Olympic Games gold stamps snapped up at once

Olympics fans have snapped up new stamps immortalising Great Britain's gold medal heroes within minutes of them going on sale in Shropshire.

Stamps featuring cycling star Bradley Wiggins and rowers Helen Glover and Heather Stanning went on sale in Shrewsbury yesterday as part of Royal Mail's decision to produce a stamp overnight for every gold British medal winner during the London 2012 Games.

And collectors were out in force to grab a little piece of history at the Abbey Foregate Post Office, which is one of only 500 across the country where the stamps will be available.

There were queues out of the door ahead of the stamps going on sale at 11am, with 100 of the shop's 120 sets sold in the first hour of them going on sale.

Caroline Lewis, sub-postmistress, said: "Most people have had one set of each." She added: "People couldn't wait to see the stamps."

The Wiggins stamp celebrates his road time trial win. The other stamp shows Glover and Stanning – the first British women to take an Olympic rowing gold.

Three more stamps have been issued today for Sir Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny and Philip Hindes' gold in the Men's Cycling Team Sprint final; Peter Wilson's gold in the Men's Double Trap Shooting and Etienne Stott and Tim Baillie's gold medal in the Men's Canoe Double (C2) final.