Royal Mail is moving into the business customised sheet market, with two commemorative issues planned for 2008.
The first will mark the Centenary of the Territorial Army on April 1, the exact anniversary of its formation from the Volunteer Army.
The second, on June 23, marks the 100th anniversary of the 1908 London Olympics. The release date is the day before the start of the Olympic Collectors' World Fair in Beijing.
Both have 10 x 1st class Union Flag stamps with definitive-sized labels, in the existing business customised sheet format, and a commemorative background design of the kind that Royal Mail has previously left it up to dealers, cover producers and other business customers to dream up.
Both sheets are priced at £13.50, which is £10.10 over face and (after the rate change) £9.90 over face respectively.
Royal Mail told dealers: 'Two commemorative sheets will be issued to mark anniversaries that never quite made it into the stamp programme.'
Graham Howard, co-author of the Smilers catalogue, said: 'With an estimated 1,000 serious Smilers collectors out there, these sheets will sell well on a limited print run.' He added that business customised sheets of 500 usually sell out, and runs of 2,000-3,000 are common, although these are often broken up for covers.
One dealer said: 'In this format, and at well over face value, collectors will boycott them if they feel that it's a product too many.'
Commercial sheets are often sold at around £30. Royal Mail's service charges range from £9 each, for 500-999 sheets to £3.70 each, for over 6,000.
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