Description: The vertical square canvas features a stark black background decorated with three highly stylized, vertical columns representing genetic molecular structures. The outer two strands twist in smooth, continuous spirals colored in bright yellow and sky blue to simulate a classic double helix. The central column displays a blocky, stair-stepping emerald green and white geometric ladder representing digitized genome mapping. Small square pedestals sit directly beneath each strand, containing distinct rotating and checkered black-and-white graphics. Queen Elizabeth II's iconic profile rests in a clean silver silhouette in the upper left corner, balanced by bold white typography tracking the design credits and face value.
Circa: 1999
Condition: MNH
Notes:
This stamp was designed by artist Mark Curtis as the premier value in the four-piece "Scientists' Tale" set, which served as the eighth installment of the Royal Mail’s celebrated year-long Millennium series. The graphic layout explicitly references the monumental scientific effort behind decoding the human genome, building directly upon the original structural DNA models proposed by James Watson and Francis Crick in 1953.