriptions of the stamps from each individual territory. I will add each of these issues to the blog over the next few days and will include some of my favorite images from throughout Her Majesty’s early life and long reign, some of which previously appeared in my “Philatelist’s Tribute” to the Queen.
On 8 September 2022 Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms died peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She will be sorely missed on both sides of the Atlantic and across the free world.
Everyone knew that this day would come but still her sudden passing at the age of 96 was a shock to the British nation, and particularly heart-breaking for the millions of Britons who had spent their entire lives in the second Elizabethan Age. For many in the United Kingdom and the UK Overseas Territories, a world without the Queen is simply unimaginable. Such was her constant presence in the hearts and minds of the British people since she ascended to the throne in 1952, when Winston Churchill was prime minister.
Until the age of 10, when her uncle Edward VIII abdicated and her father George VI reluctantly acceded to the throne, Princess Elizabeth had not expected to become Queen. However, she accepted her role and dedicated herself to a life of service. On her 21st birthday she was with her parents and younger sister on a tour of South Africa from where she made perhaps her most famous broadcast, welcoming the opportunity “to speak to all the peoples of the British Commonwealth and Empire, wherever they live, whatever race they come from, and whatever language they speak.” It is from this speech that the quotation that appears on the souvenir sheet has been taken. “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.” This was a profound personal commitment that defined her whole life.
Queen Elizabeth II was the last monarch to have known the British Empire and for most, the only monarch they had ever known. At the time of her coronation in 1953 she ruled over seven independent countries, which grew to 32 nations during her 70-year reign. Over the course of those 70 years, 15 British premierships and 14 U.S. presidencies, the Queen has been a unifying force and a titan on the world stage. She will be revered as one of the greatest leaders of the modern era, and her life of selfless duty and service has left the world a better place. Her leadership over seven decades has also left the British Monarchy in great health.
As we move forward with our new King, we cherish the memory of a truly great leader who lived her life for the sake of her nation with a tremendous sense of dedication, public service, and sacrifice. The Queen will continue to inspire future generations. She will be remembered as a monarch who admirably led her nation through decades of tremendous change on many fronts, from the end of Empire in the 1950s and 1960s through to the Brexit era of the 2020s.
She will be remembered for her calm dignity, her sense of both humour and duty. She brought the monarchy into the public eye with her first televised coronation, her broadcasts over the years and finally her funeral. She was a female head of state and a working mother when for many the ideal was to still be a housewife. She was always traditional, yet open to change. Her approach made her a role model to many women.
In the words of King Charles III during his first address to the Nation and the Commonwealth 9 September 2022: “Queen Elizabeth’s was a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today.”
British Pobjoy Mint
£3 Stamp 1
Queen Elizabeth II drove from Buckingham Palace in the Irish State Coach to perform the State opening of Parliament in the Chamber of the House of Lords 2 July 1970. © KEYSTONE Pictures USA/Alamy.
£3 Stamp 2
Queen Elizabeth II at a State Banquet given in honour by French President Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace, as part of the official ceremonies of the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation, on 6 June, 2014. Thierry Orban/ABACAPRESS/Alamy.
£6 Miniature Sheet
Both stamps with quote
First Day Covers
Queen Elizabeth II meeting artists who performed at the Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool 8 December 2009. Leon Neal/PA Images/Alamy.
Technical Information
| Date of Issue: | 15 February 2023 |
| Number of Stamps: | Two (2) gummed stamps and miniature sheet of 2 |
| Denomination: | 2 x £3 |
| Designer: | Bee Design |
| Printer and Process: | Cartor Security Printers, Wolverhampton, England by Stochastic lithography |
| Stamp Size: | 30.6mm x 38mm |
| Miniature Sheet Size: | 110 x 75mm |
| Perforation: | 13 x 13 ¼ per 2cms |
| Sheet Layout: | 10 stamps |
Philatelic Pursuits 
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