It all began in 1995 when a young single mother named Joanne Rowling began chronicling the adventures of a boy wizard in England.
She named her literary phenomenon Harry Potter, and after the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 1997 J.K. Rowling went on to write six more books, completing the series in 2007. These books in turn spawned five movies with three more promised to complete the series.
Anyone starting a Harry Potter collection in the 1990s would have soon discovered that there were no legitimate Harry Potter stamps available. The early years of Harry Potter collecting were marred by the release of a number of illegal stamps supposedly originating in such places as Benin, Turkmenistan, Congo and Tadjikistan. (see #1 below) These "stamps" were colorful and appealing but unfortunately not authorized by the country whose name was imprinted on the label.
Prisoner of Azkaban Stamps
With the release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban to theatres in 2004, this changed. The Republic of China released two miniature sheets of six stamps depicting scenes from the film. (see #2 below) A second set was issued by Isle of Man and includes eight stamps showing characters and objects from the film. On the right side of each stamp are the symbols of the four houses of Hogwarts - Griffendor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. These were all issued in sheets of 5 of the same stamp with scenes from the film in the selvedge. A set of 8 stamp cards were also issued which reproduce the art from the stamp on the front and have a pre-printed copy of the stamp for postage on the back.
Goblet of Fire Stamps
With the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in November 2005, China and Isle of Man repeated their release of stamps for the occasion. Two miniature sheets of six came from China depicting the Tri-wizard Tournament. Isle of Man reduced its offering to a set of six stamps showing characters and objects from the movie. (see #3 below)
Holland issued its first Harry Potter stamp in 2005, a 29 eurocent single showing Harry with a letter in one hand and a Quidditch winning Golden Snitch in the other. Strictly speaking, it is not a Harry Potter stamp as the depiction of the boy wizard is on the label and not the stamp itself. To complement this issue Netherlands also released a set of four 39 eurocent postal cards. The cards show Harry, Hermione, Ron and Professor ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody on the front and a stamp imprinted with the same image on the back.
Order of the Phoenix Stamps
The theatrical release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix brought more additions to a Harry Potter topical collection. France released an extensive offering of philatelic material featuring the three main characters, Harry, Ron and Hermione. The trio was together on a miniature sheet of 10 that included three each of Ron and Hermione and four of Harry. Each character was then on a miniature sheet of five stamps and five related labels all valued at 20 francs each. (see #4 below) The Harry Potter stamp was repeated as a single stamp and as a single stamp on a souvenir sheet all bearing the inscription "Fête du Timbre 2007".
Deathly Hallows Stamps
In conjunction with the publishing of the last of the Harry Potter books, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007, Great Britain released a set of seven stamps in a strip, each showing the cover of one of the seven books. A souvenir sheet of 5 depicting the crests of Hogwarts school and its four houses accompanied the issue along with sets of postcards showing the stamps. (see #5 below)
No doubt as the rest of the movies are released in the years ahead the other books of the series will find a place in a set of stamps.
Another enjoyable topic for stamp collectors can be found at Collecting Disney Stamps and more on collecting Harry Potter at Collecting Harry Potter Books.
Bibliography
- Harry Potter and the Topical Collector – William Silvester - Scott Stamp Monthly – June 2007
- Harry Potter Collector's Handbook - William Silvester - Krause Publications - to be published September 2010
William Silvester - Most of Bill's writing over the past few years has been for the philatelic press and consists primarily of columns and articles about the ...
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