2016 Queen Elizabeth 90th Birthday.


          On 21 April 2016, Queen Elizabeth II turned 90 years old, making her the first British monarch to reach this impressive milestone. Queen Elizabeth II has achieved many incredible milestones as the reigning monarch, including being New Zealand’s and Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, being the longest-lived sovereign in history and being married longer than any other monarch.

         To celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday, New Zealand Post created this very special stamp issue. Included in this issue are three stamps, housed within a unique miniature sheet. Each stamp contains three images ‒ simply tilt the miniature sheet and watch the images change! The images take us from the Queen’s christening in 1926 right through to her attendance at the 2015 Anzac commemorations in London. As you tilt the miniature sheet, the captions beneath the stamps change too ‒ resulting in a comprehensive view of the Queen’s lifetime. The stamps are featured in a classic stylised gold-gilded frame against a royal purple background, making this a truly regal stamp.



Below are the three views. frozen so the images can be seen in greater detail. Notice how the captions and dates change with the images.





This issue also came with a First Day Cover two.


New Zealand was not the only country to issue stamps to mark this important event. Many other countries in the British Commonwealth did as well. Below is a miniature sheet with six stamps issued by Great Britain.



Technical information

Date of issue:
4 May 2016
Number of stamps:
Three lenticular
Denominations:
$5.00 x3
Stamps and first day covers designed by:
Jonathan Gray, New Zealand Post, Wellington, New Zealand.
Printer and process:
Joh. Enschede Security Print, UV offset printing
Number of colours:
Four colours, lenticular with three lenses
Stamp size and format:
52mm x 44mm (horizontal)
Paper type:
Permanent self-adhesive mc paper 250gm, with Ecolens 75 LPI Universal lenticular lens
Perforation gauge:
Die cut
Period of sale:
Unless stocks are exhausted earlier, these stamps will remain on sale until 3 May 2017.
First-day covers will remain on sale until 3 July 2016.