The Logie-based engraver and sealmaker has created a design which has been adopted by Royal Mail as a stamp.

Mr Oliver, who has been engraving for over 50 years, is honoured by the nationwide accolade.

"I am very pleased – delighted, in fact," he said.

"A company contacted me and said they were doing a promotion with Royal Mail. It came right out of the blue and they asked me to do a seal.

"They sent me a sample of some ideas and I came up with a seal and made some waxes of it. They were duly impressed and booked a photographer straight away.

"Royal Mail then accepted it but I had to keep it quiet for a while," he added.

The stamp, part of a series depicting the work of craftspeople across the UK, is now in circulation.

First class seal of approval... Neil Oliver with the seal he designed for Royal Mail. NS

Mr Oliver, who plies his trade from a workshop in his garden at Logie, near Forres, uses ancient techniques which have been in use for thousands of years. He is helped in the business by his wife, Kim, a former student of Mr Oliver's and an engraver in her own right.

The Yorkshireman learned the art of engraving from a master craftsman in Birmingham after serving for two years in the RAF Regiment, including service in the Yemen.

"When I came out, I was at a loss as to what to do, but I had some artistic ability and I got the opportunity to go to Birmingham," he recalled.

After learning the craft, Mr Oliver went on to become a lecturer in Birmingham before moving to Moray more than 20 years ago.

Among a number of high-profile commissions were designing the signature badge used on all Bentley cars and creating a special seal given to all companies being awarded the Royal Warrant.

Mr Oliver, a fellow of the Institute of Professional Goldsmiths, admitted he was saddened that traditional hand-engraving is not being taught nowadays, with most items being mass-produced using machinery.

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