I almost never buy stamps, so when buying stamps for the Christmas cards my thoughts were :
Bloody Hell, that’s expensive.
What can you expect from a privatised PO.

There is no longer a value shown on the stamp.
When I looked up the proper price, 53p, and found that they had added nearly 20p per stamp!

I feel a bit of a mug now.

Wouldn’t that be like selling money for more than it’s worth? Can’t imagine that’s legit.

Even if there’s no value stated I thought it should say 1st or 2nd class on it?

Did they not increase the price just before the floatation?. There is no price on regular First/second Class stamps so they don’t have to throw them away when the price goes up. Found some in an old book the other day, all First Class too from year 2000. As they send them for the given 1st/2nd class service they have to honour the stamp rate. You just have to suck it up at the counter unless you can get wind of the next increase (Budget :(time is favourite). 🙁

Yes. Ask any stamp collector. (You may have to look for an older person)

As they send them for the given 1st/2nd class service they have to honour the stamp rate.

Only if it’s marked as 1st or 2nd, if it has a value attached it’s not valid unless you make it up.

But that’s the point – price of postage is decided when you pay not when you use the service so stamps with prices on are unfair.

Isn’t gold first and Blue second?
I suppose a Christmas edition could be any colour though so probably not relevant.