A set of stamps honouring Dame Shirley Bassey's 70 years in showbiz has been issued by Royal Mail - its first set devoted to a solo feminine music artist.

The eight stamps in the principle set present the Welsh singer performing throughout her illustrious music profession at venues as numerous as a London nightclub and the opening ceremony of the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

Dame Shirley, now 86, is pictured on a TV present in 1963, close to the beginning of her time in music, and as just lately as 2013, on the Oscars ceremony.

There can also be a sheet of 4 stamps of candid black and white images taken of her throughout recording periods and rehearsals.

Royal Mail has issued devoted units of stamps for David Bowie, Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney, however by no means to a feminine solo music artist.

Dame Shirley mentioned: "I am absolutely thrilled and would never have dreamed that one day my face would be on a stamp... that one day a letter might arrive and there I am, with a postmark next to me!

"It's an absolute honour to be the primary solo feminine artist to obtain a group from Royal Mail.

"The stamps are wonderful, and I hope my fans and collectors love them as much as I do."

David Gold, Royal Mail's director of exterior affairs and coverage, mentioned it's "a fitting celebration of one of the UK's most revered and longest-serving musical icons".

Born in 1937 in Tiger Bay, Cardiff, the Welsh singer first carried out in 1953 earlier than scoring a number-one hit in 1959 with As I Love You.

By the Sixties, she was a world star with quite a few hit albums spanning up to date pop, present tunes and soundtracks.

Some of her biggest work was with movie composer John Barry, creating the James Bond theme songs Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker, which grew to become her signature songs.

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In the Nineteen Nineties and 2000s, she attracted a complete new viewers, performing the official track for the 1999 Rugby World Cup with Bryn Terfel and wowing the crowds on the 2007 Glastonbury Festival in diamante Wellington boots.

She was awarded a CBE in 1994 and a DBE in 1999.

The stamps could be pre-ordered from Thursday and so they go on basic sale on 21 September. All 12 can be found for £19.50.