Page 132 - 148 Years of the Royal Philatelic Society London
P. 132
In 1997: Hong Kong returned to China; Heaven's Gate Cult mass suicide; Titanic at movie
theatres; first Harry Potter book; Princess Diana, Mother Theresa and Deng Xiaoping die.
At the RPSL: Theo and M rs Dahinden present 'The Dog - Man' s Best Friend and Helper'
social philately and them atic display at t he RPSL.
RPSL President was Jane Moubray. Patron H.M. Queen Elizabeth II.
Membership 1552 - 1500.
GREAT BRITAIN £5 ENSCHEDE
QUEEN'S HEAD OMITTED PRINTING ERROR
From t he collection of Peter Shaw.
M ember since 2015. Lives in England.
1.2
The stamp was printed and issued in 1997, although it has a 1998 cancellation. I have included it as it
comes with an amusing story. Enschede took over the printing of the Castle high values from
Harrisons in 1997. Enschede managed to print all values without the Queen's head. This £5 stamp
was cancelled at the Mount Pleasant sorting office in London. Gibbons Stamp Monthly of September
1998 reported a telephone call from a client in Singapore informing them that the £5 stamp used to
frank the envelope enclosing his order was missing the Queen's head. An inspection of the Gibbons'
post room revealed four more missing head stamps among stamps ordered from the Philatelic
Bureau for postal use.
