PHQ cards
PHQ cards are postcards issued by the British Post Office depicting the designs of their commemorative stamps. PHQ cards have also been created for some of the definitive stamps.
PHQ stands for Postal Headquarters.
Where can I buy PHQ cards?
When commemorative stamps are about to be issued by the British Post Office, you can normally buy the associated PHQ card or cards in main post offices throughout Great Britain from around two weeks before the stamps are released.
Collecting PHQ cards
Most collectors of PHQ cards belong to one of the following groups, although there are certainly plenty of examples of collectors whose interests overlap two or more of the groups.
- Collecting unused PHQ cards
- Collecting PHQ cards that have been used and have the first day of issue post mark
- Collecting PHQ cards that have been stamped with special hand-stamps that have a special connection to the subject matter.
Instead of putting the stamp on the back of the card, some buyers place the stamp on the face of the card, making the postcard picture, the stamp and the postmark visible on the same side.
Systematisation and mishaps
Fortunately for postcard collectors, the PHQ cards have had a very good sorting system in place from the very beginning. The first PHQ card, which was issued in 1973, was numbered PHQ1. Since then, the numbering has continued with PHQ2, PHQ3, and so on. This makes it very easy for collectors to communicate about the cards and the risk of mix-ups is low, with some notable exceptions:
- There is a gap in the sequence, because PHQ24 have not been used.The reference number PHQ24 was earmarked for the 9p Silver Jubilee card (issued after the rest of the set), but when the PHQ card was finally issued it was numbered PHQ22E instead. The following set to be issued (a set of Wildlife cards issued on 5 October 1977) had already been allocated the reference number PHQ25 and got to keep that number, so the reference number PHQ24 was left unused.
- Two different PHQ card releases have been given the reference number PHQ43. One is the London 1980 Exhibition card, issued on 9 April 1980 to commemorate the 1980 International Stamp Exhibition. The other is a set of five cards for London Landmarks, issued on 7 May 1980.
- Two different PHQ card releases have been given the reference number PHQ129. One is a set of five cards for Gallantry, issued on 11 September 1990. The other is a set of four cards for Astronomy, issued on 16 October 1990. Because of this mishap, the reference number PHQ130 was left unused.
History
The first PHQ card was issued in 1973, but it wasn’t until July 1976 the the Post Office started to issue PHQ cards for every new set of commemorative stamps.
PHQ1: County Cricket – W.G. Grace
The first PHQ card was issued for the 3 pence W.G. Grace stamp from a set of stamps commemorating County Cricket 1873-1973. While the stamp itself was issued on 16 May 1973, the PHQ card was not available for purchase until mid-July. Therefore, it should have been eligible for a first day of issue (FDI) postmark, but PHQ1 cards with such a stamp actually do exist with a Birmingham FDI cancellation. These cards were deliberately back-dated as a favour. Among collectors, they are not as popular as PHQ1 cards with 21 the July cricket postmark featuring Benson & Hedges. PHQ1 cards with the 1 September Gillette Cup postmark are also highly collectable.
PHQ2: 400th Anniversary of the birth of architect and designer Inigo Jones
PHQ2 was released on 15 August 1973 for one of the stamps in a set commemorating the English architect and designer Inigo Jones who was born on 15 July 1573.
PHQ3 and onwards
From PHQ3 and onwards, the cards have been smaller than the PHQ1 and PHQ2, measuring 104 x 148 mm instead of 120 x 172 mm.
The first 10 PHQ cards
| Reference
number |
Stamp issue date | Stamp set | # of
cards issued |
Total
quantity issued |
| PHQ 1 | 16 May 1973 | County Cricket
1873–1973 |
one | 20,000 |
| PHQ 2 | 15 August 1973 | 400th Anniversary
of the birth of Inigo Jones |
one | 20,000 |
| PHQ 3 | 12 September 1973 | 19th Commonwealth
Parliamentary Conference |
one | 15,200 |
| PHQ 4 | 14 November 1973 | Royal Wedding
(The Princess Anne) |
one | 290,000 |
| PHQ 5 | 27 February 1974 | British Trees | one | 16,750 |
| PHQ 6 | 24 April 1974 | Fire Service Anniversary | one | 30,000 |
| PHQ 7 | 10 July 1974 | Medieval Warriors | four | 31,750 |
| PHQ 8 | 9 October 1974 | Winston Churchill
Centenary |
one | 114,430 |
| PHQ 9 | 19 February 1975 | Bicentenary anniversary
of the birth of J. M. W. Turner |
one | 46,250 |
| PHQ 10 | 23 April 1975 | European Architectural Year | three | 51000 |
Examples of special editions
PHQ 38
The 10p card for the PHQ38 (issued on 22 August 1979) exist with two different reverses; the standard one and another one that states “With the Compliments of the British Post Office” in English and French. The card version with the unusual reverse was produced for the 1979 UPU Conference in Brazil.
PHQ 47
For their exhibition of Elizabethan Sports Stamps, the Post Office’s National Postal Museum overprinted a small number of the 12p PHQ 47 card (issued on 10 October 1980). The overprinted cards were sold with the 12p Sports stamp affixed to the reverse.
Notable differences, errors and more
Just as with stamps, PHQ cards are sometimes printed incorrectly, and such cards can become highly sought after by collectors.
Here are a few examples of errors and differences
Missing colour
| Reference # | Issue
year |
Stamp set | Information |
| PHQ 7 | 1974 | Medieval Warriors | 10p card with missing red |
| PHQ 8 | 1974 | Winston Churchill | 5½p card with missing gold |
| PHQ 9 | 1975 | Turner Bicentenary | 5½p card with missing black |
| PHQ 11 | 1975 | Sailing | 8p card with missing red |
| PHQ 21 | 1977 | Royal Institute of Chemistry’s Centenary Anniversary | 10p card with missing red and black |
| PHQ 22 | 1977 | Silver Jubilee | 8½p card with missing pale blue |
| PHQ 30 | 1978 | Shire Horses | 13p card with missing brown |
| PHQ 47 | 1980 | Sports Centenaries | 12p card with missing magenta, black, bistre and gold |
| PHQ 43 | 1980 | London Landmarks | 13½p card with black print missing from reverse |
Shifts
| Reference # | Issue
year |
Stamp set | Information |
| PHQ 13 | 1975 | Jane Austen
Bicentenary |
10p card:, gold head and border upward shift of 5 mm
13p card: black and yellow shifted upwards |
| PHQ 16 | 1976 | Rose Society
Centenary |
8½p card: upward shift of yellow by 2 mm |
| PHQ 18 | 1976 | 500th anniversary
of British Printing |
10p card: upwards shift of olive & dark green by 5 mm |
| PHQ 21 | 1977 | Centenary anniversary
of the Royal Institute of Chemistry |
8½p card: upward shift of yellow & blue by 1 mm |
| PHQ 16 | 1976 | Rose Society
Centenary |
8½p card: upward shift of yellow by 2 mm |
| PHQ 18 | 1976 | 500th anniversary
of British Printing |
10p card: upwards shift of olive and dark green by 5 mm |
| PHQ 22 | 1977 | Silver Jubilee | 8½p card with pale blue shift to right by 2 mm 8½p card with grey shifted to left |
| PHQ 25 | 1977 | British Wildlife | Otter card: bistre frame shifted upwards |
| PHQ 33 | 1979 | British Dogs | 10½p card: blue and yellow shifted 12 mm to right |
| PHQ 37 | 1979 | International Year
of the Child |
9p card: downward shift of yellow, blue, silver and bistre by 6 mm |
| PHQ 39 | 1979 | 150th Anniversary
of Metropolitan Police |
10p card: red and black shifted down and to left by 1 mm |
Other errors, mistakes and oddities
| Reference # | Issue year | Stamp set | Information |
| PHQ 18 | 1976 | British Printing | The caption on 8½p card incorrectly states the woodcut is of the Knight (it is actually of the Squire) |
| PHQ 21 | 1977 | Centenary anniversary
of the Royal Institute of Chemistry |
8½p card with picture printed on matt (reverse) side |
| PHQ 25 | 1977 | British Wildlife | Badger card missing brown value and description
Hare card missing brown value and description |
| PHQ 29 | 1978 | Anniversary of
Coronation |
13p card with doubling of gold and purple |
| PHQ 31 | 1978 | Cycling Centenaries | The 11p card exists in an alternative version with a completely different back about the Cycling Proficiency Test |
| PHQ 33 | 1979 | British Dogs | 10½p card printed on matt (reverse) side
13p card printed on matt (reverse) side |
| PHQ 42 | 1980 | 150th Anniversary
of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway |
Goods Train & Mail Coach card missing bistre border |
| PHQ 43 | 1980 | London Landmarks | 13½p card printed on the matt (reverse) side |
| PHQ 47 | 1980 | Sports Centenaries | 17½p card printed on matt (reverse) side |