Description: This stamp is a key piece from the Royal Mail's iconic Millennium collection, capturing the spirit of the performance arts. Designed by the celebrated British Pop artist Allen Jones RA, the image presents an intimate glimpse onto a stage where a man in a tuxedo and a woman in a blue dress share a dance. The framing relies on a brilliant composition where heavy, textured magenta and crimson curtains peel back to create a silhouette of light, directing focus toward the expressive figures. A stylized silver profile of Queen Elizabeth II anchors the top left corner, juxtaposed against vertical black text detailing the issue metadata.
Circa: 1999
Condition: MNH
Notes:
This particular 19p issue holds an essential spot as the opening denomination within "The Artist's Tale" set, which concluded the 12-month long Millennium celebration. Allen Jones, widely known for his striking contributions to the 1960s British Pop Art movement, brought his signature focus on human form and theatricality to this miniature canvas. The security printers at Walsall Security Printers utilized high-grade gravure printing to keep the subtle texture of the stage curtain intact across millions of copies. As with your previously reviewed Hodgkin stamp, the heavy magenta saturation right up to the edge means the inevitable "perforation whitening" is highly visible here, causing mint copies with solid pink teeth tips to carry a premium among specialists.