The National Postal Museum mourns the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. A renowned philatelist, Her Majesty has long been the proud steward of the Royal Philatelic Collection, which grew under her care over several decades. The collection was begun in the late 1800s by the Duke of York, who became King George V in 1910, and contains some of the rarest and most precious philatelic items in the world. In 2004, Queen Elizabeth II generously allowed the National Postal Museum to showcase several items in our digitized exhibition “The Queen’s Own: Stamps That Changed the World.” Among the many events marking Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation on June 2, 1953 was the issuance of a special Coronation set of postage stamps. The stamps were actually issued June 3, since post offices were closed on Coronation Day. The Queen personally approved four stamp designs. The green 1 shilling and three pence stamp features an original work by artist Edmund Dulac; the blue 1 shilling and six pence stamp incorporated a three-quarter view of the Queen based on a photograph by Dorothy Wilding