OK, this is probably the first and last time you’re ever likely to see the words “high tech” and “Agatha Christie” in the same sentence, or “high tech” and “stamps,” for that matter. All of which emphasizes just how special these new Agatha Christie stamps from the UK’s Royal Mail truly are. Released to mark the author’s 126th birthday, the stamps, like that popularizer of the “cozy” English mystery, are awash in secrets – secrets that can be revealed with a little help from you.
Each of the six stamps is dedicated to an Agatha Christie classic, and contains clues printed with both UV and thermochromic inks. To uncover them, you’ll need to expose the postage to a UV light and your own body heat. There’s a bit of microtext in there, too, so be sure to dust off that magnifying glass.
Thermochromic inks have been used quite a bit in the stamp world – often by the Royal Mail, as it turns out. The blog Philately Moi (well worth a read) traces the practice back to at least 2001. Still, these are probably the snazziest of the lot. (We can hear Hercule Poirot now: “Snazzy? What is this ‘snazzy’…?)
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