Jeffery Matthews

Stamp Show 2000

The Royal Mail celebrated the Stamp Show 2000 on 22 May 2000. A miniature sheet was issued featuring eight stamps illustrating the colour palette of designer Jeffrey Matthews. The Jeffrey Matthews Colour Palette was started in 1984 in order to return stamps to the original concept of a light tone for the Queen's head on a solid background. This sheet comprises of eight stamps in colours from his palette: 4p, 5p, 6p, 10p, 31p, 39p, 64p, and £1.00 and two pictorial labels.

The upper pictorial label features the shield and crest of the Post Office while the lower is a visual pun of the Jeffrey Matthews palette showing the eight colours of the definitive stamps along with the JM-monogram.The miniature sheet is printed by De La Rue Security Print.

Jeffrey Matthews Stamp designer

Jeffrey Matthews began his career in the late 1940s and is one of Britain's leading graphic designers. His earliest commission for the Post Office dates from 1959 and his first adopted design was issued in 1965 commemorating the 20th anniversary of the United Nations.

In conjunction with his wife who worked under the pseudonym Charity Boxhall, he has worked on a large range of philatelic products.

Apart from significant work on the Country's range of definitives he has made a particular contribution to the design of special stamps on royal and heraldic themes including, the 1984 'Heraldry' issue, and the 1998 'The Queen's Beasts'. One of his most important designs was for the Double Head Penny Black definitives of 1990, which celebrated the 150th anniversary of the world's first adhesive postage stamp