Rare stamps honour Samuel Johnson and a Manchester United legend

What would have been the 100th birthday of legendary Manchester United manager Sir Matt Busby has been commemorated with the release of a limited-edition First Day Cover.

The renowned United Manager is famous for guiding the team after the  Munich air crash in 1958, and lead them to European cup success a decade later.

He will be one of 10 distinguished Britons to be immortalised in the special stamp issue, released later this month.

Sir Matt Busby statue
United legend Sir Matt Busby

 

The Eminent Britons stamps commemorate historic British figures whose achievements have stayed with us to this day.

The other stamps will feature former World Tennis number one Fred Perry, the British classical composer Henry Purcell, Judy Fryd, founder of the Mencap charity, and Samuel Johnson, writer of the first English dictionary.

Sir Matt Busby's 100th birthday cover features his picture alongside a special Royal Mail postage stamp and official postmark.

A second post cover originally produced for Sir Matt's 80th birthday, in May 1989, will be reissued with the new 2009 stamp.

Just 100 of these commemorative covers still exist today - and they will be eventually auctioned to raise money for charity.

In other Samuel Johnson news, a first edition of Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language: in Which the Words are Deduced from their Originals recently sold at auction.

The book, of which it was once said "nothing within measurable distance of it, had hithero appeared... it remained for a century the unrivalled authority in the English language," surpassed its lower £7,000 estimate, bringing £7,800.

 

Featured products

Elvis Presley Authentic Strand of Hair
Elvis Presley Authentic Strand of Hair
Sale price£399
In stock
Fidel Castro signed certificateFidel Castro Signed Certificate
Fidel Castro signed certificate
Sale price£2,995
In stock
King Henry VIII Autographed DocumentKing Henry VIII Autographed Document
King Henry VIII Autographed Document
Sale price£55,000
In stock