# United Kingdom commemorative stamps 1980–1989

The United Kingdom, known in philatelic circles as Great Britain, released many commemorative stamps (postage stamps issued to honour or commemorate a place, event or person) in the 1980s.

## History

Postage stamps were first issued in the United Kingdom on 6 May 1840, with the introduction of the world's first adhesive postage stamp, known as the Penny Black. Until 1924, all British stamps depicted only the portrait of the reigning monarch, with the exception of the "high value" stamps (also known as the "Sea Horses" design) issued in 1913, which were twice the size of normal stamps with added pictorial design.
In 1924, the first "commemorative" stamp was issued for the British Empire Exhibition. There were then occasional issues over the next thirty years, when the frequency of new issues became more regular. From the mid-1960s, in most years, six to nine sets of commemorative stamps have been issued every year. PHQ cards, postcard-sized reproductions of commemorative stamps, have also been issued to accompany every new set of stamps since the mid-1970s.
British commemorative stamps issued between 1980 and 1989 :
| Issue date | Issue details | Stamps in set | Designer(s) |
| 1980 ||||
| 16 January 1980 | Centenary of Wild Bird Protection Act | Four (10p, 11+1⁄2p, 13p, 15p) | Michael Warren |
| 12 March 1980 | 150th Anniversary of Liverpool & Manchester Railway | Five (5 × 12p se-tenant) | David Gentleman |
| 9 April 1980 | "London 1980" International Stamp Exhibition | One (50p) | Jeffery Matthews |
| 7 May 1980 | "London 1980" International Stamp Exhibition (Miniature Sheet) | One (Minisheet 50p. Was sold for 75p, the premium being used for the exhibition) | Jeffery Matthews |
| 7 May 1980 | London Landmarks | Five (10+1⁄2p, 12p, 13+1⁄2p, 15p, 17+1⁄2p) | Sir Hugh Casson |
| 9 July 1980 | Famous Authoresses | Four (12p, 13+1⁄2p, 15p, 17+1⁄2p) | Barbara Brown |
| 4 August 1980 | 80th Birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother | One (12p) | Jeffery Matthews |
| 10 September 1980 | British Conductors | Four (12p, 13+1⁄2p, 15p, 17+1⁄2p) | Peter Gauld |
| 10 October 1980 | Sport Centenaries | Four (12p, 13+1⁄2p, 15p, 17+1⁄2p) | Robert Goldsmith |
| 19 November 1980 | Christmas | Five (10p, 12p, 13+1⁄2p, 15p, 17+1⁄2p) | Jeffery Matthews |
| 1981 ||||
| 6 February 1981 | Folklore | Four | Fritz Wegner |
| 25 March 1981 | International Year of the Disabled | Four | John Gibbs |
| 13 May 1981 | Butterflies | Four | Gordon Beningfield |
| 24 June 1981 | 50th Anniversary of the National Trust for Scotland | Five | M Fairclough |
| 22 July 1981 | Royal Wedding | Two | David Gentleman using photos taken by Lord Snowdon |
| 12 August 1981 | 25th Anniversary of Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme | Four | P. Sharland |
| 23 September 1981 | Fishing Industry | Four | B. Sanders |
| 18 November 1981 | Christmas | Five | |
| 1982 ||||
| 10 February 1982 | Death Centenary of Charles Darwin | Four | David Gentleman |
| 24 March 1982 | Youth Organisations | Four | |
| 28 April 1982 | Europa – British Theatre | Four | |
| 16 June 1982 | Maritime Heritage | Five | Marjorie Saynor |
| 23 July 1982 | British Textiles | Four | |
| 8 September 1982 | Information Technology | Two | |
| 13 October 1982 | British Motor Cars | Four | |
| 17 November 1982 | Christmas | Five | |
| 1983 ||||
| 26 January 1983 | British River Fishes | Four | |
| 9 March 1983 | Commonwealth Day, Geographical Regions | Four | |
| 25 May 1983 | Europa – Engineering Achievements | Three | |
| 6 July 1983 | British Army Uniforms | Five | |
| 24 August 1983 | British Gardens | Four | |
| 5 October 1983 | British Fairs | Four | |
| 16 November 1983 | Christmas | Five | |
| 1984 ||||
| 17 January 1984 | 500th Anniversary of College of Arms | Four | |
| 6 March 1984 | British Cattle | Five | |
| 10 April 1984 | Urban Renewal | Four | |
| 15 May 1984 | 25th Anniversary of C.E.P.T. ('Europa') & second elections to European Parliament | Four | |
| 5 June 1984 | London Economic Summit Conference | One | |
| 26 June 1984 | Centenary of Greenwich Meridian | Four | |
| 31 July 1984 | Bicentenary of First Mail Coach Run, Bath and Bristol to London | Five | |
| 25 September 1984 | 50th Anniversary of the British Council | Four | |
| 20 November 1984 | Christmas | Five | |
| 1985 ||||
| 22 January 1985 | Famous Trains | Five | |
| 12 March 1985 | Insects | Five | |
| 14 May 1985 | Europa, European Music Year, British Composers | Four | |
| 18 June 1985 | Safety at Sea | Four | |
| 30 July 1985 | 350 years of Royal Mail Public Postal Service | Four | |
| 3 September 1985 | Arthurian Legends | Four | |
| 8 October 1985 | British Film Year | Five (Sir Alfred Hitchcock, Sir Charlie Chaplin, Vivien Leigh, Peter Sellers and David Niven). | |
| 19 November 1985 | Christmas | Five | |
| 1986 ||||
| 14 January 1986 | Industry Year | Four | |
| 18 February 1986 | Appearance of Halley's Comet | Four | |
| 21 April 1986 | 60th Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II | Four | |
| 20 May 1986 | Europa, Nature Conservation-Endangered Species | Four | |
| 17 June 1986 | 900th Anniversary of Domesday Book | Four | |
| 15 July 1986 | 13th Commonwealth Games, Edinburgh & World Hockey Cup for Men, London | Five | |
| 22 July 1986 | Royal Wedding | Two | |
| 19 August 1986 | 32nd Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference | One | |
| 16 September 1986 | History of the Royal Air Force | Five | |
| 18 November 1986 | Christmas – 13p, 18p, 22p, 31p & 34p values | Five | |
| 2 December 1986 | Christmas – 12p value | One | |
| 1987 ||||
| 20 January 1987 | Flower Photographs by Alfred Lammer | Four | |
| 24 March 1987 | 300th Anniversary of "The Principia Mathematica" by Sir Isaac Newton | Four | |
| 12 May 1987 | Europa, British Architects in Europe | Four | |
| 16 June 1987 | Centenary of St. John Ambulance Brigade | Four | |
| 21 July 1987 | 300th Anniversary of Order of the Thistle | Four | |
| 8 September 1987 | 150th Anniversary of Queen Victoria's Accession | Four | |
| 13 October 1987 | Studio Pottery | Four | |
| 17 November 1987 | Christmas | Five | |
| 1988 ||||
| 19 January 1988 | Bicentenary of Linnean Society. | Four | |
| 1 March 1988 | 400th Anniversary of Welsh Bible | Four | |
| 22 March 1988 | Sports Organisations | Four | |
| 10 May 1988 | Europa, Transport & Mail Services in 1930s | Four | |
| 21 June 1988 | Bicentenary of Australian Settlement (Joint issue with Australia Post) | Four | Greg Emery |
| 19 July 1988 | 400th Anniversary of Spanish Armada | Five | |
| 6 September 1988 | Death Centenary of Edward Lear | Four | |
| 27 September 1988 | Death Centenary of Edward Lear, Miniature Sheet | One (MS) | |
| 18 October 1988 | New Issue of 'Castle' High Value Definitives | Four | |
| 15 November 1988 | Christmas | Five | |
| 1989 ||||
| 17 January 1989 | Centenary of Royal Society for the Protection of Birds | Four | |
| 31 January 1989 | Greetings Stamps | Five | |
| 7 March 1989 | Food and Farming Year | Four | |
| 11 April 1989 | Anniversaries | Four | |
| 16 May 1989 | Europa, Toys and games | Four | |
| 4 July 1989 | Industrial Archaeology | Four | Ronald Maddox |
| 25 July 1989 | Industrial Archaeology (Miniature Sheet) | One (MS) | Ronald Maddox |
| 5 September 1989 | 150th Anniversary of Royal Microscopical Society | Four | |
| 17 October 1989 | Lord Mayor's Show, London | Five | |
| 14 November 1989 | Christmas | Five | David Gentleman |

## Sources

* Stanley Gibbons
* Concise Stamp Catalogue
* Gibbons Stamp Monthly
* Royal Mail Stamp Guide
* Royal Mail British Philatelic Bulletin

## Other decades

* United Kingdom commemorative stamps 1924–1969
* United Kingdom commemorative stamps 1970–1979
* United Kingdom commemorative stamps 1990–1999
* United Kingdom commemorative stamps 2000–2009
* United Kingdom commemorative stamps 2010–2019
* United Kingdom commemorative stamps 2020–2029