Rare 20th-century memorabilia on display - 04/05/2010

Guildhall Art Gallery in partnership with the British Postal Museum & Archive and the Royal Philatelic Collection, will be displaying the vintage collectible.

As part of the London 2010: Festival of Stamps, the art gallery will be hosting an exhibition entitled Empire Mail: George V and the General Post Office (GPO).

The exhibition starts on May 7th and runs until July 25th. It celebrates the 100th anniversary of George V's ascension to the British throne.

A spokesperson for the Festival of Stamps said: "This exhibition will explore the reign of King George V (1910 – 1936), an era of conflict, change and innovation, which saw the world brought closer together."

They added that this period saw an "extraordinary period of design and creativity in the General Post Office".

Items on display include vehicles, posters, pillar boxes, original artwork, stamps used by the king and objects relating to the Titanic, which carried mail on its maiden voyage.

A highlight includes the unused Mauritian 2d stamp as only 500 were ever made and just 12 are known to have survived, claims the Guardian.