Norvic Philatelics

Birds 1 Faststamps v2 - validly issued in Cambridge

2012-01-27T11:18:00.000Z

Just when we thought there could be nothing else to report on the birds, a report from Cambridge that Birds 1 was in use in machine 2 this week. They were probably loaded in the machine on 23rd/24th, and were probably exhausted late on 25th or during 26th.

This is a set produced on 25 January.

Our reporter writes: "Normal usage is 95-100 transactions per day (and is remarkably constant) and there were 193 transactions in a day and a half. So someone may have bought a number of strips with individual receipts."

Despite our best endeavours (thanks John and Richard) we didn't manage to get any of these for our customers - yet. Apparently the person who loaded these into the machine "wasn't aware that it was old stock, or that the stamps were different from the current birds stamps." So if Cambridge can have some old birds hidden in a back-office, so could other Birds 1 offices!

Happy New Year - 2012 security code found

2012-01-27T09:05:00.000Z

The first Machins with a 2012 year code have been found - the retail book of 12 x 2nd class, with code M12L MTIL.

When we get stocks we will keep these for regular customers and add them to our online shop.

Thanks to RP for passing on this from JB.

Thanks also to Kevin who reports that the booklets have a packing date of 03/01/12 - and they've managed to get them into Post Offices already. This is Swindon-delivered stock, not something sent out from Royal Mail Direct to a corner shop or supermarket! That doesn't mean, of course, that Swindon might not have 2011 stock under the 2012. It does make me wonder how big the print run was for the 2011 12 x 2nd with FSC advert issued only at the end of last October.

Let us know if you find any of the 2012 stamps! Booklets from non-post office outlets seem to be the most likely finds, but 12 x 1st are unlikely as the uncoded Jubilee stamps are in use.

Faststamps Font error in full

2012-01-26T12:17:00.001Z

Early in December we mentioned the incorrect font on the Worldwide 40g stamps being dispensed from Kiosk 3 at St Vincent Street, Glasgow.

We've now been sent a Collectors Set from the same machine. Our set shows the Machins but sets were also printed on Birds 4 stock. As has been observed before the 10g Worldwide stamp is missing the weight, and thus has no indication of its value.

The 40g stamp has the weight in the correct font. The other 4 stamps have the weight in the original font.

It has been suggested that this happens when the machines are returned to a default setting. However in the original setting it was not possible to select 40g, and the Worldwide 10g stamp was not produced on the 'stamps for later' menu, but on the 'post now' menu (which otherwise used the wider non-pictorial label stock).

It remains to be seen how catalogue editors deal with the Faststamp variations. We know that some so-called errors have been produced, especially on Hytech machines, when the customer has pulled the free end of the strip, causing misprinting and sometimes blank labels in a strip of 7. Birds 2 & 3 have been legitimately used by post offices instead of Birds 4.

In the Stanley Gibbons Concise catalogue 2011 edition a separate catalogue number has been allocated to each of the 5 service indicators so clearly an additional number or sub-number will need to be used for the Machin, Birds 2 & 3 sets. (Birds 4 is not included in the 2011 edition and a 40g value was available on the first day, so its inclusion in the catalogue should not be a problem). There are also rumours that a part-roll of Birds 1 was used up in a machine after the upgrade and 40g stamps and/or collectors sets produced. Doubts have been cast upon the legitimacy of these if they exist. In the same way, until the truth about the circumstances of the production is known, one might question the use of Birds 2 at offices not originally supplied with that set.

Update: Birds 1 now confirmed legitimately issued from Cambridge - see here

But maybe Messrs Gibbons will revise the catalogue to a more logical 'by design' listing, with sub-numbers for the different values.

Finally here's an example of the 10g stamp with the missing value taken as a 40g stamp to make up the total for this 40g International Signed For item to Australia

Thank you for your posts to test comments accessibility

2012-01-23T17:01:00.001Z

It seems that for the majority of people the problems are now resolved. Details in this comment which was left last week may explain the problems:

Google do not support the following browsers in their apps, which may well include blogger:

- Microsoft Internet Explorer 7
- Mozilla Firefox 3.5
- Apple Safari 3″

And I would assume any lesser versions are implied as also unsupported.

Microsoft itself stopped supporting IE6 early last year - and has a website dedicated to killing it off.. anyone still using this browser should certainly upgrade to a newer version or IE for their own safety. http://www.ie6countdown.com/

Differences reported with IE9 working for some and not for others could be accounted for by IE9 tripping into 'compatibility mode' which is supposed to mirror IE8 but in reality creates a sort of halfway house between 8 and 9, and isn't guaranteed to act like either.

Original message included
Some readers are having problems seeing existing comments and seeing comments on other blog entries.

Thank you for your help in identifying op systems and browsers which experienced problems.

Postage rates to rise - when, by how much, and why?

2012-01-23T14:04:00.002Z

We all know that postage rates rise every year, and that this inevitably has an effect on the cost - and indeed the very continuance of - of our collections. There has been much written in the mainstream press in recent days about the fact that "second class post will rise to 55p", but the speculation inevitably masks the full story.

The Daily Telegraph wrote:

(Royal Mail) said it is hoping to increase second class stamps by 53 per cent from 36p to 55p, and insisted that the increase was still “affordable” for “vulnerable groups”.

The price of second class stamps would then rise further by inflation every year for seven years. There would be no limit on the price of a first class stamp, which currently costs 46p.

Ofcom, the new postal regulator, published proposals in October 2011 "designed to ensure that UK consumers continue to benefit from a universally-priced, affordable postal service, six days a week.

"The central aim of the proposals is to make what is known as the Universal Service Obligation (USO) placed on Royal Mail financially sustainable. Without regulatory changes there is a risk that Royal Mail may not be able to continue to deliver the USO to the same standard.

"Ofcom therefore proposes to give Royal Mail freedom to set its own prices for the majority of its products including:

First Class deliveries – letters, large letters (A4 in size and up to 750g in weight) and parcels;
Second Class deliveries – for large letters and parcels up to 1Kg in weight;
standard parcels;
business mail – metered or franked mail and pre-printed envelopes; and
bulk mail – mainly large businesses sending a large volume of post in a single mailing for example, bank statements.

"Ofcom proposes to put a price cap of between 45p and 55p on Second Class stamps for standard letters to protect vulnerable customers from significant price rises. The cap would be indexed in line with inflation."

But why is there a risk that Royal Mail may not be able to continue to deliver the USO to the same standard" ? The answer lies in the meat of the Consultation Paper.

"1.21 There is widespread recognition that the approach to regulation adopted in the past, has failed in the face of the particular circumstances affecting this sector.

1.22 To date, the approach adopted has been based on price controls - similar to those used in most other utility sectors. In normal circumstances this approach is an effective means of preventing private operators from earning excessive profits, thereby providing incentives for firms to reduce costs, while at the same time protecting consumers from excessive prices. It is an approach that is widely used by regulators, including Ofcom, to regulate private operators with significant market power.

1.23 The recent experience of postal regulation, however, has demonstrated all the weaknesses of price controls with none of the benefits. In a highly uncertain market, price controls have removed the flexibility that would allow Royal Mail to adjust to changes in demand, while at the same time Royal Mail has been unable to improve efficiency, either at the rate expected by the regulator when the price control was set, or at the rate set by its own internal targets at the time.

1.24 Furthermore, price controls on Royal Mail have served less and less to protect customers from price rises. Since 2006 Royal Mail's financial position has led it to apply to the regulator for price rises over and above those consistent with the regulatory formula. In November 2010 Royal Mail applied to Postcomm for additional flexibility to increase prices, resulting in price rises averaging 12% for 2011-12. In the light of its primary duty towards the universal service, Postcomm granted these applications.

1.25 We therefore consider that price controls in this sector have failed in recent years. The reasons for this are clear. First, in a highly uncertain market environment, where the level and pattern of demand is so unclear, it is not feasible to expect to predict accurately whether a given price trajectory is sufficient to allow the universal service to be financed. If the price control that is set turns out to be to be too tight, it will not allow for the universal service to be financed. If, on the other hand, it is set too loosely, it will provide little protection and inadequate efficiency incentives."

Both Ofcom papers are very interesting reads. They demonstrate that the competition faced by Royal Mail is not, as is common in some European countries, end-to-end competition. Competition in the UK is based on access by other operators to Royal Mail's delivery network. Ofcom therefore proposes

imposing an access condition on Royal Mail to oblige it to grant access at inward mail centres;
not to regulate the price of access, to enable Royal Mail to set prices in a way that covers the costs of the network; and
ensuring, by means of a 'margin squeeze test', that the difference between the access price and retail price is kept at a level that allows efficient access competitors to compete effectively.

Royal Mail has repeatedly indicated that downstream access costs money because of controls on the price they can charge. Removal of this control should help restore the letters and packets postal service to profitability.

We'll be interested to see how things develop and at what level the new prices will be set. As the Ofcom report will not be published until early February it is quite likely that this year's price rise will not take place at the end of March as usual, and early May seems more likely.

Diamond Jubilee Miniature Sheet and Business Sheet

2012-01-19T11:51:00.000Z

I can now show the actual miniature sheet and business sheet for this issue.

Printing date for the Business Sheet is 02/12/11. The security source codes are MMND for the miniature sheet and MBND for the business sheet. Pictures showing the codes will be added as soon as we have them.

Diamond Jubilee booklet

2012-01-19T10:31:00.002Z

The covers of the new Diamond Jubilee booklet match the colour of the stamps inside, so it's goodbye to gold and hello to the wishy-washy-grey-blue. Calling it 'diamond blue' doesn't really make it any better. Word is that at the end of the jubilee year we will see 'flame' or orange again instead of gold.
Here are some pictures:

The cylinder numbers are W1 blue, W2 phosphor, W1 transparent/silver overlay.

Pack details are:
SB12F JUB, 25/10/11,
barcode 5 014721 112329

50th Ann of James Bond - Commemorative Sheet 1 May 2012

2012-01-18T13:54:00.001Z

Royal Mail are marking the 50th anniversary of the James Bond series with a very special limited edition commemorative sheet, featuring ten iconic Bond movie poster labels alongside ten, first class, Union Flag stamps.

With 22 movies to choose from however, the task of deciding exactly which of the iconic Bond images will make it into the pack is fiendishly difficult. Which is where you come in because the final ten posters will be chosen not by Royal Mail, but by you, Bond’s most loyal fans. Every Bond movie poster from the last 50 years is available here to view, allowing you the once in a lifetime opportunity to decide which of your favourite ten will be immortalised in this special edition.

The individually numbered, limited edition Commemorative Sheet celebrating 50 years of James Bond will be launched by Royal Mail on 1st May 2012.

The sheet will be similar to this one for Halley's Comet.

Even if you don't want to buy it you can influence which posters are included and say that you had a say in the design of one of Royal Mail's expensive collector's products.

Comment:
Royal Mail rejected a proposal by a customer to create a sheet showing bawdy cartoon picture postcards such as were/are sent in their millions every year on the grounds of possible offence due to near-nudity etc. Now look at the James Bond selection. I wonder if they will include the top ten voted for if they include, for example, For Your Eyes Only, which was topping the poll when I made my selection?

Diamond Blue 1st class Machin - Security Codes

2012-01-17T15:25:00.003Z

We're reliably informed that security codes are present on the Diamond Jubilee Machin definitives from booklets - and probably business sheets and possibly the miniature sheet.

The booklet code is the letter T as usual (for Twelve). The changed text is behind the hair 'bun' on the Queen's head where MOND reads MTND. We do not expect any year codes as this colour will only be issued in 2012.

The code for the Miniature sheet is MMND in the same place, and I think we can safely assume that the code for business sheets is MBND.

Pictures as soon as we have them.

A-Z of the United Kingdom, Part 2

2012-01-12T16:47:00.004Z

We are now able to reveal the subjects of the A-Z part 2 (or M-Z) set to be issued on 10 April 2012.

As we expected, this is a bit like those philatelic society evenings where you show "Anything beginning with ...." and use any device possible to fit your favourite stamps or postal history items into the letter concerned.

The subjects are:
• Manchester Town Hall.
• Narrow Water Castle, Northern Ireland.
• Old Bailey.
• Portmeirion, Wales.
• The Queens College Oxford.
• Roman Baths.
• Stirling Castle, Scotland.
• Tyne Bridge.
• Urquart Castle, Scotland.
• Victoria and Albert Museum - with the EUROPA logo
• White Cliffs of Dover.
• Station X Bletchley Park.
• York Minister.
• ZSL (Zoological Society of London) London Zoo.

The stamps will, as far as we know, be printed in strips of 7 in two sheets. They will thus vie with the Battle of Hastings se-tenant strip of 4d values to be the most difficult to mount in an album! More details will be on our website in due course.

Business Sheets - Type 1 & Type 2 slits

2012-01-11T21:27:00.001Z

Security stamps were first issued way back in 2009, with the counter sheet stamps being issued in February and the Business sheets having a philatelic release on 31 March.

Specialists soon found that the security slits existed in various types - each U-shaped slit could be coninuous, or divided; and the size of the division also varied, and some basic stamps existed in both types, especially those from business sheets.   I highlighted some of these differences at the time as did Roy on MachinMania.

I said at the time that the Type 2 slits were more difficult to see on the 1st class stamps than on the 2nd.
In the few instances where we have had sufficient to sell in our online shop, I include the following warning in the description of the Type 2 (divided) slits:

NOTE: the breaks in the U-shaped slits are not consistent in the sheets, and some are very difficult to see. Royal Mail advised that, at least for some printings, the 'breaks' were made individually to the existing die-cutter.

The differences are so difficult to see on some sheets that when filling orders I carefully examine the stamp through a magnifying glass, holding it up with the light behind it to be sure which one I have. Recently I found some Business sheet tops that I had put aside. Having determined from the date (27/05/09) that they are the 2009 (ie undated) issue, I checked whether they had type 1 or 2 slits, and that's where the fun begins.

One 1st class sheet top has a mix of stamps.
The first two stamps in the row definitely have 4 divided slits - type 2.
Stamp 4 has 4 undivided slits, type 1 - absolutely no indication that the die-cut has has extra breaks added.
Stamp 3 has a fairly obvious break at the foot of the left slit, and a barely discernable break at the top of the right slit. The top left and lower right U-shapes are complete, ie Type 1!

Now maybe others found all this out - and published it - at the time, but I don't recall reading it then. It does make one wonder how these should be identified, distinguished and even collected. But it does mean that I have added some more Type 1 2nd class and Type 2 1st class from 2009 to our shop. So if you've tried to buy and found we've been out of stock, come back - they're here!

Shop update - more Security Machin date and cylinder blocks

2012-01-07T11:55:00.000Z

We've added more Date Blocks, Gutter Pairs and Cylinder Blocks of 2010/11 Security Machins to our shop today. We don't have vast quantities of any, so if you want them, buy soon - here.

Olympic / Paralympic definitives updated, again - and again!

2012-01-06T21:17:00.010Z

Not for the first time distribution of the first stamps of the year has left collectors frustrated, and it seems that many collectors will not get their home-made FDCs for some weeks.
As already reported, the automatic distribution of stamps in sheets has been achieved but it seems that there just wasn't an automatic distribution of booklets. OK, so the stamps in booklets are the same as those in counter sheets (to all but the specialist), but many collectors like to collect FDCs of booklets which include the advertisement panel on the inside front cover.

Readers will recall that there are two different 6 x 1st class booklets for this issue.

The cover of booklet A shows the left of the Union flag, whilst the inside cover has a list of Key Dates for London 2012. Booklet B has the right part of the Union flag with a quote from Seb Coe. Two quite different booklets which are identifiable from the cover. Many smaller post offices and some Crown offices have none at all, while Bristol's main post office has 20 packs but all of type B and none of type A.

Several people have written about their experiences in trying to find these stamps, first day covers, stamp cards etc. Two Midlands Crown Offices have told collectors that there are no Stamp Cards. Bristol is reported to have had only 10 first day covers. Anybody trying to find these on the Royal Mail website will find that the shop site is much improved, though the search facility is still underperforming. Search for 'olympic' and the two booklets appear. Browse through the 'stamp products' to 'stamp cards' and the Stamp Cards for this issue are there, so the Advice Line that told one of the Crown Offices that there were no stamp cards is wrong - or the website is wrong!

This is the full list of products as shown in Royal Mail's 'first' brochure:

Mint stamps - set of 4 - remember two designs for each of 2 values: DS958 £3.12 *
Stamp cards - set of 4 - DQ022 (£1.80)
Stamp Booklet type B (dates) - UB339 (£2.76)
Stamp Booklet type A (Coe quote) - UB338 (£2.76)
Presentation pack - DP058 (£3.65)
Coin Cover - AN082 (£17.50)
Silver Proof coin cover - AN083 (£99.50)

(Update) If you collect cylinder blocks note that Royal Mail have been sending blocks of 4 (columns) x 3 (rows) to standing order customers, rather than 2 x 3. If you are ordering individual blocks, the two different 20g sheets have the same bar-code and the same short name (WW20G) printed in the margin.

For the block with the last line starting with an Olympic stamp, you need grid rows 1 or 3.

For the block with the last line starting with a Paralympic stamp, you need grid rows 2 or 4.

Post Offices have also been reporting that these will initially be on sale for a only month. This is correct. As we have already reported:

They are available from 05 January 2012 through to 30 January 2012
when they will be replaced by the Jubilee Definitive. The Olympic
Definitive will be re-introduced at PO Counters on the 27 June 2012 when
they will also be issuing a Generic Sheet.

Further update from Brian (remember packs of booklets supplied to us and to POs have contained 50 of one type or the other):

Retail packs of booklets have been found with 50 books alternating between the two covers. Type A, Type B, Type A and so on. I found the first pack in my local Sainsbury’s on the Friday after the first day of issue. The packs were produced by Walsall about 8 days after the initial stock in separate packs. Pack dates that I have seen are 15/11/11.
Extra update from Kevin - apparently these mixed packs are also being distributed to some post offices - but in 6 packs not a single cylnder number was found.

I hope this clarifies the scope of this new issue. Remember that if you do want to make FDCs of the booklets they can be handed over most PO counters for the special handstamp. Or they can be sent to the Special Handstamp Centres after the date of issue, if you include a note explaining why they are late there will not normally be a problem in getting them cancelled.

How did Birds 2 Faststamps get to Yeovil Post Office ?

2012-01-06T16:58:00.002Z

As reported here, the upgrade to version 2 of the Post and Go machines has produced 40g versions of the Birds 4, Birds 3 & even Birds 3 Faststamps.

Now we've evidence that Birds 2 was being sold at Yeovil ~~just after~~ before* and after Christmas - and that office wasn't even on the Birds 2 original list. So how did this arise? Are there still stocks at Swindon awaiting distribution?
* We've been told of Yeovil sales on 23 December.

Thanks to Roy for this report!

Shortage of stamps at POs reported

2012-01-05T15:16:00.002Z

Just when you thought there were too many stamps being issued and too few being used, some areas are reporting severe shortages.

Before Christmas there were many reports in the press of branch POs running out of stamps, a situation not helped by the failure of Royal Mail's website upgrade to proceed as planned and the non-availability of the Smartstamp and PayPal/eBay 'print postage' facilities.

Although extra stamps were ordered in many cases they arrived too late for the peak demand, and we understand that the shortages have continued into the new year. At least one office was using all the Roald Dahl values on Tuesday 3rd January (a week early) simply because they had too few other stamps. Shortages of the 68p stamp are reported to be particularly acute. I wonder if they broke up the prestige books - which are now sold above face value - look out for this stamp dated before 10 January!

UPDATE from Bristol:

Only 10 Olympic Definitive FDC blanks available

No stampcards

Only one of the two retail booklets: 20 packs in stock all the same :-(

Well, TJ, my sub-office hasn't got ANY Olympic booklets on the day of issue, though I will concede that our village doesn't rank as high as the city of Bristol when it comes to demand!

Post and Go v2 - Birds 2 also exists with 40g Worldwide

2011-12-30T12:29:00.002Z

We reported here on the upgrade and roll-out of Version 2 of the Post and Go software. Who could have guessed that so many old birds were still lying around in Post Office branch store-rooms?

We've already shown the not-unexpected Birds 4, and the slightly-more-surprising Birds 3, but now we can show Birds 2. As usual this is a strip of 5 plus a single. We will be contacting regular customers about these early next month when we have caught up with email and post.

UPDATE 2 January 2012:

Our supplies of Birds 2 came from Grimsby. I'm told that Plymouth also had some, to be precise:

only 30 strips of 5+1 printed before the roll ran out and was changed to Machin; they come with error of year on receipt 2006. (Thanks JG for the update).

It is surprising that so many of the previous issues were still in post offices. This suggests either that usage of the Post and Go machines for take-away stamps (rather than "post it now" labels) has been very low at these offices, or that they used the default Machin head stock, rather than the birds pictorials. In theory the Birds 2 (issued 24.01.10) should have been used by 19.05.10 when the Birds 3 (Waterbirds) were issued; and they in turn should have been used by the time the 16.09.10 Birds 4 (Seabirds) were issued.

Of course if one issue had not been exhausted by the time the next was issued, old stock should have been removed from the machines so that collectors could access the new. It is more than likely that Birds 4 will still be in some machines when the sheep arrive on 24 February!

Festive Greetings! A Merry Christmas !!!

2011-12-22T21:48:00.004Z

To all our readers, customers, contributors

MERRY CHRISTMAS and

A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Our offices will be closed from late tonight, Thursday 22 December, to Tuesday 3 January.

As we remember those who are no longer with us, and

enjoy the company of the family and friends that we have,
we hope you will be able to enjoy this time with your family and friends as well.

When we return it is certain that there will be more news - 10 days is a long time in philately!

All emails will be dealt with as soon as possible after the holidays.
If you order through our online shop (www.norphil.co.uk/catalog) the stock will be reserved for you.

Golden Machin Horizon label mark III update

2011-12-21T21:09:00.001Z

Steve has sent a picture of 4 new labels..... and another showing an earlier date of ~~21/11/11~~ 17/11/11, so if anybody has an earlier date than this, please let us know!

Also shown below is an FP label that I sent to Australia

Diamond Jubilee definitive confusion at Tallents House clarified

2011-12-16T17:39:00.010Z

We have an update on the situation regarding the Diamond Jubilee definitive distribution, as reported earlier (see below).

Royal Mail have now confirmed at 1445 hrs today:

"As we are sending the Diamond Jubilee Miniature sheet to all regular order DS customers we opted not to send the new Diamond Jubilee 1st Class definitive as an individual item to avoid duplication and additional costs. We can still fulfill requests from customers requiring individual stamps, formats or colour blocks on an ad-hoc basis Any orders fulfilled under these circumstances will have the P&P waived."

I had checked the situation with Royal Mail Tallents House on Monday 19th, and was told that the normal 'ad-hoc' order charges would apply to any supplementary orders for the definitive stamp from sheets.

I welcome this statement of Royal Mail's new position and am pleased that collectors, especially those without access to UK Post Offices will be able to buy the definitive sheet stamp at face value without incurring additional costs.

-------------------
(Friday December 16th) A reader tells of his experience with Royal Mail's Tallents House 'Philatelic Bureau' on this new stamp. His standing order statement was 46p short, lacking a single from the counter sheet:

After a certain amount of confusion I was informed that there will be no counter sheets, but they could supply a single from the business sheets, and a block of six if required.

He suggested, not surprisingly, that our website page and this blog might be inaccurate. I checked the information we had received from Royal Mail Philatelic...

The associated stamp formats are a
POL counter sheet of 1st standard size,
100 x 1st business sheet, 12 x 1st book
as shown here.

As from 6th February 2012 this new
Diamond Jubilee Definitive 12 x 1st
Class book will be available and remain
so throughout the Queen’s jubilee year
thereby replacing the gold Definitive.

Later in March the 4 x 1st Large book, 1st
Large as a POL Counter sheet and the 50 x
1st Large Business sheets will be issued
(POL = Post Office Ltd, ie counters)

Our reporter was told by Tallents House that because of computer problems they could not see his statement at that time. Those same computer problems may have led to the misunderstanding quoted above in blue.

If you have a standing order, or want to order this from Royal Mail, the stock code for the stamps from counter sheets is DS461. ~~Normal 'one-off' handling charges apply.~~ (update 21 December - no further handling charges will apply.)

The Business Sheet is DS961, and the booklet is UB340. These last two of course can only be supplied as complete sheets or booklets by Royal Mail, but we will be supplying them as singles if you don't want to shell out £46 and £5.52. And we'll have the Large Letter versions in March.

2010 2nd class self-adhesive coil - nobody has any!

2011-12-15T19:56:00.000Z

We have had several enquiries for the 2010 self-adhesive 2nd class coil stamp recently - people are missing it from their collections.

A reminder, then, that the reason you - and I - are missing it from our collections is that only FIVE copies are known, all used.

This is how we reported it back in July. Apart from the few more that have been found after this one, as far as we know, nobody has any mint examples. We'd love to be able to supply them to you, mint or used, at any price. I've handled one of the used copies, but even that isn't mine.

Richard P has kindly sent this image of a 2010 2nd class self-adhesive coil MA10 MRIL on a direct mailshot.

This is a new find and suggests that the 1st class might also be out there. We have reason to believe, from information supplied by Royal Mail, that the 2011 versions also exist. However, we have no way of knowing whether the part of Royal Mail which supplies these to the mailing houses has yet sold, or even received, any of the 2011 versions - which have been produced for both 1st and 2nd class values.

Christmas stamps with matrix removed

2011-12-15T14:33:00.000Z

We mentioned the self-adhesive Christmas stamps with intact matrix in an earlier post.

We've now listed our stock from 2003 to date for customers on our e-commerce site here.

Olympic / Paralympic definitives update

2011-12-15T11:17:00.002Z

As expected the colour of the new 1st class definitives is almost exactly the same as the 'flame' colour previously used for the Machin 1st class.

As indicated by Royal Mail, the 1st class stamps are in sheets of 50 with gutters. This gives only one cylinder block and one printing date block per 50. The 20g stamps are issued in sheets of 25, two different layouts matching the two panes of the 1st class. But because there are two sheets there are two cylinder and date blocks per 50 stamps. However because of the different layout of the stamps on the two panes, the set is actually three different cylinder blocks and three different date blocks.

The length of the sheet is just longer than A4 so the images are slightly cropped.

The stamps in the Presentation Pack appear to be torn from ordinary sheets rather than being cut.

While on the subject of cylinders I was disappointed that the two packs of 50 booklets yielded no cylinder numbers. Although we know the two different booklets were printed side by side on the same web, the packing dates are 3rd & 7th November 2011.

Post & Go Faststamps Stock now listed for sale

2011-12-14T08:50:00.001Z

We've sorted out all the Faststamps and FDCs in stock and have them all for sale listed in one section of our e-commerce site.

There are some singles for collectors who want just a single example, and we go right back to the beginning with the first style large font, and there's even a strip from the first Bristol issue.

We have the Bureau Presentation Packs of the Machin set and Birds 1, 2, 3, & 4, and a selection of strips, singles and odd values from both Wincor-Nixdorf machines in Post Office Branches and next generation Hytech machines which have been used at Stampex.

What shall we work on next? Machins or Horizon labels?

Cross-blog promotion

2011-12-09T15:59:00.001Z

A new post from Roy on MachinMania reminding his readers to look here for information about the new Machin stamps prompts me to remind you, my readers, to follow MachinMania where you often have background information and historic information about this long series. MachinMania concentrates almost exclusively on Machins, but not just British ones, and there is much to be gained from dropping in their now and then.

Similarly for information on Faststamps and Post & Go in general, you should also have Brian Sinnott's Postagelabelsuk blog on your list. Brian isn't always completely up to date and the requirements of his day job prevent him from updating as often as I'm sure he would like, but when he does post, there is always something groundbreaking.

Today he has written about the 40g Faststamps for Birds 3 (but he hasn't got the Scottish offices on his list), and introduces us to the new 'Premier' PO in Birmingham which is almost exclusively self-service from what we can see. 10 Post and Go machines result in one having kiosk ID=0, and "a new, foldable, ‘mini’ date stamp, currently reserved for ‘customer side’ use on Post and Go receipts." Certainly different.

Anybody interested in Smilers who isn't already aware of Graham Howard's website is missing out on all the latest news. Not a blog as such, so without the usual search and keyword cluster features, you can keep updated on Smilers Info News by using the Change Detection box which we also use on the Norvic Philatelics webpages.

The British Postal Museum and Archive blog is full of interesting snippets (follow them on twitter as well), and if you are interested in GB Postal History - the stamped variety - and postage rates the Great Britain Philately blog is for you!

Post and Go v2 produces 40g Birds 4 - and Birds 3!

2011-12-09T10:53:00.000Z

As reported here, the 40g Faststamps are rolling out.

Thanks to a correspondent in cold and snowy Scotland we can now report that machine 2 at the St James Centre, Edinburgh PO, was dispensing Birds 3 earlier this week (shown below at left). At the same time machine 3 at the St Vincent Street, Glasgow, PO was dispensing Birds 4 with the original Wincor font, thus printing over the picture.

Let us know of any other errors found after the v2 update!

Golden Machin Horizon label mark III now in use.

2011-12-07T09:41:00.003Z

The recent batch of Mark II Horizon labels were incompletely cut, resulting in a 5-8mm portion at the top of each label remaining on the backing if the label was removed from the foot. Because of this many offices reverted to white labels - giving rise to many 'rare' narrow font labels and labels with the new VAT codes appearing on eBay.

The Mark III golden label is now in use. This has die-cut curves at the left and right, and semi-circular ones in the corners, but no slits at all at the top and foot. The serial number printed on the back of the one I used this morning is U082597507. I hope somebody will be able to provide a picture soon.

The picture here compares the Mk II version at the top, with the Mk III version below.

The concave (inward pointing) semi-circle starts immediately above the 'A' in the top image, two convex (outward pointing) semi-circles run below the ends of the concave one. The one on the left runs through the A, just at the top of the triangle, the one on the right is in a similar position in the coronet, with the right end pointing to the cut in the corner.

In the lower example, the corner cuts are present but the other three are not. This applies to the top and bottom of the label, but the similar cuts at left and right remain.

Machin M11L code continues in 2012 with Dahl PSB

2011-12-06T17:28:00.003Z

Just when we thought we would see a new year code early in January in the Roald Dahl Prestige Stamp Book we find that they have the M11L code for 2011!

The conventionally gummed PSB pane has 2p, 10p & 68p stamps in, with the 68p having security features. The image shows all the stamps with security slits but that would only happen if they were self-adhesive.

So your 2011 Machin collection isn't finished yet! The good thing from all points of view is that each pane provides 4 of these stamps with little postage left over. (Thanks to Richard P for the picture)

See Comments below about printing process and printer for this pane.

Post and Go version 2 update brings 40g for Birds 4

2011-12-06T10:49:00.010Z

The delayed upgrade of Post and Go machines to software version 2 is now under way in earnest. We're told that about half of the machines have now been upgraded in bulk by an internet download, rather than the attendance of an engineer to each machine.

Although many offices are using Machin Faststamps we have received Birds 4 and we're hoping to get Birds 3 later this week. Just how many offices have Birds 4 is unknown, although as distribution was originally very limited (due to stock-control errors at Swindon which were later corrected) many offices will be back on Birds 4 after having initial stocks exhausted. Just how many still have Birds 3 is more difficult to determine. We had very few reports of Bird 3 continuing until September.

With version 2, the scanning equipment is now operative, so customers can purchase non-stamp products such as stationery which are on sale at many offices. Shown here alongside the Birds 4 40g stamps is a receipt for a roll of tape from Old Street machine 1.

Spotted on eBay: Birds 3 40g from Ludgate Circus PO in London - 7/12/11.
Birds 3 also reported (10/12/11) from Dartford machine no 1. (Thanks KH)

December week 1. - see separate blog entry for images

St Vincent Edinburgh dispensing Birds 3

St James Glasgow dispensing Birds 4 but with original font, printing over image.

6/12/11 - Paignton, Plymouth & Exeter on v2, but Paignton shut down on the same day - see Comment.

Further update 11/12/11 (thanks Malcolm)

Barnet EN5 5UU dispensing Birds 4

The following are dispensing Machins

Holloway N7 6HY, Upper Holloway N19 5TA Golders Green NW11 8RT

Balham SW12 9AF and Hampstead NW3 1QL

Clapham Common SW4 7ST is still version 1 dispensing Machins

10/12/11
Norwich both machines converted, one at least has Birds 4. (thanks to IS)
14/12/11
DR Confirms that Boston has 40g but no Birds.

12/12/11

Dartford v2 dispensing Birds 3

Orpington v2 dispensing Machin but wrong typeface (up to 40g seems correct though, see attachment)

17/12/11

Clapham Common still v1

Blackfriars Road and London Bridge v2 dispensing machins

Acton v2 dispensing birds 3

Sutton v1 dispensing birds 4

Christmas 2011 - staff bonus

2011-12-06T10:29:00.000Z

For several years Royal Mail and Post Office employees (and sub-postmasters who are neither) have received a Christmas card from the organisation together with 50 1st class Christmas stamps.

Since at least 2003 the self-adhesive Christmas stamps on sale to the public have had the paper surrounding the stamps (or 'matrix') removed to make it easier to remove the stamps from the sheets, and to make them easier to separate into singles/blocks at the PO counter. But the 'staff' versions have been sent out with the matrix intact, providing a collectable variation. Employees are not permitted to sell their stamps, but many are available to collectors either by exchange or through dealers.

We understand that there were production problems with the 2011 Christmas stamps. Although most of the 1st class were printed in June and the 2nd class in July, we're told that some were printed in November. And the ones included in Christmas cards - which are always split into two sheets of 25 - might be any combination of top sheet (with printing date and sheet number) and lower sheet (with cylinder numbers) - and more seem to exist with matrix removed than intact. Despite the warnings to staff of dire consequences some have appeared on eBay, and we have seen 17/06/11 and 20/06/11 with both matrix removed and matrix intact.

If you've seen any other dates - for staff freebies or those over the counter or from the Bureau - we'd be interested to know.

Christmas Madonnas - how many printings?

2011-12-06T10:15:00.002Z

The Christmas Madonna stamps introduced in 2007 were "produced in reaction to a popular demand for stamps bearing an overtly Christian image" - this despite the fact that the main design for Christmas 2007 was Angels.

And each year since, these stamps have been reissued, with Royal Mail Philatelic telling us that "they are the same stamps as were issued in 2007." But how many stamps can be printed from one set of cylinders, and how many did they stockpile originally? We now know that there were reprints in 2008 and 2010 - does anybody have any other printing dates?

A close examination of the three lots that we have shows no appreciable variation, although colour mis-registration does produce slight differences.

Dates reported:

1st
- 15/05/08 - Tallents House Dec 11
- 02/06/09 - Cambridge Nov 10, Enfield
- 08/08/10 - Dereham, Cambridge, Enfield Dec 11

2nd
- 19/05/08 - Tallents House Dec 11
- 18/05/09 - Enfield
- 24/07/10 - Enfield
- 26/07/10 - Cambridge Nov 10, Dereham, Cambridge Dec 11

2012 Stamp issues - website update stage 1 complete

2011-12-02T12:01:00.002Z

Silence here recently because of major update to the website for 2012 stamp issues.

Now live:
5 January - Olympic Definitives, booklets and sheet stamps
10 January - Roald Dahl - stamps, MS, PSB with new Machin definitives
20 January - Year of the Dragon Smilers Sheet
2 February - House of Windsor set and MS
23 February - Britons of Distinction set of 10
24 February - Pictorial Faststamps - sheep

Pages for all 2012's scheduled issues are now on our website, linked through the hope page or from any one of the links above.

If you spot any typos, errors or inaccuracies, please let us know by email (ian-at-norphil.co.uk).

Christmas 2011 Personalised Smilers - update

2011-11-26T09:25:00.000Z

I mentioned earlier the confusion about what was available this year and where to get them from.

The confusion was not aided by Royal Mail's website being down for maintenance last weekend with problems affecting various modules all week.

Graham Howard, on his Smilers-info website has probably now cracked it, though we would still be interested in the experience of other Smiler-seekers.

In brief, Snapfish are producing Smilers sheets, known there as Photostamps, for the 2nd & 1st class values only. No personalised Smilers sheets are available through Royal Mail's website, but all four values (including the 68p & £1.10 airmail stamps) can be obtained from Royal Mail Tallents House, by phone, e-mail or written application form (which ought to be available at POs though I haven't yet seen any.

Post and Go Faststamps for 2012 - dates and subjects

2011-11-20T14:00:00.000Z

Royal Mail's Stamp Programme mini-calendar lists some definitives and Faststamps as well as the expected commemorative issues.

Dates and subjects for Faststamps are as follows:

24 February - Sheep (by Robert Gillmor)
24 April - Pigs (by Robert Gillmor)
21 May - Union Flag (design as used in PSBs and Smilers Sheets)*
28 September - Cattle (by Robert Gillmor)

The Union flag could be very useful for the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics. Maybe other flags will follow with a White Ensign Post and Go machine at Portsmouth and Chatham Historic Dockyard!

Christmas 2011 Personalised Smilers - how and which?

2011-11-20T13:47:00.002Z

Christmas is supposed to be one of the most popular times for people to get personalised stamps - Smilers. Sometimes they use the Christmas stamps, sometimes they use one of the many greetings stamp alternatives. But this year they could have a problem (especially today as Royal Mail's website is totally unavailable!).

As we know, Royal Mail philatelic have produced the usual Generic Smilers Sheet containing 2nd & 1st class stamps and the two airmail rates 68p & £1.10. The Christmas catalogue shows the inland stamps personalised in sheets of 10 & 20. The philatelic listing also mentions these but not the airmail stamps.

Go to www.royalmail.com/smilers as usual and there is no sign of the 2011 Christmas stamps at all! So what's happening? Have we actually got a pair of philatelic stamps (the 68p & £1.10) that are in a generic sheet but which are NOT available for personalisation?

Has anybody ordered - better still received - any Smilers stamps this Christmas? How did you get them??

Update:

As I expected, Graham Howard at www.smilers-info.com is on top of this (click on 'News'). Royal Mail won't answer any questions about the Snapfish part of the operation, even a simple one like "why only 1st & 2nd class?". I would have expected the principal to this contract (rather than the sub-contractor) to say, "yes the airmail values should be available and we will contact Snapfish and make sure it is so."

And, says Graham, the ordering process at Snapfish is not entirely without its problems.

Update 2:

This morning's post brought proof that this year's Smilers so exist!

Lest We Forget

2011-11-13T11:10:00.002Z

Diamond Blue 1st class Machin for Jubilee, and coin/banknote link

2011-11-11T16:26:00.002Z

We can now show the stamps which will be issued next year to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The definitive will be 'diamond blue' and the preliminary images show the words 'DIAMOND JUBILEE' continuously in the style of the current security print, but on the background only.

If we have correctly understood the information provided the following will be issued on 6 February 2012:
Counter sheet, Business sheet x 100, 12 x 1st booklet. The booklet will be on sale throughout the year replacing the 1st gold definitive. (Whether this applies also to the counter and business sheets isn't clear.)

In March the following will be issued:
4 x 1st Large letter, 1st Large counter sheet, 1st large x 50 business sheet.
There is no indication of any variation in the inscription to indicate the source of the stamps. The stamps will have full security features.

Also on 6 February there is a Jubilee miniature sheet with 6 x 1st class stamps with designs taken from banknotes, coins and similar to the Wilding stamp:

The designs are:

• Wilding Definitve.
• £1 note portrait by Robert Austin first issued in 1960.
• £5 note portrait by Harry Eccleston first issued 1971.
• Pre-decimal coinage head by Mary Gillick.
• Arnold Machin’s decimal currency head first introduced in 1968.
• New Jubilee Machin Definitive Stamp.

I'm reminded, of course, that the bronze penny 1st class stamp is another Machin stamp, though not as we know it. Thanks to MachinMania. By the way, the Gillick head on the old 6d coin is surely the source of the profile head used on GB commemoratives since the 1960s - and on the regional pictorial definitives, giving rise to the 'ribbon' variations on some stamps.

First SA Greetings booklet found with missing silver - Queen's heads

2011-11-09T20:28:00.001Z

The first GB self-adhesive greetings booklet has been found with missing silver - which affects the Queen's head on 5 of the 6 stamps!

Normal booklet (SG QA1 or QA2 depending on the cover):

The centre stamp on the top row has a pale blue head; the three stamps on the bottom row have the head reversed out of the background (making a white profile head) which is then overlaid with silver. The other 2 stamps on the top row have the silver head on a white background. The effect of the error, shown on this news report from the Eastern Daily Press, is to produce two stamps with no head, three with white instead of silver, and one unchanged.

The find was brought to the Norfolk & Norwich Philatelic Society Centenary Exhibition last month. I saw the booklet when it was being discussed on the 'valuations and advice' table, though I was dealing with the sales table at the time.

As reported this is believed to be previously unknown and we are all eagerly awaiting the result of its sale!

Christmas 2011 booklets

2011-11-09T12:51:00.001Z

Stock arrived today, and in what is probably an unrepresentative sample our packs of 50 of each booklet each contained 10 with cylinder numbers.

Cylinder numbers start level with the bottom of the lower stamp and are Magenta, Yellow, Cyan, Black and Gold, all D1. I can't see any phosphor cylinder number on either 1st or 2nd. Package dates are 05/07/11 for 1st class and 30/08/11 for 2nd class.

Publicity images of the booklets. Scans of cylinder booklets will be added soon.

Post and Go version 2 update

2011-11-08T14:38:00.003Z

We reported that version 2 was introduced to Broadway PO on 13 October, and later were told that six more London offices and Luton had been added.

We now have the full list including go live dates:

Label		Machin	Birds
Code	Branch	Live Date	Live Date

010011	Broadway	13/10/2011	17/10/2011
028003	Old St (205)	21/10/2011
030003	The City Of London	21/10/2011
006134	Arndale	21/10/2011
041005	Camden High Street	28/10/2011
004003	Houndsditch	31/10/2011
003009	Baker Street	01/11/2011

As you can see, Birds IV were available on 17 October but few if any FDCs were done, and as yet we have no Birds IV 40g labels.

More details as we get them.

Freedom of Information blackout hides location of v2 Post and Go machines!

2011-11-08T13:27:00.001Z

Once upon a time - back in September 2010 in fact - we published this list of Post Offices which had the first Post & Go Machines to dispense Birds stamps:

Before that details of all Post and Go offices had been published elsewhere, and the full list of offices dispensing Birds III Faststamps was published on the Postagelabelsuk blog The information on these blogs was provided by Royal Mail.

As you will have seen from other blogposts, and comments on them, people want to know which machines have been updated to version 2 producing 40g labels, and accepting premium services. But Royal Mail are hiding behind the Freedom of Information Act and refusing to say on the grounds that:

"Post Office Limited believes that this information, if disclosed in the
format you have requested, could be used by competitors to prejudice the
commercial interests of Post Office Limited and our partners."

(see this link http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/post_go_machine#comment-22701)

The base information is already in the public domain. Post Office Ltd has no competitors at this stage which provide a postal service selling stamps. The suggestion that competitors would use the information "to market their operations, services or products in areas where Post and Go machines are not yet situated."

What a lot of nonsense!

Christmas 2011 early use of booklets

2011-11-07T10:37:00.000Z

We've had a report that a village post office near Norwich was selling 2nd class Christmas booklets as early as mid-October (precise date not known). In the USA the 'earliest known use' (EKU) covers are prized by some collectors, but they might have trouble here when there is no guarantee of a readable dated postmark!

Numerical Symmetry and Remembrance

2011-11-03T19:08:00.000Z

Every year in recent times there is a special postmark for 'numerical symmetry', ie 8 August 08, 9 September 09, 10 October 10. And again there will be one for 11-11-11 - though this time with a difference as it will be illustrated with a poppy to mark Remembrance Day:

The three poppy stamps first issued as a strip in 2008 will also be on sale from Post Offices again this year.

Getting back to normal, thanks to the Apple Store Norwich

2011-11-03T16:12:00.000Z

After my computer calamity on manic Monday - I really could have done without that after a week away - things are getting back to normal.

I updated the website today with the new webpage for the Christmas 2011 issue which is out on Tuesday 8th November. This must be the closest to launch date that a new page has ever been issued - sorry folks! All the published postmarks are there, and there are more on the miscellaneous postmarks page which could be used on the day of issue.

And designs and details are already available for the early 2012 issues. The Olympic definitives are already shown earlier in the blog, and you'd be a Charlie to miss this fellow, in January:

The rest of the Roald Dahl stamps, due on 10 January, will be on a new webpage soon.

Meanwhile anybody who has enquired about Norfolk and Norwich Philatelic Society Centenary Covers and Smilers sheets (seen here), I'll get there soon! While you're waiting you can see what a good time we all had at our Exhibition picture gallery.

Post and Go version 2 brings 40g: update London & Luton

2011-11-02T19:24:00.001Z

We've been advised (thanks Dan!) that "6 more London offices and Luton in Bedfordshire" have been upgraded to version 2 and have 40g labels available. More details as we get them, and we'll be pleased to publish any more news reports.

November 7

We have been advised that Old Street and Eastcheap have joined the V2 group.

Postal Stationery but not as we know it - Special Delivery envelopes.

2011-10-19T10:57:00.002+01:00

For some years Royal Mail has produced plastic Special Delivery envelopes in a variety of sizes. Those that are prepaid for postage are rightly termed Postal Stationery, but many other types exist.

Firstly there are the unstamped ones which enable users to pay by stamps, by franking machine or by Horizon label at the counter:

These are not regarded as postal stationery by most collectors.

Another type is used by companies which send a lot of special delivery mail. This is an old one from Crucial Technology which has the Postage Paid Impression on one side but the bar-coded special delivery label is on the reverse:

A fourth type is the 'Business Response Special Delivery' - only recently discovered by me but they may have existed for some time. The two examples I have found are used by a company offering to buy your surplus gold. Two sizes have been found so far:

Are there other examples - or examples of recorded signed for reply envelopes? Let us know by email or through the comments box.

Thanks Harry for showing me the first type with a Horizon label paying the fee; I should have included that as an option.

Post and Go version 2 brings 40g - and premium services!

2011-10-19T10:35:00.002+01:00

The delayed introduction of version 2 of Post and Go software has at last brought the Worldwide 40g Faststamp (current price £1.65).

The new value first appeared at London's Broadway SW1 branch on 13 October 2011.

At the same time changes to the Post and Go system also allows customers to post Recorded Signed For, Special Delivery, Airsure and International Signed For Royal Mail products as well as Parcelforce Express items within the UK and to the EU.

Examples of the Recorded Signed For, 2nd class Letter <100g (£1.13), 1st class Large Letter 170g £1.86)

The machine dispenses a certificate of posting upon which the RSF label number must be affixed. Unfortunately, but sensibly, the certificate has to be posted over the counter to receive the counter date stamp as proof of posting. It remains to be seen whether there is a fast-track queue for this service, otherwise the benefits of speed by using the Post and Go will be lost.

Birds 4 are expected at Broadway soon. Pictures when we have them.

New printings of higher value Machins at last?

2011-10-06T15:03:00.004+01:00

We have heard that the first of the high values to be reprinted since the original issue in 2009 may soon appear. The first is expected to be the £1 ruby, with the security code M11L:

Update:

The 2011 £1 stamp with year code M11L is now available with printing date 30/08/11. This will be kept for existing customers and will be available in our shop as soon as we have time to scan etc.

Other new printings are:

1st class gold 24/08/11

68p 26/08/11

76p 31/08/11

1st class Large - a new MA10 printing has appeared, with a printing date of 17/09/10. (Our previous date was 25/04/10)
We have limited numbers of date blocks for these, and date and cylinder blocks for the £1. Even if you are an existing customer, please let us know if you would like these blocks.

Thanks to Richard P for the picture.

Horizon Label Codes September 2011

2011-10-05T09:46:00.010+01:00

There's not much detail about the new reasons for the new coding on Horizon labels yet. There is an extra letter after the Royal Mail line, and an extra number after the Postage Paid line. The following noted so far:

Airmail (within the EU) International Signed for - Royal Mail h / Postage Paid 4
Special Delivery between 2kg - 10kg (ie £22.70 rate) - Royal Mail y / Postage Paid 4
Special Delivery Saturday Guaranteed* (ie £9.24 rate) - Royal Mail y / Postage Paid 6

Reported:

1st Class Recorded Letter 1L Royal Mail b Postage Paid 4
1^st Class Recorded Packet in 251-500g price band (£3.25)- Royal Mail.d / POSTAGE PAID UK.4
1st Class Packet (£1.96 or £2.48) - Royal Mail d / Postage Paid 4
1st Class Large Letter (£1.46) - Royal Mail c / Postage Paid 4
2nd Class Packet - Royal Mail g / Postage Paid 4
2nd Class Packet (101-250g) - £1.72 - Royal Mail.g / Postage Paid UK 4
2nd Class Packet (501-750g) Recorded - £3.38 - Royal Mail.g / Postage Paid UK 4

If there is any pattern at all it is that, as far as I know, all the above except SDSG* are exempt from VAT, so that maybe code 4. Saturday Guaranteed SD is standard rated for VAT (which might explain code 6).
The alpha code doesn't change according to the weight, and is unaffected by the recorded signed for option.

Please let us know what codes you get on the labels! - ian at norphil.co.uk

Thanks to Sam (1st 1PK rsf), Jon (1PK, 1LL), Mike (1L rsf), Melvyn (2PK), and Chris (2PK and 2PK rsf) for their reports.

The Return of the Cash on Delivery Service will help save Royal Mail – Moya Greene

2011-10-01T10:37:00.000+01:00

Many readers will be aware of the current government plans to split off the Post Office Branch Network from a to-be-privatised Royal Mail letter and parcel handling and delivery service.

Royal Mail's Newfoundland-born Chief Executive, Moya Greene, thinks that part of the future lies in e-commerce and a return of the Cash on Delivery service.

Royal Mail has consistently reported profits in recent years, but the UK Letters & Parcels and International business lost £120 million in 2010-11 (compared with a £20m profit the year before). So there is a comprehensive programme of cost-reduction, and automation (though that is not without its considerable capital costs) all of which helps to support Royal Mail's Universal Service Obligation to be able to deliver to every household in the UK every day, for as little as 46p (or less for contracted bulk mail).

One thing that bites into revenues and profitability is the current regulation, imposed as part of the mail competition process, to accept process and deliver mail from other operators even when the price charged to them for access to Royal Mail's network is less than what it costs to process that mail. (The system is similar to that used in privatisation of water, electricity and gas where delivery by any supplier is through a national grid owned and operated by another company, except that Royal Mail's National Grid is primarily manpower, which is inevitably more costly.) Ms Greene is aiming to have this regulation changed on privatisation to halt the losses on this part of the business.

But e-commerce and online retailing could provide the answer. This sector is growing, and although the competition of online payment for postage to Royal Mail is reducing the amount of cash taken at its own Post Office retail network, there may be another way to make money from it, according to Ms Greene.

In an interview with the Globe and Mail of Toronto the company head, formerly CEO of Canada Post, suggests that there is still some reluctance among web-users to actually purchase and provide their credit card details to online retailers.

Her idea is that postmen and postwomen would use electronic gizmos to confirm delivery and then initiate payment. The payment details would be handled only by Royal Mail, a very trusted brand, and she believes that such a system would see a growth in business volume as well as, presumably, commissions and fees adding to the cash flow.

Read the whole article here http://tinyurl.com/5r9uxjd

Start the year with Olympic definitives!

2011-09-30T09:03:00.007+01:00

Even before the 'blockbuster' (ie wide public appeal) Roald Dahl literary characters issue at the beginning of January, Royal Mail will issue four Olympic/Paralympic Definitive stamps on 5 January. There will be one each 1st class and 20g Worldwide stamp with the London 2012 Olympic Logo and the Paralympics Logo. The stamps are being printed by Walsall Security Printers in gravure, in self-adhesive booklets. ~~At this stage we don't know whether they will also be in sheets.~~
Update: Royal mail have confirmed that the stamps will also be issued in sheets self-adhesive and printed by De La Rue.

From the Royal Mail press release:

300 DAYS TO GO - ROYAL MAIL DEFINITIVE STAMPS MARKING LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES HIT THE PRESSES

“People sending letters to friends or family in the UK and overseas tourists sending mail abroad will be able to commemorate this historic event by using these stamps to post their items. As we reach the 300 day countdown, it’s exciting to see millions of these stamps rolling off the printing presses.”

The stamps will be available from all 11,800 Post Office branches across the UK from Thursday 5^th January 2012. There are four new stamps - two 1^st Class and two for Worldwide use to post items up to 20 gm in weight. Both sets of values feature one stamp with the London 2012 Olympic Games logo and one with London 2012 Paralympic Games logo.

Around a million stamps an hour in striking orange and blue inks will be printed on specialist stamp printing presses in Walsall, West Midlands over the next few days.

More images of the booklet, production, and checking:

Although appearing red in these images, the stamps will be orange - or maybe the same colour as the 1st class 'flame' that came before the gold, and with which we are so familiar. It also shows that on the web, they appear to be printed only 'two-up'.

There's a film of printing and interviews on Stamp Magazine's website.

Remembrance Poppy revival at the end of October

2011-09-29T13:30:00.001+01:00

Royal Mail have confirmed that the strip of 3 s-tenant Poppy stamps will be available from Post Office branches again this year.

The stamps, first issued in 2008, will be in sheets of 60 and will be available at POs from 31 October, although postmasters are permitted to sell them earlier if they want to, as this is not a new issue. The stamps will also be available from the Philatelic Bureau at Tallents House. (Thanks, Keith W, for news of this!)

Bulk Mailers using stamps - a register, with your help

2011-09-28T18:57:00.003+01:00

I was given a mailing from Taylor's Port today, a 2nd class blue stamp with a wavy line laser or ink-jet cancellation. I was hopeful that they were using the same stamps as the Sunday Times Wine Club, but it was not the case. This is the 'Sunday Times' stamp:

I thought a register of Business Direct Mail users and what stamps they use might be helpful. so:

April 2011 Royal Mail Royal Wedding - 1st class SA coil 2009 - MRIL MAIL
July 2011 Sunday Times Wine Club - 2nd class SA coil 2010 - MRIL MA10
?? 2011 Taylor's Port - 2nd class Business sheet 2010 - MBIL MA10
---- 2011 One of the credit card companies (agents) sends out new cards using coil stamps but so far seem to be stuck with 2009.

Let us know of any additions to this list, by email or using the comments box; either way I'll add them to the list.

Changes to Horizon Labels today

2011-09-26T17:06:00.002+01:00

I thought it had been quiet on the Horizon label front. News today from Brian on postagelabelsuk:

New ‘accounting codes’ added to Horizon Postage Labels.

A change to the Horizon postage labels has taken place today, which has resulted in some additional codes being added to the overprint, to be used for Post Office internal accounting purposes. For example it will be possible to identify which product a ‘SD’ label refers to – Special Delivery by 9am, SD next day (1pm), SD to Channels Islands etc, as each different type will have a specific code added.

The two additional characters have been added at the end of the ‘Postage PaidUK’ and ‘Royal Mail’ or ‘Parcelforce’ lines.

New Horizon label images will be added to Brian's blog in due course. I wonder who - apart from him - did first day covers. I saw the news at 5pm,and I only know one person who would have been interested: I hope he follows Brian's news-stream as well as this one!

Update: I'm told (thanks Kevin!) that the reference to Special Delivery in Brian's blog is purely illustrative. All Horizon labels for all services have changed, with additional coding on the Postage Paid line, and elsewhere. Watch this space - and watch your mail. We will, as usual be happy to show images of what you receive.

Don't leave it too late to get Birds 4 Faststamps!

2011-09-19T14:15:00.001+01:00

If you usually get your own sets of Faststamps from your nearest Post and Go machine, don't leave it too late. For the two machines in Norwich, 3 rolls were provided. They have all been fitted in one machine as far as I know.

From installation on Friday, and with the office open all day on Saturday, until about 11am this morning (Monday) two whole rolls have been dispensed. I had the third one installed to complete my purchases. I know that there is at least one other big buyer in Norwich, but unless there are more stocks forthcoming from central stores, there is no chance of getting a 40 g set from Norwich because by the time the software upgrade is completed there will be no Birds 4 left.

Sets of 36 different bird/value stamps will be difficult to get: even sets of 30 (without the 40 g) won't be plentiful. So while we dealers are sorting out what we have and who for, maybe it's time to nip into the PO and buy some to put aside (not that I would ever suggest stamps as an investment opportunity!) But when they're gone they're gone, and if more do materialise, you can always use them for postage.

Update:

We understand that the initial distribution was low because the Swindon Stores Depot changed the unit of issue from a box (of 5 rolls) to a roll. Consequently initial supplies were very limited. The unit of issue has now been changed back to box, and any PO now ordering should get a box of 5 rolls which should last a while! There may even be an automatic distibution to get the seabirds out of the way before the sheep come in next year!

Silly prices for Post & Go from Stampex?

2011-09-18T22:13:00.001+01:00

As usual after Stampex there is a flood of listings on eBay for all combinations of what was available. And some very wild claims with prices to match.

As you can see from the previous post (below), Birds 4 were in machine #93 and that is where almost all my stock has come from. Yet a single £5.40 strip is listed on eBay for £95 - as a starting price! Will the bunnies bite? Maybe, but there are probably more Birds 4 from #93 in dealers hands than from the self-service machine (#91). [You won't find that £95 one now, it's been pulled by the seller.]

Birds 3 is a different matter. This was in machine 93 at the beginning of Stampex and most people using the self-service machines (which dispensed only Machin Centenary stamps) would not have known about Birds 3 being available. Those are likely to be scarcer by far, from the Hytec machine.

And I wonder if any Wincor-Nixdorf machines in Post Offices were updated before Friday, and might have dispensed 40gr stamps? Enquiring minds need to know!

Stampex Post & Go Hytech - 16 September 2011

2011-09-16T19:50:00.001+01:00

The fourth and final set of Birds Faststamps was issued today, and as expected one of the 'backroom' machines at Stampex (number 93) was producing these in strips of 6, while the other (number 94) remained producing Machin Centenary Faststamps:

One would expect that the self-service machines - or at least one of them - would also be loaded with Birds 4: I await confirmation.

Meanwhile, an early release of the Birds 4 pictorials has been reported. A first class faststamp showing an arctic tern has been seen on an envelope from Paisley (id 007859) dated 12^th September 2011. The session number was 26868. (Thanks to John McCallum for this news: follow John's Postal Mechanisation updates on http://sites.google.com/site/pmechuk/

Does anybody have news of P and G machines in Post Offices producing the new 40g label as shown above?? First Day Cover producers need them for the full set!

Faststamps News: Birds 3 from the Stampex Hytech machines

2011-09-15T20:21:00.000+01:00

As well the Machin Centenary Faststamps first mentioned in this post (following the announcement on Postagelabelsuk) the Birds 3 faststamps were also available in Hytech strips of 6 from the Royal Mail counter at Stampex. The self-service machines (No 91 & 92) only dispensed the Centenary items. Over-the-counter sales are from machines 93 and 94 as shown below:

Centenary stamp from Hytech Machine 91:

Sunday Times update: 4th 2nd class MA10 MRIL discovered

2011-09-14T09:30:00.002+01:00

Update: I was thinking that this report was only the second occurrence but I've been reminded that there was a comment against the original entry from a reader who also had one. That would make three, but I have been told of another held by a dealer/collector, so that's four. More may well turn up in kiloware, and of course more could be used on other mailings from the STWC or others.

We've heard from another collector that he has found a copy of this stamp:

The 2nd class coil (MRIL) stamp self-adhesive with MA10 year code is only known (so far) used by a mailer for the Sunday Times Wine Club, and we know of only two copies in collectors' hands. We understand that a single roll of 10,000 of the MA10 version was used on the mailing - how many ended in the bin?

If you're a member of the Sunday Times Wine Club and haven't yet thrown out your mail - we are interested in buying this and will pay well!

Arnold Machin Centenary MS update - new source AND year codes!

2011-09-13T22:59:00.001+01:00

Thanks to a reader - we don't yet have our stock - we can now show a single stamp from the Arnold Machin Centenary Souvenir Sheet. As you can see this has the year code AM11 and the source code MMIL. In full the relevant line of the overlay reads ALAM11ROYALMMIL.

And from the postagelabelsuk blog, we can show the Machin Centenary Faststamps. All 6 values will be produced by the Hytach machines Stampex:

Christmas 2011: 400th Anniversary of the King James Bible

2011-09-13T16:44:00.000+01:00

2011 marks 400 years since the production of the King James Authorised Version of the Holy Bible. The Christmas stamps this year commemorate that anniversary. More details on our website soon.

The miniature sheet is, as usual, conventionally gummed. The stamps will be issued in individual sheets of 25 self-adhesive, and the 1st & 2nd letter stamps will also be in booklets of 12.

Masters of the Post - The Authorized History of the Royal Mail

2011-09-11T16:46:00.003+01:00

The British Postal Museum and Archive have told me that the original report was wrong: the book is unrelated to the radio series. SO....

Two autumn events: A BBC Radio 4 series will be aired around Christmas time. It will comprise 15 episodes on the history of the post. No details at present but we'll tell you when we know more!

There will also be a ~~accompanying~~ book with the above title, currently showing (but not available to pre-order) on the Penguin Books website. It is, however, available to pre-order on Amazon.co.uk with a 30% discount and free delivery. Amazon.com has it listed but as yet not available to pre-order.

At £30 for .....
Format : Hardback
ISBN: 9781846143243
Size : 153 x 234mm
Pages : 832
Published : 03 Nov 2011
Publisher : Allen Lane

.... this looks to be a good buy, so add it to your Christmas list now!

I'll provide more news, and dates for the BBC broadcasts nearer the time. Unlike television, BBC Radio broadcasts can be heard via their website all over the world.

Surprise Machin Centenary stamps from Post Office Ltd at Stampex.

2011-09-08T08:12:00.003+01:00

Brian Sinnott has revealed on his Postage Labels UK blog a surprise Machin souvenir.

Royal Mail have today announced that Hytech Postalvision equipment at Autumn Stampex 2011 will dispense a tribute to ‘Arnold Machin’ in the form of an overprinted set of Post and Go Machin-head stamps next week.

This overprint will be only available at Stampex, and will be applied on the existing ‘Machin’ Post and Go stock on one of two new Hytech Self-service Stamp Machines.
~~~~~~~~~
This Post Office tribute is more exciting than Royal Mail's no-FDC-Souvenir-sheet.

Update: I will be trying to obtain strips for existing customers - customers requiring FDCs please advise and I will do my best!

Special stamp issue for England Test team (cricket).

2011-09-07T16:49:00.000+01:00

Special stamp issue for England Test team - well that's what the press-release headline says anyway.

"Secret stamp issue for England Test team.

Britain’s secret little post office at Bletchley Park is celebrating England becoming the World’s Number 1 cricket team with a Smiler and cover issue. The cover features two exclusive paintings by renowned cricket artist Christina Pierce, one on the envelope and another on the stamp. The stamp has a 13^th August 2011 cachet to mark the day of the big win."

And once again the press will pick it up, and the foreign press in some cricket countries (notably India) will report it as a new stamp issue by Royal Mail. And I hope that this blogpost will get equal coverage!

This is NOT a new stamp issue by Royal Mail. It will be a Smilers sheet commissioned by Bletchley Park PO to mark the fact that the England team have become the world number 1. The exclusive painting is NOT on a stamp, but on the label loosely attached to the stamp. I'm not saying that this is misrepresentation but it is misleading in that it leads readers to believe something that is not true.

Doubtless once it gets in the press we will have a number of people emailing and phoning us asking whether it is in Post Offices. I feel sorry for the employees of Post Office Ltd and Royal Mail's Tallents House philatelic bureau who - not knowing what it is - have to deny all knowledge of it.

Booklet Cylinder numbers - why bother?

2011-09-07T16:34:00.000+01:00

I've now had time to scan the latest retail booklets (previously only publicity images were available). I am beginning to wonder why cylinder numbers are shown as we know that there are never any variations these days.

The English Locomotives retail booklet is unusual in not being printed with 4 process colours - at least I think it is printed in the actual colours; it's difficult to tell with the cylinders being printed on the dark green background!

The visible cylinder numbers, from the right, are Gold, Black or Green, Green or Black(both these look black!). The less visible ones are the gold security overlay and phosphor which are above the LA of CLASSIC.

The 6th Olympic/Paralympics booklet which, being multicoloured, uses the normal process colours of (from left) Yellow, Magenta, Cyan and Black, plus light grey. To the left are phosphor and gold security overlay, above the ond of London.

Security stamp usage observation

2011-09-03T09:49:00.001+01:00

When the security definitives were first issued in 2009 the sheet stamps were issued on 17 February and booklets, business sheets and coils on 31 March - but that was just philatelic issue. It took some months for the various different versions to percolate through Post Office Supplies Department and out to branches.

Evidence from incoming business and social mail during 2009 was that most of the new stamps came from booklets. And local post office branches were still using pre-security PIP stamps (especially 2nd Large, and 1st small) well into 2010.

Looking at similar mail this year - now that all the 2011 stamps from main sources have appeared - it is evident that many more counter sheet stamps are being used. This includes 1st class despite the vast number of 1st class special stamps available.

For collectors of modern postal history - stamps on cover doing the right job - use of some versions of the 2009 stamps (the ones with no year code) in 2009 and early 2010 may be quite hard to find, especially the counter sheet versions. I don't get many Large Letters with single LL stamps on, but I would say that 2009 counter sheets, and 2nd class 2010 business sheets will be difficult to find. So far only one printing date for the latter has been discovered!

What's your experience? Let us know by leaving a comment!

Arnold Machin Centenary MS update - day of issue postmarks

2011-08-31T20:52:00.004+01:00

This is an update to the original posting to show the special postmarks available for day of issue of this sheet.

As reported here, Royal Mail have decided to mark the centenary of the birth of the sculptor Arnold Machin with a souvenir sheet of ten definitive stamps bearing his iconic image of HM The Queen will be issued on the opening day of Stampex, 14 September.

The sheet will have conventional gum, but will have "full security features except for the security slits" according to the publicity information we have received. As this is a new source (miniature sheet) for security definitives it is to be expected that a new source code will be used. Updated: we have been told that the sheet is printed by Walsall in gravure, and has PVA gum.

And now that it has been delivered, the actual sheet:

This has the year code AM11 and the source code MMIL. In full the relevant line of the overlay reads ALAM11ROYALMMIL.

These special postmarks have been announced for the day of issue of this sheet:

Ref M12265 - Stoke-on-Trent
Ref M12264 - Machin Street, Stoke-on-Trent
Ref L12244 - Piccadilly, London W1

350th Anniversary of the Postmark - generic sheet (update)

2011-08-31T20:43:00.002+01:00

This is an update to the original posting in July, to show the special postmarks available for day of issue of this sheet.

The first type of British postmark was introduced in 1661, at the London Chief Office, when Henry Bishop was Postmaster General (June 1660 to April 1663).

With 2011 being the 350th anniversary of Bishop's Mark, Royal Mail has produced a striking generic smilers sheet showing more than 20 different types of postmark that have been used in Britain across the centuries. The sheet will be on sale from 15 September (including at Autumn Stampex).

Click here for larger image, and here for super-size (1.1Mb) image.

These postmarks will be available on the day of issue (15 September):

Ref M12267 - Royal Mail Birmingham
Ref W12274 - Bath (Maltese Cross)

These are illustrated with 16 September dates in error, and will be in use on 15th.

(Numbers changed for revised date, 15 September)
Ref W~~12275~~ W12289 Bath (duplex)
Ref L~~12259~~ L12283 London WC1 (wavy lines)
Ref ~~L12258~~ L12284 London EC4 (Maltese Cross)
Ref ~~L12257~~ L12285 Stanley Gibbons, London WC2

Special postmarks produced for the House of Hanover stamp issue may also be used (except the 4 inscribed First Day of Issue).

First UK Aerial Post - Machin pane

2011-08-26T09:53:00.001+01:00

We now have the miniature sheet and prestige book panes for this issue, originally mentioned here. As expected the stamps have conventional gum, the 76p and 1st class stamps have a security overprint but the 5p stamps do not. The phosphor bands are very opaque making the security overprint difficult to see where the bands are. As expected the year code is M11L and the source code is MPIL.

2010 self-adhesive 1st class coil - we now have these in stock, but almost all are allocated to existing customers. Due to a bereavement our office is closed and distribution of these - indeed all business matters - are delayed and will be fitted in as best we can. These will probably be distributed with the stamps from the 9 September Aerial Post pane shown above - and the Machin Centenary stamp or MS which is issued on 14 September.
E-mails will be answered when we can. Thank you for your patience.

2010 is not done yet - 1st class self-adhesive coil now available

2011-08-18T14:17:00.001+01:00

Last month we mentioned the 2nd class self-adhesive coil from the 2010 MA10 printing. A month later this is still the only copy that has been reported, although it is understood that a whole 10,000-stamp roll was used on the Sunday Times Wine Club mailout. Some 2009 stamps were also used.

The 1st class MA10 coil is now available - so far in very limited numbers, possibly only one coil. Now 10,000 stamps sounds a lot, but it's only 1,000 strips of 10. Not everybody will want a strip at the current price, but singles will be bought up quickly. We will have a few for sale - see here !

Here's a picture of the 1st class coil:

Update on Machin Souvenir Sheet due 14 September

2011-08-16T13:02:00.001+01:00

We have been given new technical information on this sheet.

The sheet is printed by Walsall using the Gravure Process & has PVA Gum

No word yet on whether the design has been improved from this preliminary, or on what the security codes will be, although 'AM' has been suggested - ROYAL MAML ?

Postmarks for the date of issue are here

Which offices still have Birds 3 Faststamps?

2011-08-12T13:50:00.001+01:00

As I've mentioned before the same quantity of Birds 3 Faststamps were printed for 120+ Post Offices as Birds 2 for 30+ offices. Not surprisingly some offices have had to revert to Machin-heads stamps.

Which offices still have Birds 3? Please email ian [at] norphil.co.uk - many thanks.

Machin and De La Rue news.

2011-08-07T10:44:00.000+01:00

Graham Howard reports on his Smilers-Info website that Adrian Bradbury has produced a Business Customised Sheet marking the Centenary of the Birth of Arnold Machin. The sheet utilises the Union Flag stamp but each label shows two Machin stamps or preliminary artwork, and the surround shows the huge range of different uses to which the Machin portrait has been put on GB stamps.

This is a limited edition of only 500 and Machin collectors are sure to be interested.

On a related subject it has been reported that De La Rue will close two printing factories, including the Dunstable stamp-printing works, and transfer production to Gateshead. As this is only a relocation and not a consolidation of other printer's operations it is unlikely to create the variations in stamps that occurred with previous moves, but may see more UK stamps being produced by Cartor, Walsall, or Enschede for a time.

More cylinder blocks added to our shop.

2011-08-01T10:15:00.000+01:00

Late last week we added a batch of cylinder blocks to our online shop here.

Some of these are early pre-elliptical versions, but not all have the angled margin preferred by collectors these days. They have been priced accordingly. For most of the earlier ones we have only one example, so when they're gone, they're gone! Here are a few examples:

Pre-printed albums - what spaces are there for 2010?

2011-07-31T21:13:00.000+01:00

One of our customers outside the UK has bought the SAFE album supplement for 2010 stamps and has asked for the original (Machin Head) Faststamps with the branch code 002010 as sold at the London Festival of Stamps. As far as I know these are no different from those sold at Post & Go machines in 30 Post Offices across the country except for the Branch Code.

Can anybody confirm that SAFE are including space for the 002010 Faststamps, but not for all the other branches?!

Gold medallists will be honoured on stamps in 2012

2011-07-28T14:45:00.000+01:00

{Press Release}

ROYAL MAIL STAMPS TO GO FOR GOLD IN LONDON 2012

• Royal Mail stamps to be issued to mark all Team GB gold medal wins

• Gold medal stamps a first for Royal Mail

• Only 3rd time a host nation has issued individual Olympic gold medal stamps

• Stephen Agar from Royal Mail said: “We’re delighted to announce we will be issuing these very special gold medal stamps. We hope that we will be printing many sets, just as the Nation hopes that it will be celebrating many victories next summer.”

With one year to go to London 2012, Royal Mail has announced that it will issue special gold medal stamps to celebrate Team GB Olympic gold medal wins.

This is the first time that Royal Mail has issued stamps to mark Olympic victories. The stamps will feature both individual and team gold medal wins.

Details of the actual designs themselves are set to be announced later, when Royal Mail will also announce its plans to commemorate the Paralympic Games.
{end}

Royal Mail have since confirmed that the medalwinners will be depicted on actual stamps not on Smilers Sheet labels. It is likely that a stamp will be issued for each medal won. Here are some of the stamps that Australia produced in 2000. Ian Thorpe who won three gold in Sydney was shown three times - once by himself, and twice as part of the teams:

Machin 20p gummed cylinder D5 used before self-adhesives

2011-07-28T14:15:00.000+01:00

De La Rue printed more of the gummed 20p bright green stamps from a new cylinder before the self-adhesive versions were printed and these are now available in our shop with a printing date of 16/09/10

Faststamps to get an extra value - 40g worldwide

2011-07-20T10:11:00.003+01:00

We have been told that the 5 existing Faststamp values will soon be supplemented by a sixth value, for the 40g World Wide letter rate.

The update to Post and Go software is scheduled to take place in July/August: as always each machine needs to be updated individually so there will be no nationwide first day of issue for this rate.

The new rate label will be similar to this, and I have been assured that Norwich (019136) will NOT be among the early branches to be changed! Please do not ask for these as they are not yet available.

Later, another software change will see the addition of a ‘collector’ button that will automatically produce a version of each value to make it easier for collectors to obtain the set. The Wincor-Nixdorf machines will still not produce a strip of 6, so the best way to get these will be as a pair of 3.

UPDATE: Latest information is that "40g should get into some branches before Stampex!"which is not helpful - it will mean that some offices will have 5 values when Birds 4 are issued, and some will have 6. Not much good for getting full sets of 36, or full set FDCs :-(

Country Definitive printing dates, cylinder numbers, (updated)

2011-07-19T20:24:00.001+01:00

Royal Mail have confirmed that the printing dates for the 2011 Country Definitives are on the litho plates.

The printings for both England and Scotland ran over two days because they are still produced in reasonable volumes. Cartor currently has no ink-jetting facilities and so to change the print date required them to make a new plate. Wales and Northern Ireland printing was completed in one day so only one set of plates was used.

New Machin security coil - 2010 2nd class self-adhesive

2011-07-18T18:58:00.001+01:00

Let us know if you find any of these - and if you received them on mail then information about the sender and mailing house would be useful!

Definitive printing dates, cylinder numbers, and speculation (updated)

2011-07-14T17:09:00.001+01:00

News has reached us from various sources concerning printing dates and cylinder numbers on Machin and country definitives.

Country stamps.
The new printings by Cartor released at the end of March had C1 x 6 cylinder numbers (4 colour process, silver, and phosphor). The printing dates - not printed by ink-jet but apparently engraved on the cylinder - are:

England - 24/01/11 Ireland - 24/01/11
Scotland - 26/01/11 N Ireland - 27/01/11

Recently the England stamps have been found dated 25/01/11 - with black cylinder C2. It's the black cylinder that prints the date in the right margin:

The England £1.10 stamp is, of course, printed in two columns alongside 2 columns of 68p stamps, so that value will also exist with the new date and cylinder number. The Scotland 68p stamp exists dated 27/01/11 with black cylinder C2; once again this indicates that the £1.10 should also exists in this form - the Scotland £1.10 has now been seen.

Machin definitive
Although the low-value self-adhesive stamps were printed in January this year, some printings for the stamps with ordinary gum may not have appeared in post offices yet - and Royal Mail said that stocks of gummed stamps will be exhausted before the self-adhesives are sent to POs. A late printing of the 20p emerald has appeared - 15/09/10 - with a D5 cylinder number, replacing the D4 printed on 10/03/08.

Will we lose gold in Olympic year? Back in 1997 the colour of the 1st class stamp changed to gold in honour of the Queen's Golden Wedding Anniversary. They reverted back to orange, and then there was the Millennium version, and in 2002 the colour again changed to gold coincident with the Queen's Golden Jubilee - and it has remained gold ever since.

When two or three collectors get together discussing modern developments in stamps, all sorts of speculative thoughts are voiced. The Diamond Jubilee occurs next year and Royal Mail have already announced the issue of a new definitive in February, replacing the current gold one, but no details have yet been supplied.

It's been suggested that there will be no point in reverting to gold at the end of 2012: so it is more than possible that the Diamond Jubilee 1st class definitive will be the default - in counter sheets, business sheets, retail booklets, prestige stamp books and coils. It's logical that the Large Letter stamp will also change from gold.

Anyone want to guess what the change will be? Bright silver for diamonds? Royal Purple? Colour with a silver security overprint (seems unlikely, they still think this is a secret security device!)?
And if there are no more gold stamps, will the Arnold Machin Centenary sheet hold the last printing of gold 1st class stamps?

Your speculation is invited - use the comment box!

Another new 1st class Machin forgery - with 'security features' found

2011-07-14T16:24:00.001+01:00

We've been sent a photo of the latest 1st class gold definitive forgery. This one has security features, including the slits and an overprint MSIL, but with no year code.

I'm told that this is identifiable as it is on bright paper, with no phosphor and printed in Litho. It appears to have varnished 'phosphor bands'.

New stamp in Postmark's 350th Anniversary striking Smilers sheet

2011-07-11T17:23:00.004+01:00

The first type of British postmark was introduced in 1661, at the London Chief Office, when Henry Bishop was Postmaster General (June 1660 to April 1663).

When refuting charges of delays in the post, he claimed:-

"A stamp is invented, that is putt upon every letter shewing the day of the moneth that every letter comes to this office, so that no letter Carryer may dare to detayne a letter from post to post ; which, before, was usual."

Bishop published the announcement of the "Bishop Mark" in the Mercurius Publicus. The Bishop Marks varied in size and in lettering, and they remained in general use until 1787 with survivals into 1788.

Some excellent examples of Bishop Marks can be seen on Eunice Shanahan's website.

With 2011 being the 350th anniversary of Bishop's Mark, Royal Mail has produced a striking generic smilers sheet showing more than 20 different types of postmark that have been used in Britain across the centuries. The sheet will be on sale from 15 September (including at Autumn Stampex).

This is the first Generic sheet (since the one issued in January 2010 which introduced the design) to use the 'wax seal' 1st class stamp introduced in February 2010 as part of the Business Customised Sheet range. It is not available for Personalisation as a Smiler stamp. The labels show:

Column 1: Bishop Mark 1661, Essex Post (1674), Dockwra (1680), Birmingham 'Chandelier' (1772), and Provincial Penny Post (Aylsham, Norfolk).

Column 2: Red Maltese Cross (1840), Barred Numeral England & Wales (1844), Pearson Hill machine (1857), Duplex - International Exhibition (1862), and Edinburgh duplex, Brunswick Star (1863)

Centre of Sheet: Britain's Most Northerly Post Office, Baltasound (permanent pictorial handstamp, in use currently), Britain's most southerly post office, The Lizard Helston Cornwall (counter datestamp),
the Oldest post office in Britain, Sanquar, Dumfries-shire (permanent pictorial handstamp - now closed), Longest placename in postmark, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (special handstamp for re-opening of railway station).

Column 3: Birmingham Squared Circle (1879), Scottish Double Arc, Largs (1883), Parcel Post 'Label' Handstamp Cannon Street London (1887), First machine slogan, War Bonds (1917), and First Tourist Slogan, Hastings (1963).

Column 4: First Day of Issue handstamp, Stratford-upon-Avon (1964 - Shakespeare), National Postal Museum Handstamp (1969), Self-Inking Datestamp [SID] Winchester (1981 counter date stamp), First regular ink-jet slogan Watford (1997), and Travelling Post Office operational handstamp, last day of service (Midland TPO South No2 Side 9 Jan 2004).

Click here for larger image, and here for super-size (1.1Mb) image.

Update: Special postmarks for the date of issue are shown here.

First Aerial Post PSB - wer'e getting closer to the facts

2011-07-11T16:27:00.000+01:00

The Centenary of the First UK Aerial Post from Hendon to Windsor will be marked by a miniature sheet and prestige stamp booklet. There has been much speculation regarding the Machin pane in the booklet, whether it will be litho or gravure, and with ordinary gum or self-adhesive. Some of the uncertainty is caused by Royal Mail's pre-production publicity images, which never show the stamps properly joined, however they are produced.

Based on this, and technical information provided, I wrote:
The printing process is described as "Lithography, except pane 1 which is gravure", and the printer is identified as Cartor Security Printing. However, we know that Cartor do not have gravure capability, so pane 1 will probably be printed by Walsall, especially if self-adhesive.

I must admit the label confused me - I thought it was the same design as in the 2010 King George V PSB but that was a Mackennal profile of the King, and this is the Downey head.

Now we have images of what I believe are the actual panes, and not only have the values changed, the Machin pane is conventionally gummed. How many stamps will have security features, though - we don't know! Of these, the 5p has been issued with security slits but no overprint but only in self-adhesive form, the 1st class has been issued with overprint in both gummed and self-adhesive form but only the latter has the security slits. The 76p has only been issued self-adhesive, having both security slits and overprint. (I wonder if part of the "cost of production' - the reason for the selling price of these books now being 10% above face - is due to the complexity of the cylinders used for these security features?)

And while we're on the subject of costs - it hardly seems necessary to include two rouletting cutters for the panes which contain the commemorative stamps in this booklet:

For the record, the final pane contains 4 x Windsor Castle 50p stamps, printed in intaglio - or what we used to call 'recess' printing.

Arnold Machin Centenary MS - a missed opportunity, and so boring!

2011-07-11T15:40:00.006+01:00

As reported here, Royal Mail have decided to mark the centenary of the birth of the sculptor Arnold Machin with a souvenir sheet of ten definitive stamps bearing his iconic image of HM The Queen will be issued on the opening day of Stampex, 14 September.

Updated: we have been told that the sheet is printed by Walsall in gravure, and has PVA gum.

The souvenir sheet will reportedly be available at Stampex and on order from Tallents House but not, by implication, at post offices which seems odd. If they are available at Post Offices, then it seems unnecessary to mention that they will be sold at Stampex and Tallents House, where all other new issues are sold!
Updated: this is a souvenir sheet not a miniature sheet so it will not be distributed to Royal Mail's MS customers on standing order. Special postmarks in use on the day of issue are shown here.
(as of 9 September we haven't received our advance supplies from Royal Mail!)

But once again, Royal Mail have missed a trick. This is undoubtedly the most boring British stamp issue of recent years. Why not a bold heading for 'Arnold Machin Centenary', rather than just dropping his dates alongside his signature. As there is no date of issue, the sheet has nothing to indicate that it has been produced for his birth centenary. On the other hand collectors of security definitives will be delighted that there will probably only be one collectable stamp here, and dealers will be able to supply 10 customers from just one sheet.

These were, surely, better:

Or even this!!

Inset Phosphor Bands on Security Stamps

2011-07-02T08:55:00.000+01:00

I don't have much occasion to write about phosphor band variations on modern stamps. Most variations I have seen are on the booklet stamps, but even then the shift is very slight and not worthy of a catalogue listing by even the most detailed catalogue.

I've now had a report that the 1st class Large from Business sheets exists with bands Inset from Right clear of the margin. These are from sheets 03-11-10 with yearcode MA11. If anybody is interested please contact me by email.

Aerial Post, House of Hanover, and the last of the Birds

2011-06-29T22:01:00.001+01:00

In a final post for today, we summarise today's changes to our website.

New pages have been added today for the House of Hanover and Faststamps Birds 4 sets. More detail and better images have been added to the Olympics 3, First Aerial Post and Classic Locomotives retail booklet. Some sample images:

Another Exhibition, Another Exhibition Smiler Sheet

2011-06-29T16:57:00.000+01:00

Royal Mail have provided an image of the Exhibition sheet they are releasing to mark Japan's PHILA'NIPPON 11 philatelic exhibition to be held from 28 July to 2 August in Yokohama.

The self-adhesive sheet consists of 20 x 1st class Hello stamps, with two sets of 10 labels attached. The labels appear to depict origami sculptures, and the background shows the Yokohama skyline at night.

The theme of the exhibition is "Stamps Link the World"

More retail booklet news: Olympics and railways

2011-06-29T13:30:00.001+01:00

We now have information about two more retail booklets to be issued this year.

The 5th Olympic/Paralympic book (issue date 27 July) has 1st class Machins with no apparent change to the security codes, they being M11L and MCIL as before. This is a scan of the actual booklet:

Although these are normally printed using normal 4-colour process, there may be an additional grey colour. Certainly the poor appearance of the caption "Wheelchair Rugby" is due to a colour shift which does not affect the Sailing stamp, but does create a slight doubling of the London 2012 edge caption. Booklet 6 will be issued on 15 September.

On 23rd August 2011 the first railway booklet will be issued, featuring the 1st class stamp from the Classic Locomotives of England miniature sheet issued on 1 February this year. This booklet has been in the plans for a long time: the publicity mock-up from Royal Mail has a filedate of 11 January 2011!

See other railway products on our shop here.

New Machin source code this year?

2011-06-29T12:09:00.001+01:00

Royal Mail have announced an issue to mark the centenary of the birth of Arnold Machin, sculptor who produced the iconic design of our current definitives (based on a photograph by John Hedgecoe).

As announced:
Marking the centenary of the birth of Arnold Machin .... a souvenir sheet of 10 definitive stamps... will be issued on the opening day of Stampex, 14 September 2011. The stamps are not new issues, they will have full security features except the security slits and will have conventional gum.

So these will not be self-adhesive, but coventionally gummed, so they are a new stamp for collectors because the year code should be M11L or MA11. We doubt that Royal Mail will pass up the opportunity to introduce a new source code, however we can only guess at what that might be! We do not know which values will be included in the sheet - a face value of £4.60 suggests 10 x 1st class, but that is by no means certain!

More information will be published here as it is made available.

Problems - and price rises - caused by pre-printed albums.

2011-06-21T15:36:00.001+01:00

I can understand the appeal of pre-printed one-country albums with pictures of all the stamps, and mounts to hold the unmounted mint stamps. But I've never really liked the idea since I won a Sweden album in a Swedish Post Office competition, and found that there were pages for all the complete booklets as well as all the single stamps and pairs from those booklets.

That meant I had two buy two booklets to be 'complete'. But I only collected used, so there was little chance of getting a complete booklet unless I bought it cancelled-to-order from their philatelic bureau.

A complete run of stamps in a pre-printed album looks really good, and the pre-installed mounts do save a great deal of time - but at quite a cost. For some countries the pages for extra years cost more than the stamps they will hold. And the range of the collection is dictated by the album publisher, sometimes also a catalogue publisher.

If the album has spaces for booklet panes as well as the single stamps, then you need two copies. To avoid being caught out you have to develop the skill to guess what the publisher will and will not include, because the new year pages are often published in late spring, which will be after some of its contents have gone off-sale at the philatelic bureau.

I was reminded of this by two recent tips in the US Linn's Stamp News, in a column which alerts readers to fast-moving stamps. More often highlighting moves in US stamps the last two issues have mentioned the UK's 2009 Charles Darwin and 2010 Classic Album Covers issues, specifically the stamps with conventional gum from, the prestige stamp books. Because the 'over-the-counter' stamps were self-adhesive in both cases, the ones with 'water-activated' gum warrant separate catalogue listings, not just as complete booklets but as individual stamps and panes.

In Stanley Gibbons' Concise catalogue for 2011 (published after the Album Covers had been taken off sale) these 10 are priced at a massive £24 - just 15 months after they were issued with an original face value of £3.90. Similarly the 2009 Darwin set (face value £3.43) is listed at £26 mint and used.

With increasing face values and number of issues, dealers are not holding large stocks of recent issues, and this - coupled with increased demand from owners of the latest album supplement - leads to increased prices. So be alert: anticipate what will be in the supplement while the stamps are still available. There are some that you just won't be able to get cheaper than original face value! You won't find them in discount postage boxes.