Description: This vibrant 26-penny postage stamp from the Royal Mail honors the athletes representing the country at the centenary summer games. The central artistic vignette portrays a high-energy, painterly action shot of a basketball player executing a powerful one-handed slam dunk or layup, dramatically framed by high-contrast backlighting. Positioned vertically along the left inner frame line is the commemorative event text "Olympic & Paralympic Teams 1996". The upper right field houses the silver-foiled silhouette profile of Queen Elizabeth II, which sits directly above the prominent, red-outlined denomination "26". This specific specimen showcases exceptional fresh preservation, boasting clean comb perforations along all four sides and an immaculate face completely free of commercial postmark ink cancellations.
Circa: 1996
Condition: MNH
Notes:
This stamp was part of a highly striking, five-piece commemorative set released to celebrate the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics and Paralympics. Each value in the set focused on a different core sporting discipline, pairing basketball with football, running, swimming, and wheelchair racing to honor British athletic diversity.