These two legends of rock music have been on more stamps other than perhaps celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana, and famous historical figures including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Queen Elizabeth II. If you do a Google or eBay search on Elvis and Beatles stamps, you will discover that many different countries that have issued stamps with those legends’ likenesses.

The King Of Stamps

The most popular Elvis Presley stamp of all time is the one that was issued by the United States Postal Service in 1993, 16 years after the King’s death. (Remember the famous poll in which the public was asked to either vote for the ‘50s young rock and roller or the ‘70s Vegas entertainer image—of course the ‘50s Elvis version won). According to a 2006 USPS press release, there have been more than 124 million of the Elvis stamps collected, outpacing the 2006 Wonders of America stamps by over 35 million. Today the individual stamp is worth 60 cents, says the 2008 Scott Catalog.

But if you can’t get enough of that one particular Elvis stamp, there are plenty of other ones available—some of which are far more colorful and extravagant than the U.S. issue. For example there is a one of the King issued by Antigua back in 1987 as part of its entertainers series, followed by a sheet of nine Elvis stamps issued by the same country in 1992.

Grenada also got into the act with its own Presley issues in 1995 and 2009 along with Guyana in 1996 and 2002. Other countries that featured the King on their stamps include Tuvalu, Sierra Leone, Guinea, the Congo, Turkmenistan, St. Vincent, Eritrea, Chad, Grenada Grenadines, Bhutan and the Ivory Coast.

Magical Mystery Stamp Tour

The Beatles also follow in the King’s footsteps when it comes to their popularity both in music and stamps. Nearly 40 years after the group’s break up, the Beatles’ home country of Great Britain in 2007 finally honored them with two special issues. The first is a set of six stamps featuring the album covers of some of their greatest albums in chronological order: With the Beatles, Help, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road and Let It Be. The other issue is a souvenir sheet of four stamps depicting Beatles memorabilia. The set of six stamps go for $15.30 and the sheet is valued at $5.00, according to the 2008 Scott Catalogue.

Although a British band, the Beatles were also the subject of a U.S stamp back in 1999 as part of the Postal Service’s Celebrate the Century stamp series that spotlighted the important people and events of the 1960s. That particular stamp featured the Beatles logo and an illustration of the yellow submarine named after the group’s popular 1966 song and used in the animated movie of the same name.

You may wonder why aren’t the faces of the Fab Four on the stamp? Well, it’s most likely because at the time of the stamp’s release, three of the four Beatles were still alive, and USPS regulation states that no living persons can be depicted on a stamp. Another possible factor that the surviving members were not U.S. citizens. In case you were wondering, that U. S. Beatles stamp is worth 85 cents.

And like the Elvis stamp, you won’t be short on finding Beatles issues from other countries, which include Afghanistan, Chad, Guinea, Congo, St. Thomas and Prince Islands. There are also stamps from other countries that commemorate the late John Lennon such as Guyana, Antigua, and Azerbaijan. There is even a German semi-postal stamp honoring Lennon that was issued in 1988.