Wednesday 9 October 2013

More woe for postmark collectors, with no-notice postmark for Children's Stamp Competition

The people involved must be very honoured, but it's not much good for collectors.  Having used special slogan postmarks for the 11 Doctor Whos, and the 11 Football Legends, Royal Mail has now used similar postmarks for the finalists in their Design a Christmas Stamp Childrens Competition.
When the short list of 24 designs was announced, Royal Mail included this statement:

"To celebrate the children being the 24 finalists, their achievement will appear on a special postmark that will feature on mail delivered to addresses nationwide. Each postmark will feature one day over the next month. Two of the national finalists are from Wales and will have a Welsh postmark sent to addresses in Wales."

To avoid making this blog entry too big, the remaining postmarks will be shown on a new one here; the table at the foot will continue to be updated. 

Apparently the campaign started on 3 October, with each postmark being in use for one day only (at least that is the plan, but see the detail below), running up to the announcement of the two winners on 31 October, and the issuing of the stamps on 5 November.
Latest text additions will be in blue; images will be slotted in more or less in order.

Thanks to John G and John A we can show these examples. 
Natacha Simpson from Wandsworth 4 October, Molly Robson from Horsham 3 October



ADDED from contributions - thanks to Bob M, Dominic P, Boweevil, John G, John C, Mike C, 
(apologies to anybody not credited!)

4 / 5 October Natasha Simpson from Wandsworth used on a second day (Bath, Bristol Taunton MC and Greenford/Windsor MC) 
8 October Olivia Heller from Royal Tunbridge Wells from Romford MC with a clear (wrong) date (Thanks JE)
9 October Adil Hanney from Blackburn (Cornwall = Truro MC)
9 October Tia Dann, from Bamber Bridge on a Post and Go stamp so mostly illegible (Nottingham MC) and from Bath, Bristol Taunton on 8 October
10 October Nial Conn from Armagh - Chester and N Wales MC
11 October Corin McCrea from Holywood - S W Wales MC and on 12th from South East Anglia MC (thanks KC)
14 October Faye Hughes from Darlington  Cambridge MC
15 October Rowan McAlpine from Berwick-upon-Tweed, at Manchester MC 
16 October Finn Alexander from Taunton, at North and West Yorkshire MC 
17 October Rosie Hargreaves from Devon, at North and West Yorkshire MC, and South East Anglia MC
18 October Archie Hilton from Banchory, at Cambridge MC (I've also been sent examples from Bath Bristol Taunton MC, S W Wales MC and Chester and N Wales (both in English) on the same date; and Chester and N Wales and Gatwick MC on 19th.

However, the finalists in Wales seem to have drawn the short straw, both being named on one postmark with no precise location, but that postmark has been used (unless there was a machine error) on 11 October and 18 October at Cambridge MC
Jayden Robens and Nicole Murphy from Wales (og Cymru)  










UPDATE 10 October:  Collectors with more knowledge than I have - and who have seen examples - have said  that, unlike the previous two campaigns, these slogans are being applied on all IMP-processed mail to any address nationwide. That should mean that we all see some, although it's hit and miss given the amount of mail that comes through with no postmark at all!

Fortunately the British Postmark Society will collate reports and publish the full results, but they still need help from all of us, not just from their members, so please send scans of any examples you see.

UPDATED 21 October. We now have a list from Royal Mail of all the finalists, locations named on the slogans, and dates.  What you have found, however, is that some slogans have been used on more than one date, not always the expected ones.  § Friday dates seem to continue to Saturday (4/5, 11/12, 18/19, 25/26)


Region
Location
Name
intended date
Actual dates
South East
Horsham
Molly Robson
3 October
3 October
South East
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Olivia Heller
7 October
8 October                      
North West
Bamber Bridge
Tia Dann
8 October
8 October
9 Oct @ NG
North West
Blackburn
Adil Hanney
9 October
9 October
Northern Ireland
Holywood
Corin McCrea
11 October §
11 October
Northern Ireland
Armagh
Niall Conn
10 October
10 October
North East
Darlington
Faye Hughes
14 October
14 October
North East
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Rowan McAlpine
15 October
15 October
South West
Devon
Rosie Hargreaves
17 October
17 October
South West
Taunton
Finn Alexander
16 October
16 October
Scotland
Banchory
Archie Hilton
18 October §
18 -19  October
Scotland
Newtown St Boswells
Danielle Lockie
21 October
21 October
Yorkshire and Humberside
Sheffield
Kristina Pavic
22 October
22 October
Yorkshire and Humberside
Hull
Thomas Donaldson
23 October
23 October
London
Rainham
Daniel Payne
24 October
24 October
London
Wandsworth
Natacha Simpson
4 October §
4-5 October
East of England
Chelmsford
Thomas Gaynham
25 October §
25 October
East of England
Norwich
Ava Reynolds
28 October
28 October
29 Oct @ NG
West Midlands
Oswestry
Oliver Miller
31 October

West Midlands
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Fred Egerton
1 November

East Midlands
Newark
Morgan Spink
30 October

East Midlands
Derby
Ethan Mahal
29 October
29 October
Wales


Jayden Roberts

Nicole Murphy
Oct 3-17 in English
Oct 18 – Nov 4 in Welsh
11 October (E)

18 October (W)
Wales



10 comments:

  1. It's not as bad as the Dr Who/Football hero slogans as these are being used in IMPs to ALL addresses not just the home towns of the finalists. But one slogan a day is still a ridiculous situation!
    Martin

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ian
    Thanks as always for keeping us up to date.

    You think the slogans are used on mail addressed to the areas they live. Does the full addresses of the copies you hav seen indicate this?

    The Royal mail announcement says they will feature on mail addressed nationwide. Have you seen any on your inward mail or is the RM announcement just wrong?

    John Embrey

    ReplyDelete
  3. Judging by the Royal Mail list linked to earlier it might be Tia Dann from the North West in the Post & Go sample

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tia is from Bamber Bridge.
      I notice from the illustrations that RM have a strange idea of one a day as the Natacha ones are dated 4th and 5th and there are two different ones dated 9th. My copy of the Tia Dann one is from Bristol dated 8th!

      Delete
    2. I think the 'answer' regarding the 4th Oct slogan also being used on 5th is that much less mail is posted on Saturdays (such as 5th Oct), and indeed some Mail Centres do not process outward mail - e.g. Preston's mail goes to Manchester on Saturdays, and Medway's and Croydon's mail goes to Gatwick.

      John Enfield

      Delete
  4. Yes, it's Tia Dann from Bamber Bridge, near Preston. It's stretching the point to say all IMP-processed mail is receiving the slogans - though that is the intention. I've had several recent letters, posted in Preston to Preston, with stamps uncancelled, or with only wavy lines cancelling the stamp. This was despite my taking care to use only current Machin definitives, as I know IMPs can be picky and often fail to cancel older issue or Post & Go stamps.

    John Enfield

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Niall Conn from Armagh dated 10th from Lancashire and South Lakes.

      Delete
  5. Conn McCrea from Holywood dated 11th from North West Midlands

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sure others would like to see the two Northern Ireland postmarks so if you can send scans to me I'd appreciate it.
      Thanks

      Delete
  6. Olivia Heller from Royal Tunbridge Wells appeared on 7 October - I have this from Preston Mail Centre ('Lancashire and South Lakes'), also used late - presumably in error on 8 October from Romford Mail Centre. The previous day's slogan may appear early in the day, before the due changeover time, but the Romford one is timed 03.59pm.

    John Enfield

    ReplyDelete

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