Home > 2010 Issue Summary > Adopted and Adored
The Adopted and Adored issue promotes the work of the RSPCA and other organisations that re-home abandoned dogs.
Coincidentally, both Royal Mail and the United States Postal Service have issued stamps on a similar theme this year! The Royal Mail issue celebrates the 150th anniversary of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, while the US issue promotes the adoption of shelter pets.
British and US stamps
British stamps copyright 2010 Royal Mail
United States stamps copyright 2010 United States Postal Service
Issue Information
Issued a day after the 28 June rate rise, this issue will be the first commemorative issue to include 60c stamps. The initial 55c stamps show a booklet and coil, with the July-August Stamp Bulletin noting that the coil stamps will be printed by both McKellar Renown and Pemara.
Issue Date:
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29 June 2010 (more information)
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Stamp Design:
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Simone Sakinofsky
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Printing Process:
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Lithography (more information)
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Stamp Size:
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26 mm x 37.5 mm
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Designs:
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60c Piper
60c Jessie
60c Buckley
60c Daisy
60c Tigger
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Usage:
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60c Small letter rate within Australia (details)
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Gummed Sheet Stamps
The 60c stamps were issued in horizontal strips of five.
Sheet stamps
Gummed Gutter Strips
The gutter strip features dog tags with the names of the five adopted dogs.
Gutter strip
Self-adhesive Coil Stamps
The contract for the self-adhesive stamps was split between Pemara and McKellar Renown. The work of the two printers can be easily distinguished.
Coil stamps (Pemara stamps (left), McKellar Renown stamps (right))
The best way to distinguish the work of the two printers is by the colour of the '60c' - dark grey on the McKellar Renown stamps and light grey on the Pemara stamps. The colour of the dog's fur also differs between the printers Ð in particular Buckley is a black dog on the McKellar Renown stamps, while Pemara's stamps have him as a blue-black dog.
Coil stamps (Pemara stamps (left), McKellar Renown stamps (right))
The die-cutting of the McKellar Renown stamps also appears to be a little inconsistent. The first strip of five I examined had Tigger's and Jessie's ears touching the edge of the stamp, while other parts of the coil (and the booklet stamps) have their ears well clear of the die-cutting.
As with the Great Railway Journeys, the phosphor tagging used by both printers also differs. Under UV light McKellar Renown's tagging appears 'crosshatched', while Pemara's is much more solid. There is no difference between the booklet and coil stamps printed by McKellar Renown (the difference in paper used is due to the different backing paper)
Coil stamps under UV light (Pemara stamps (left), McKellar Renown stamps (right))
Self-adhesive Booklet Stamps
The five designs were issued in a self-adhesive booklet of 10. The arrangement of the stamps means that collectors who want a set of five from the booklet will need to settle for a block of four and a single stamp. The booklet stamps are the same as the coil stamps, and only differ based on the backing paper.
Self-adhesive booklet stamps
Self-adhesive Booklets
Booklets were distributed to post offices in chequebooks of 20 booklets. These are not listed on this website.
Booklet layout
Booklet cover
Postal Stationery
The five maximum cards feature photographs of the five dogs at play.
Maximum cards
Maximum Cards
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Size:
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146 mm x 104 mm
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Selling Price:
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$6.75 (set of 5)
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Stamp Imprint:
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Three bars (picture)
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Issue Summary
The table below summarises the above information. The cost of each item is given, along with a total for each section. In some cases the stamps are only available from self-adhesive booklets (sold at face value), or from prestige booklets, souvenir sheets or folders (sold above face value).
Item and Description
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Cost
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For the General Collector
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Gummed sheet stamps
Horizontal se-tenant strip (5 x 60c)
Self-adhesive stamps
5 values from booklet (5 x 60c)*
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$3.00
$6.00
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Total
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$9.00
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For the Specialised Collector
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Gutter Strips
Gutter strip of 10 (with dog tags)
Self-adhesive stamps
Pemara and McKellar Renown coil stamps
(colour and phosphor difference)*
Booklets
Booklet with philatelic barcode
Booklet with general barcode
Postal stationery
Maximum cards
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$6.00
$12.90
$6.00 $6.00
$6.75
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Total
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$37.65
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Grand Total
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$46.65
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* It is cheaper for specialist collectors to buy the Collector's Pack which contains the McKellar and Pemara stamps, rather than break up an entire booklet.
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References
Australia Post, Australian Stamp Bulletin, No. 304, May-June 2010, No. 305, July-August 2010
If you have more information, or spot an error, please e-mail me.
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