Great Britain 1952 Wilding Definitives, 2½d Carmine-Red

United Kingdom · 1952 · 2½d

This definitive stamp features a three-quarter portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, based on a photograph by Dorothy Wilding. The design, known as the 'Wilding series', was the first definitive issue of her reign and became an iconic image on British postage for over a decade. The 2½d value, printed in carmine-red, was a common rate for inland letters.

Issued in December 1952, this stamp marked the beginning of the second Elizabethan era in British philately, replacing the portrait of her father, King George VI.