PHQ cards are

postcard A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

s issued by the British Post Office depicting the designs of their

commemorative stamp A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary, to honor or commemorate a place, event, person, or object. The ''subject'' of the commemorative stamp is usually spelled out in print, unlike defi ...

s. They are generally available to buy in main post offices about two weeks prior to the release of each new set of stamps.

Description

The 'PHQ' stands for Postal Headquarters. All items published by the Post Office are given a number which is prefixed by letters. The first card issued, on 16 May 1973, was numbered PHQ1, and the numbering sequence has continued to the present day. There are however two gaps in the sequence, and two duplications. The number PHQ24 was originally set aside for the 9p Silver Jubilee card (issued after the rest of the set), but when it was issued the card was numbered PHQ22E. The next set (Wildlife cards, issued 5 October 1977) had already been allocated the number PHQ25, and so the number PHQ24 was never used. The London 1980 Exhibition card, issued 9 April 1980 to commemorate the 1980 International Stamp Exhibition, and the set of five cards for London Landmarks, issued 7 May 1980, both had the reference number PHQ43. The set of five cards for Gallantry, issued 11 September 1990, and the set of four cards for Astronomy, issued 16 October 1990, both had the reference number PHQ129. Consequently, the number PHQ130 was unused.

History

The first card issued was the 3p

W.G. Grace William Gilbert Grace (18 July 1848 – 23 October 1915) was an English amateur cricketer who was important in the development of the sport and is widely considered one of its greatest players. He played first-class cricket for a record-equal ...

stamp from the set of stamps commemorating County

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

, issued on 16 May 1973, but not released until mid-July. Subsequent cards have been issued about two weeks prior to the release of the stamps. This enables collectors to obtain the cards before the issue of the stamps so that they can attach the relevant stamp and obtain First Day of Issue

postmark A postmark is a postal marking made on an envelope, parcel, postcard or the like, indicating the place, date and time that the item was delivered into the care of a postal service, or sometimes indicating where and when received or in transit ...

s. When they were first issued, the PHQ cards were intended to be just an occasional picture

for sale to the public at Post Offices and Philatelic Counters. However, right from the first card issued, some enterprising Stamp Dealers realised that there was a potential new

Stamp collecting Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is an area of philately, which is the study (or combined study and collection) of stamps. It has been one of the world's most popular hobbies since the late nineteent ...

area, and stamps were fixed either to the face of the card, or the back, and postmarks for various

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

matches played between July and September 1973 were obtained. In August 1973 a second card was issued for one of the stamps in the set to mark the 400th anniversary of the birth of Inigo Jones,

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and

designer A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans. In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...

. Over the next three years several more single cards, and a few sets were issued, from July 1976 onwards there has been a set of cards issued for every new set of commemorative stamps that has been issued. The first two cards issued, 1973

and 1973 Inigo Jones, are larger than the current cards, measuring 120 mm x 172 mm in size, while all cards issued from PHQ3 onward are 104 mm x 148 mm in size. This can be confusing for new collectors coming across the first two issues for the first time, if they are not aware of the size difference, they tend to think they are worthless copies.

Collecting PHQ cards

There are three main areas of collecting interest. Many collectors like to collect only the unused cards, but some like to obtain them with

first day of issue A first day of issue cover or first day cover (FDC) is a postage stamp on a cover, postal card or stamped envelope franked on the first day the issue is authorized for useBennett, Russell and Watson, James; ''Philatelic Terms Illustrated'', Stanl ...

postmarks. Others like to obtain them with special handstamps that have some connection to the stamp subject matter. Also, stamp collectors will usually put the stamp on the back of the card, but a very popular variation is for the stamp to be applied to the face of the card, so that the

picture, stamp and

are all visible on the same face.

Postmarks and handstamps

The first card was not put on sale until two months after the issue date of the stamps, so would not have been eligible for a

First day of issue A first day of issue cover or first day cover (FDC) is a postage stamp on a cover, postal card or stamped envelope franked on the first day the issue is authorized for useBennett, Russell and Watson, James; ''Philatelic Terms Illustrated'', Stanl ...

postmark. However the card is known to exist with 16 May 1973, Birmingham FDI cancellation (back-dated by favour), but it is much more collectable with the July and September pictorial cricket postmarks. The cricket

s to look out for are 21 July, Benson & Hedges, and 1 September Gillette Cup.

The early issues

Below are the issue dates of all the early cards, issued up until July 1976. Since this date a full set of cards has been issued for every commemorative set, and for some of the definitive issues. All subsequent issues of British Commemorative Stamps had a set of PHQ Cards issued.

Differences and errors

Like the stamps they depict, because of the printing processes involved, errors and differences will occur in the printings. Some of the notable differences and errors are listed here.

Other notable differences

Sources

* Stanley Gibbons Concise Stamp Catalogue *Collect Post Office Cards (Published by

Rosendale Stamps __NOTOC__ Rosendale may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Rosendale Road in West Dulwich West Dulwich ( ) is a neighbourhood in South London on the southern boundary of Brockwell Park, which straddles the London Borough of Lambeth and the Lond ...

)
Gibbons Stamp Monthly
*Royal Mail Stamp GuideRoyal Mail British Philatelic Bulletin {{DEFAULTSORT:Phq Card Postcards Philatelic terminology Philately of the United Kingdom