IT’S the stamp that all of Scotland wanted to see, but we never even got close thanks to Peru and Iran.
The new Postal Museum in London is to feature the design for a 9p stamp that was never printed – a special commemorative stamp that would have been issued if Scotland had won the 1978 World Cup.
Manager Ally MacLeod famously hyped the Scottish presence in Argentina, but it all ended in tears when Scotland failed to beat Peru and Iran and exited at the group stage, despite beating eventual finalists Holland.
The stamp was named yesterday as one of the prime exhibits to be featured in the new £26 million Postal Museum in Clerkenwell. It will also feature such exhibits as letters written on board the Titanic, suffragette letters to the Prime Minister and rare stamps such as the Penny Black.
Opening early next year, the attraction will be split into two parts – the museum and the Mail Rail, which will take visitors on a journey through the disused miniature tunnels deep under the streets of London that were previously used to transport letters.
The Mail Rail operated from the 1920s to 2003, and in wartime was used to hide important treasures deep underground. Work on renewing the Mail Rail began yesterday, with the historian and broadcaster Dan Snow wielding the sledgehammer.
“This is a stunning part of our industrial heritage,” said Snow, “the most important social network in the history of the world.”
The new museum will consist of five zones documenting five centuries of the British mail system, all the way back to the first postmaster general appointed by Henry VIII.
Up to 186,000 visitors and 10,000 school visits are expected in its first year, and those wishing to support the Mail Rail project can pay £250 and have their name inscribed on a sleeper.
Museum director Adrian Steel said: “It’s fantastic to have a brand new site – a shop window – to display all of these amazing items that piece together the social history of Britain.”
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