Tuesday 29 October 2024

New Wales Country definitives 14 November 2024, but airmail stamps to end

As well as the 2024 Christmas stamps Royal Mail have also put on their website for pre-order two new Wales Country definitives with the profile of King Charles III.

Queen Elizabeth II Wales 2nd class definitive

As standing order customers will know from their advance notice, the Wales Definitive has been billed at a value of £2.50, leading some to think that it is erroneously an airmail stamp at the pre-October 7th rate.  But of course the sum of the 2nd class and 1st class is now £2.50, and it is these two values which are being issued on 14 November, the King's birthday.

The stamps can be seen here.

In accordance with Royal Mail’s environmental policy, all existing stock of definitive and country definitive stamps featuring the portrait of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II are being issued to exhaustion, and new Definitive stamps with the King Charles III portrait will be issued according to supply and demand.

The Welsh 1st and 2nd Class Definitive stamps will be available for the first time featuring the King’s silhouette. 

The stamp designs featuring Welsh national symbols have been retained from previous country definitive designs. The Welsh Dragon has been forged from Welsh steel, whilst the Leek has been carved from Welsh sycamore. 

Country Definitives will now be limited to 1st and 2nd Class NVIs and no longer include international values.

The 39 x 30 mm self-adhesive stamps are printed in sheets of 25 by Cartor Security Printers in lithography.

When they will be available generally in Post Office branches is anyone's guess!  Please send your reports.



Christmas Cathedrals 2024 set and miniature sheet (etc) - 5 November 2024

Now that Royal Mail have put the 2024 Christmas stamps on their website for pre-ordering, it makes me - once again - question whether I need to post details of new issues here at all.  But they do provide us with more technical details than they put on their website, so for everybody's benefit I shall continue.

The details will appear here on the date of issue but in the meantime you can see the products here.


Royal Mail are celebrating Christmas 2024 with a set of 5 stamps paying homage to some of the most spectacular Cathedrals in the UK. Visitors entering a cathedral in the UK are likely to be struck by their size and grandeur, intrigued by the architecture and history or moved by their services, from a liturgical pageant with exquisite music to the stillness of morning prayer.

The stamps have been illustrated by British artist Judy Joel.


Set of 5 Christmas stamps issued 5 November 2024.

Christmas 2024 miniature sheet of 5 stamps.

Details

2nd Class (£0.85) - St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh

1st Class (£1.65) - Liverpool Anglican Cathedral

2nd Large Letter (£1.55) - St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh (Church of Ireland)

1st Large Letter (£2.60) - St Deiniol’s Cathedral, Bangor / Cadeirlan Deiniol Sant ym Mangor (Church in Wales – Anglican).

£2.80 - Westminster Cathedral, London (Catholic)

Technical Details

The 39 x 30 mm stamps designed by Together Design London Ltd are printed by Cartor Security Printers in gravure.  The stamps and miniature sheet are all self-adhesive.  The miniature sheet measures 179 x 74 mm. © Royal Mail 2024. 

Generic/Collector Sheet

The sheet contains eight each 2nd and 1st class stamps, 2 x £2.80, and one each of 2nd Large and 1st Large stamps.  (The image provided shows the original draft with a value of £2.50 for the airmail stamp).  The sheet is printed in lithography which means the stamps are different, if you collect single stamps from sheets - and you'll have a lot left over because there is just ONE set of 5.  (Price £30.95).

Christmas Collector sheet issued 5 November 2024 containing just one set of stamps.

Booklets

Products

First Day Covers (2), Presentation Pack, Retail Books (2), Collector Sheet, Postcards (6).



Sunday 27 October 2024

Royal Mail 2025 Stamp Programme - any guesses?

Before we get to the Christmas stamp issue, I thought it worth prompting our readers to make some suggestions for the 2025 programme.

You know the basics of the programme, whatever the specific subjects.  There is likely to be at least one music set ....

at least one television/film set, 

Christmas of course (a non-secular subject), and some blatant thematic sets with no commemorative worth.


Suggestions by email only please to ian@norphil.co.uk, only one per person unless I prompt you for clarification or expansion.

Results and comparison with the actual programme in due course.  The exercise ends when the programme is announced - please don't leak it if you see the calendar in a post office, it won't be published here.


Saturday 26 October 2024

Late arrival in the Machin collection.

It's 18 months since the King Charles definitives were issued, but as we know Royal Mail printers produced an enormous number of 2nd and 1st class Machin definitives such that they are still being sold now, and are certainly still being provided in the SwapOut scheme.  

But there is still room for discoveries and I am indebted to CB for sending this picture of a massive shift of the iridescent layer on a 1st class booklet stamp.  So large is the shift that it is impossible to establish whether this is from a book of 8 MEIL or book of four, MFIL.

UPDATE: Thanks to HJF & DG I can confirm that this is a MFIL/M22L stamp with barcode date 14.03.22 based on interpretation of the barcode.

1st class Machin booklet stamp with 2mm left shift and slight downward shift of the iridescent printing.

The email reminded me that I had been given an identical stamp (on cover) by a relative.  Unfortunately neither example is postmarked so we don't know where the stamps were used.  

Second example of a 1st class Machin booklet stamp with 2mm left shift and slight downward shift of the iridescent printing.

If you do get stamped mail - and Christmas is coming - it's still worth looking for oddities like this.  Whilst not valuable it is interesting, especially if you can include a photograph in your collection which shows the error more clearly.

I don't recall seeing anything as prominent as this on the barcoded stamps before.



Sunday 13 October 2024

More new King Charles definitive booklets, and sheet printings.

We reported 2024 reprints of the Counter Sheet definitive stamps in February when the 1st and 2nd class sheets were found in Post Offices.  Other sheet printings have been announced by Royal Mail, and booklets have been found locally.

The 1st class was reprinted on 170/1/2024 and the 2nd class on 18/01/24.  Not previously mentioned here were reprints of the 1st class Large on 01/03/24 and the 2nd class Large on 04/03/2024.  There were further reprints of the 1st class on 12/03/2024 and the 2nd class on 13/03/24.

The 2nd class booklet of 8 stamps was reported in May of this year and we have just received the 1st class M24L booklet of 8, both with source code MEIL.

2nd class King Charles III definitive booklet reprint 2024 - MEIL M24L
2nd class King Charles III definitive booklet reprint 2024 single - MEIL M24L


1st class King Charles III definitive booklet single 2024 reprint - MEIL M24L


1st class King Charles III definitive booklet single 2024 reprint showing cylinder number C1.

Country Definitives

Several collectors have reported (mainly in the new tariff post) that Royal Mail Philatelic will be charging them for new Welsh Country Definitives on 14 November.  Of course I know about these but because of Royal Mail's stupid embargo system, I am not supposed to be writing about them or showing the images until the end of this month.

Well, imagine the current 2nd and 1st class Wales stamps with the head of King Charles instead of Queen Elizabeth.  There, that's not difficult.   

There will be no airmail rate stamp.  The new pair of stamps have a value of £2.50 - unfortunately the cost to send an airmail letter will be £2.80.


Friday 11 October 2024

NBIT for the Axe? After spending £millions, Post Office Ltd may outsource latest in-house project.

The much-criticised Capture computer system was developed in-house by Post Office. The Horizon system was developed by ICL/Fujitsu.  The New Branch Information Technology system was being developed in-house, and is running way over budget - and is unlikely to be available for several years, during which Post Office Ltd will have to continue to use Fujitsu to maintain Horizon.

According to Computer Weekly:

As things stand, the Post Office contract with IT supplier Fujitsu to support Horizon ends in March 2025, and if that’s not extended, the consequences could be catastrophic for the branch network. Even Fujitsu is cautious about continuing, and has said it will only do so if convinced the Post Office has a viable replacement plan in place.

The Post Office has asked for a five-year extension, with a three-year break point. The full five years could see up to £180m of additional taxpayer money go to the IT supplier.

According to witnesses at the public inquiry into the Post Office scandal, the two companies have yet to agree a new contract, with less than six months to go.

Former Post Office chief transformation officer Chris Brocklesby told the inquiry that, if everything went according to plan, the earliest the Horizon replacement – dubbed New Branch IT (NBIT) – would begin roll-out is June 2026, with Horizon finally switched off at the end of 2028.

But according to another CW report today 

The “writing is on the wall” for the Post Office’s plan to build its New Branch IT (NBIT) system in-house, as it considers dumping it in favour of an off-the-shelf electronic point of sale (EPOS) alternative.

A source said the Post Office looks set to U-turn on its current plan to replace the controversial Horizon IT system with in-house developed software and either switch to an off-the-shelf system from a supplier or bring Horizon in-house.

The source, who wished to remain anonymous, said the Post Office is considering a contract with EPOS platform provider Escher, the supplier of the Riposte middleware that was previously used in early versions of the Horizon system. There is also support within the Post Office IT department for bringing the existing and controversial Horizon system in-house. The source said a decision has not been made yet, but it appears “the writing is on the wall” for the in-house NBIT software, which is expected to be dumped.

This follows an admission by recently installed Post Office chairman Nigel Railton, during his appearance at the Post Office scandal public inquiry this week, that the company’s decision to build the new system in-house was one of two reasons the project was “set up to fail”.

Railton told the inquiry: “One was the decision ‘to get off Horizon’, which is different to building a system for the future, and the second was the decision to build in-house.” He said there are many “horror stories” of people trying to build systems in-house, adding: “I think, based on my experience, that this was always set up to fail in the first place.”

-----

A recent internal Post Office document sent to staff by acting CEO Neil Brocklehurst revealed that changes to the NBIT programme are being considered. “While the strategic review is ongoing, and informed by other discussions with the board and stakeholders, we have taken the opportunity to review our current approach to our delivery of new technology, to make sure it will deliver what postmasters need in the most effective way possible,” it said.

“This means from next week we will start reassessing and reprioritising the NBIT programme. This does not mean we will be stopping everything. Critical investment in Horizon’s infrastructure will continue and, importantly, we will be moving forward with the installation of new technology into branches over the next 12 months,” the document said.

According to the source, the NBIT team has been told to hold off building any more features until a decision is made on whether to continue with the current in-house project.

Watch this space or follow Computer Weekly.


Monday 7 October 2024

October slogan and other interesting postmarks and postal markings

With everybody having sent all their cards in the third week of September (send a card slogan), slogans reverted to the default and stayed that way into October.

Thank you to RW and JH for sending early examples of the British Heart Foundation slogan in the two formats,  Home Counties North 01-10-2024 and Sheffield Mail Centre 04/10/2024.

British Heart Foundation slogan from Home Counties North 01-10-2024
 

British Heart Foundation slogan from Sheffield Mail Centre 04/10/2024


UPDATE 16 October.  Thanks to DW for the first new slogan this month, for World Menopause Awareness Day.

World Menopause
Awareness Day
18 October

Let's talk and share experiences
to make a real difference

 

Menopause Awareness Day slogan Edinburgh Mail Centre 14-10-2024


Other postmarks, postal markings etc.

UPDATE 23 October:  SS in Canada has sent another Exeter packet stamp, and unlike the last ones this one has the postcode EX2 7XX at the foot.

Exeter Mail Centre packet stamp with postcode EX2 7XX 8 OCT 2024


Thanks to JF for providing this cover which has stamps cancelled with the wavy line handstamp instead of by a pen.  This was sent to India from Bath, Somerset, so well done to the people in Bath or Bristol's Mail Centre for getting these cancelled.  India is in Zone 1 for which the postage is £4.20 for 100g, so it is overpaid by 80p or more than three of these stamps. (The next weight step costs £7.05.)

Wavy line handstamp on airmail letter from Bath (or Bristol Mail Centre) 2024.

UPDATE:  Rob has pointed out that this is paid as a standard letter (C5 size) so properly paid at £2.50: for some reason I doubled that and said that it was 80p overpaid at £4.20 - time to give up!



We should get a Movember slogan this month, so if you receive or come across that or any other interesting postal markings from any period or place, please send them to the email address in the top right of this blog.  Thank you.

UPDATE:  No Movember slogan has been reported for October.

Remember, all postmarks appearing in October will be added to this post, so check here before you spend time scanning and emailing.


Thursday 3 October 2024

Music Giants X - The Who - blockbuster issue 17 October 2024.

Royal Mail's latest musical extravaganza features the 1960s rock band The Who, which really is my generation.  Formed in 1964, they celebrate their 60th anniversary this year (like Porridge).

Royal Mail's write-up 

Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon formed The Who in 1964. Within five years, they went from performing club shows to headlining the Woodstock festival and becoming the biggest box-office draw in the world. The group changed the way rock music was presented live and produced records that were often intelligent and challenging in content while pushing technological boundaries – both on the stage and in the studio.

The band embraced different genres of music, from proto-punk to soft rock, mock opera to rock opera, and heavy rock to orchestrated rock. They produced songs that spoke for the disaffected youth and, as The Who themselves grew older, the middle-aged. Pete Townshend, as chief songwriter, became the voice of his generation. Along their 60-year journey, The Who lost Keith Moon (in 1978) and John Entwistle (in 2002), but Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend continue to thrill audiences with some of the best rock music ever written. 

They also support a host of charities, for which they have raised millions of pounds in funding over the years. There has never been another band quite like The Who. Having sold over 100 million records worldwide, and now celebrating their 60th anniversary, the group are among the most innovative and influential bands of the rock and roll era. 

Set of 8 stamps celebrating the 60th anniversary of rock band The Who, issued 17 October 2024.

The set consists of 4 x 1st class stamps and 4 x £2 stamps which, as many have said, do not satisfy any particular postage rate.

The stamps - album covers.

1st Class: My Generation
Released in the UK in December 1965 and reaching number five in the charts, My Generation is one of the best debut albums.
in history. Mixing cover versions with original material, the record highlights The Who’s unique song writing and performing abilities, not least on its title track and lead single – a rallying call to the disaffected youth of Britain.
 
1st Class: Tommy
The Who’s career-making double album, 1969’s Tommy was a tour de force that peaked at number two in the UK and redrew the boundaries of what could be achieved in rock music. Centred on a narrative that has since been adapted for stage and screen, it included the transatlantic hit ‘Pinball Wizard’ and continues to enthrall audiences around the world.
 
1st Class: Who’s Next
Following Tommy was never going to be easy, but The Who managed it with Who’s Next, which topped the UK charts in 1971. Featuring songs such as ‘Baba O’Riley’ and ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’, it proved the group could deliver anthems outside of a conceptual framework and made The Who one of the first bands capable of filling stadium venues.
 
1st Class: Quadrophenia
Telling the story of Jimmy, a mod seeking his place in the world in the mid- 1960s, Quadrophenia continued Pete Townshend’s exploration of spiritual fulfilment. Issued in late 1973 and reaching number two on both sides of the Atlantic, the double album featured a complex narrative that proved to be difficult to perform live, even for The Who.
 
£2.00: Who Are You
Released at the height of the punk era in Aug 78, Who Are You picked up where The Who By Numbers left off, its title track railing against the machinations of the music business. An ailing Keith Moon died three weeks after the album’s release, just as it peaked at number 6 in the UK charts.
 
£2.00: Face Dances
The Who’s first album with new recruits Kenney Jones (drums) and John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick (keyboards), Face Dances was released in March 1981 and heralded the band’s biggest UK tour for many years. Lead single ‘You Better You Bet’ took the group into the UK top ten for the first time since the mid- 1970s, helping its parent album hit number two.
 
£2.00: Endless Wire
Having paid tribute to bassist John Entwistle on the song ‘Old Red Wine’, written and recorded for the 2004 compilation Then and Now, Townshend and Daltrey, with Pino Palladino (bass) and Zak Starkey (drums), released The Who’s 11th album, Endless Wire, in October 2006. Based on a story by Townshend, it was hailed by critics as a return to form.
 
£2.00: WHO
In no hurry to return to the studio, The Who issued WHO 13 years after Endless Wire, in December 2019. Reaching number three in the UK, the album proved that Pete Townshend had become the ultimate cross- generational spokesman and revealed Roger Daltrey to be the epitome of a rock god, helping to steer the group’s survival through the ages.

Miniature sheet

The ms also contains a mix of 1st class and £2 stamps.  To use the latter as basic letter rate stamps, 20p more is required for international surface mail outside Europe, and 50p for international airmail; or 10p for an inland large letter under 100g.

The above paragraph was written in August before the new postage rates were announced.  So here's a rewrite:

The ms also contains a mix of 1st class and £2 stamps.  To use the latter as basic letter rate stamps, 60p (ie two stamps) more is required for international surface mail outside Europe, and 80p (at least 3 stamps) for international airmail.

Miniature sheet of 4 stamps celebrating the 60th anniversary of rock band The Who, issued 17 October 2024.
1st class: The Who in 1968; The Who at the Marquee Club in 1967; £2 The Who at Kings Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester 1973; The Who c.1965.

 

Technical details & acknowledgements

The design reverts to the 'Album Covers' style last used for the Paul McCartney issue in 2021.  The 38 x 31mm gummed stamps are printed in litho in sheets of 48 by Cartor Security Printers, perforated 14½ x 14.  
On the 192 x 74mm self-adhesive(?) miniature sheet the 60 x 30 mm stamps are also printed by CSP in litho, perforated 14½.  The stamps are designed by Royal Mail based on an original design by Studio Dempsey. 
Acknowledgements: The Who album covers © 2024 YEARHOUR 2017 LLP under license from Bravado International Group Limited. All rights reserved.    The Who pictured in 1968 © Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo; The Who at the Marquee Club, London, in March 1967, photo © Ray Stevenson; The Who at Kings Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester, during the Quadrophenia tour in November 1973 © David Warner Ellis/Redferns/Getty Images; The Who pictured in c.1965 © Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo; border image: The Who memorabilia © Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo. 2024 YEARHOUR 2017 LLP

Prestige Stamp Book

This 24-book is written by music photographer and writer Matt Kent.  Panes 1 & 2 (the sheet stamps) are on gummed paper; Panes 3 & 4 (miniature sheet and definitives) are self-adhesive.  The defnitive pane contains just two x £2 definitives, and three labels.

The Who Prestige Stamp Book Cover


The Who Prestige Stamp Book

Collectors Sheet

Unusually in recent times this is gummed as the self-adhesive format was not possible because the die-cutter was not available for the 'Album Covers' format.  So the same as the sheet stamps (although the phosphor may turn out to be different: time will tell).

The Who Collectors Sheet issued 17 October 2024

Not a Retail booklet

No retail booklets have been issued since the introduction of barcoded definitives due to the change of size and difficulty accommodating the mix.  Royal Mail are now pleased to be able to introduce these again produce something similar for this issue with 4 x 1st Class The Who stamps in a specially designed stamp booklet. 

The book features a graphic background of The Who roundel or ‘target’ and includes the 4 x 1st Class album cover stamps of: My Generation, Tommy, Who’s Next and Quadrophenia in a folded book.
Print: these self-adhesive booklets are printed in gravure (presumably by the Walsall end of Cartor Security Printers) and so make 4 different stamps.

Retail booklet of 4 x 1st class The Who stamps, printed gravure on self-adhesive paper, issued 17 October 2024.

UPDATE 11 October.

A spokesman for Royal Mail has confirmed that this product is not considered as a Retail Book and that that term was only used to describe its format and size.

"These are planned only for the Music issues at this time, by extension then they are for the fan bases and are in response to those fans loving the option of having mint stamps for postage within their basket of collectibles.  It’s also a low price product for the fan collector. It isn’t a substitute for the Retail Booklets or Retail Booklet focused stamp collectors.  It will not be distributed by Post Office Ltd nor Royal Mail Retail."

In my view even if some supermarkets resist this type of product, with a barcode and a simple A5 point of sale card Royal Mail could have sold to people doing their grocery or greetings card shopping.  The demographic that still sends cards are exactly the people who would have enjoyed The Who.

I know the Philatelic team at Royal Mail were disappointed that Retail or Commemorative Booklets were not accommodated when the barcoded stamps were issued as "the rationale behind them is as valid today as it was then in terms of taking stamps to a non-stamp collecting audience". 

Maybe next year? 

Products

Set of 8 stamps, miniature sheet, presentation pack, first day covers (2), stamp cards (13), press sheet of 8 miniature sheets, collectors sheet, prestige stamp book, limited edition prestige stamp book, retail booklet,  fan sheets (2), medal covers (2), platinum stamp set, framed products.

Fans of the US television forensic crime series CSI will know that four tracks from The Who have been used as the theme tunes since the middle of series 1.   The original CSI: Crime Scene Investigation used Who Are You;  CSI: Miami used Won't Get Fooled Again;  CSI:NY - Baba O'Riley; CSI: Cyber - I Can See For Miles; and CSI: Vegas - Who Are You







Monday 30 September 2024

Another autumn postage rate increase on 7 October 2024 - will there be two a year in future?

Once again Royal Mail chose to announce new postage rates while we were away, so by now most of the headline news is well known.  

Royal Mail Press Release extract 6 September 2024

From 7 October 2024, the price of First Class stamps will increase to £1.65 and the price of Second Class stamps will remain unchanged at 85p.

Royal Mail has sought to keep price increases as low as possible in the face of declining letter volumes, inflationary pressures and the costs associated with maintaining the Universal Service.
The new price of First and Second Class stamps remain below European average prices of £1.73 for First Class and £1.33 for Second Class.

Letter volumes have fallen from 20 billion in 2004/5 to around 6.7 billion a year in 2023/4. As a result, the average household now receives just four letters per week, compared to 14 per week in 2004/5. The number of addresses Royal Mail must deliver to has risen by four million in the same period meaning the cost of each delivery continues to rise.

At the same time the opportunity has been taken to increase the basic airmail rate, which is unaffected by the above factors.

The new rate chart can be downloaded here.  New prices in bold, unchanged rates in italics.  The 1st class £3.50 rate now covers Large Letters over 100g to 750g.


1st

2nd

Letter

1.65

1.35

0.85

0.85

Large Letter – 100g

2.60

2.10

1.55

1.55

- 250g

3.50

2.90

2.10

2.10

- 500g

3.50

3.50

2.50

2.50

- 750g

3.50

3.50

2.70

2.70

Small Parcel 2kg

4.79

4.59

3.75

3.69

Medium Parcel 2kg

6.99

6.69

6.15

5.89

- 10kg

8.69

8.39

7.65

7.39

- 20kg

13.19

12.49

11.55

10.99

Special Delivery rates are also increased.  The 100g rate rises by 40p from £7.95 to £8.35, the 500g rate by 40p to £9.35. 

UK Tracked rates see minor increases.  The basic 1st class Large Letter rate is raised by 10p to £3.60, the Small Parcel rate by 20p to £4.99.  The 2nd class rates by 10p to £2.80, the Small Parcel by 6p to £3.95. 

UK Signed rates rise broadly in line with the basic letter rates.

International rates.   The basic letter rates are increased, but not the Large Letter and Parcel rates.  The airmail rate is increased from £2.50 to £2.80, and the surface rate from £2.20 to £2.60.  Premium services - International Tracked, Signed, and Tracked & Signed all see changes.

Unlike last April, when the new airmail stamp was issued after the rate increased, the new £2.80 stamp will be issued on 1 October.  However, there may be problems obtaining it in Post Offices until the day of the increase (7 October).  

Royal Mail's advice to dealers was "The new £2.80 rate will be live and available in Post Offices from Monday 7th October, the date that the new Tariff comes into force", so read what you will into that.

UPDATE:  I confirmed in Dereham Crown Office this morning that the £2.80 was available to sell; the Horizon system has that and the presentation pack already available.

As usual the 39 x 30 mm self-adhesive stamps are printed by Cartor Security Printers in sheets of 25, and a presentation pack has been produced.

£2.80 slate-blue King Charles III definitive stamp issued for
airmail letters and cards worldwide 1 October 2024


UPDATE: An interesting point has been raised in the Comments, that the new 1st class rate is higher than the 2nd class Large Letter rate of £1.55 as this is unchanged.    This means that a 1st class commemorative or current definitive can be used to send a Large Letter (up to 100g) at 2nd class.


September Slogan Postmarks and other interesting postal markings etc


As might have been expected new slogan postmarks - absent in August - made a return in September.  Several readers sent examples and if I fail to acknowledge your contribution, please accept my apologies now.

The default British Heart Foundation slogan continued for the first week - thanks to KD for this example from Bristol Mail Centre dated 06/09/2024 and the other format from Inverness dated 05-09-2024.

British Heart Foundation slogan from Inverness Mail Centre 05-09-2024


British Heart Foundation slogan from BA,BS,GL,TA (Bristol) Mail Centre 06/09/2024

The first new slogan marked Air Ambulances Week (9-15 September 2024).  (Two different organisations' wesbites: Air Ambulances UK and The Air Ambulance Service which seems a bit odd.)

First used on Saturday 7 September for delivery on 9th (thanks AB for a N&W Yorkshire example). few of the impressions received have been clear, sadly, the one from Glasgow Mail Centre 11-09-2024 being the best by a country mile (thanks to JF).

AIR AMBULANCES UK

Air Ambulance Week
September 9th - 15th

Air Ambulances UK slogan, Glasgow Mail Centre 11-09-2024

Air Ambulances UK slogan, North & West Yorkshire 13/09/2024

Other examples from South East Anglia on 10th (RW), Croydon (MM & KD), and a particularly poor one from Chester & N Wales (KD)


This was followed by another in aid of the Greetings Card Industry, marking Thinking of You Week which this year ran from 16th - 22nd September.

The slogan repeats the format from previous years.

Send A Card
Deliver A Smile for
Thinking of You Week

16th-22nd September 2024

MM provided an example from North & West Yorkshire on (Saturday) 14/09/2024 for delivery on 16th, and KD sent the same format from Manchester dated 17/09/2024.

Thinking of You Week slogan used at North & West Yorkshire 14/09/2024


It seems unlikely that there will be any more?


Other postmarks, postal markings etc.

Our Canadian correspondent (SS) has sent a selection of postmarks including a second counter date stamp from Littlehampton's Wick News, first reported in February.  That one had the B ident, and this one is the A, dated 20 SE 24.

Wick News A counter date stamp, 20 SE 24.

SS also sent an image of a cover postmarked with the  HEATON MOOR STOCKPORT E counter date stamp from 30 AU 22

Heaton Moor Stockport E cds 30 AU 22

The branch has been in the same location for some years but comparison of Google streetview in 2023 with 2012 shows the changing face of the high street as companies reinvent their appearance with not only the Post Office, but also The Plough and the Co-op supermarket having changed.


Heaton Moor Post Office 2015 (top) and 2023 (Google Streetview)

We also have two packet stamps, Sheffield Mail Centre of 09 SEP 2021 from SS, and Enquiry Office Norwich 27 SEP 2024 from JH who asks whether it is normal to have postmarks at the EO.  

At one stage one of Norwich's two EOs housed a Post and Go machine which enabled stamps to be sold without large stocks of sheets being held behind the counter and sold for cash.  The idea was also that Customs and other penalty charges could be made through the machines but I don't think this ever worked in practice.)  The EO also accepted mail - predominently from businesses which also collected their mail from PO Boxes - and cancelled the stamps. 

Sheffield Mail Centre S9 2XX packet stamp 09 SEP 2021

Enquiry Office Norwich NR? 1AA packet stamp 27 SEP 2024


Postboxes, post offices, mailvans

Our holiday in Ireland concentrated on enjoying the views, eating out, and relaxing.  Nonetheless I felt compelled to take some photos related to the postal system.  Here are a few postboxes.  It took a while to get used to seeing them: Irish streets are so colourful that the green boxes do not stand out quite as much as our red ones do.  And I don't think I saw any pillar boxes, although many exist in the cities, and there is a Penfold in Skibereen which I missed through not knowing about it until we had left the area.

The smart but tinny wall boxes stand out quite well, this one from Union Hall, a small fishing village in Co. Cork. 

An Post wall mounted box in Union Hall, Co Cork September 2024

This one in Goleen, on the Mizen Head peninsula in Co. Cork was not as well cared for.

An Post wall mounted box at Goleen, Co Cork, September 2024.

A good - and unexpected - find, was this wall-encased box surrounded by ivy in Co. Donegal.  It's on the border of the townlands of Mullanmore and Buncroobog, east of Glenties.  Much repainted it is difficult to see the shape of the harp, but the SE letters are clear, dating this to the 1922-24 period. These are said to be rare but a few are pictured on the web which also have the E R cypher at the very top (hidden by the ivy in this picture).

An Post Edward VII wallbox with door adapted to show the Saor Stat Eireann logo; dating from the 1920 this one is east of Glenties, Co. Galway in Buncroobog.

Lastly, this Victorian wall box is at The Glen Tavern or Dinny's in Co Donegal.  This is a house, which also contains a small shop, and a much larger public bar, where music is frequently played, and a good pint is served!

An Post Victorian wallbox in the Glen Tavern, Greenans Townland, Co Donegal.

The Glen Tavern.


That's all on postmarks etc for this month. October should bring some more slogans if only to start the Movember campaign rolling.