On and off at Christmas - or, did you know?

The Christmas stamps of 2001 were innovative; the first after the complex Millennium series of special    issues, they were self-adhesive for the first time.  To help post office counter staff to get used to them without spoiling any sheets of special labels were printed in the same format (sheets of 50) with the De La Rue logo in black on a white background.  These training sheets, and the actual stamps retained the paper around and between the stamps, known as the matrix.

This format continued for 2002, but in 2004 the matrix was removed at the factory, which made it much easier for counter staff and customers to remove the stamps.  This was to be the model for all future self-adhesive issues and was extended to booklets and business sheets.

Except that it wasn't the case with all the stamps.  Each year Royal Mail (and at that time Post Office) employees were given 50 x 1st class stamps at Christmas (on condition that they did not sell them to collectors!).   The 50 stamps were usually in two panes of 25 and the matrix was retained.  Of course this made them attractive to collectors, so some were swapped for normal ones while others were given away or sold (yes - really!)

The difference can be seen clearly in this example of the 2006 stamps.

Christmas 2006 1st class: 'Public' version; above 'Staff' version below.

I have examples of many years available at current face value or less for blocks.  A pair or a marginal single is essential to show the difference, but bigger blocks are quite impressive.

Availability - as well as singles and pairs from the middle of the sheet, I can offer the following.

2004 - printing date marginal strips or blocks; sale date marginal strips or blocks.

2005 - cylinder blocks and colour dot blocks or strip.

2006 - printing date marginal strips or blocks; sale date marginal strips or blocks, dot block/strip, half-sheet of 25.

2007 - printing date marginal strips or blocks; sale date marginal strips or blocks. 

2008 - colour dot strip/block; very few others.

2009 - half-sheet of 25 with cylinder and  colour dots; colour dot block/strip.

2010 - colour dot strip/block; very few others.

2011 - printing date marginal strips or blocks; sale date marginal strips or blocks, half-sheet of 25.

2012 - half-sheet of 25 with cylinder and colour dots; few others.

These were distributed in half-sheets of 25, the top half has the dates, the lower half has the cylinder numbers and colour blocks. While available sheets can be split into blocks, strips and singles.

Please email ian[at]norphil.co.uk with your requirements.

I'll try to keep this updated with available stock.

 

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