I think it's over six months since we had a new prestige stamp book error, so it's my pleasure to show this duplicated pane in the Royal Observatory book, courtesy of JF.
It's difficult to take a photo of such errors as there is a risk of damaging the stamps, so this has been slightly enhanced. As you can see, there are two copies of pane 2.
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| Duplicated pane 2 in Royal Observatory prestige stamp book. |
July has started as June ended with the default Dog Awareness Week postmark so I'll start by repeating the one JM supplied last month and also show a July dated copy of the other layout, from MM.
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| DOG Awareness Week slogan, Inverness Mail Centre 30-06-2025 |
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| DOG Awareness Week slogan, Sheffield Mail Centre 04/07/2025 |
MM sent a copy of the United States Postal Service slogan for the campaign. Australia has also used one but I haven't managed to get a good copy yet, most of them being not as good as the British ones!
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| Dog Bite Awareness slogan, Indianapolis 24 Jun 2025. |
Apart from various commemorations of the NHS (National Health Service) over the years, there are no other regular slogans in July, so we may have only the default British Heart Foundation for the rest of the month.
Other postmarks and postal markings
MM also sent this cover from 1982 with a Post Office label that I don't recall seeing reported at the time (or since) - but then in 1982 although curious I wasn't too interested in postal history. (Although I kept much of what came through the post then!)
Blue Peter is a British children's television entertainment programme and is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. An enduring feature of the programme is the annual charity appeal, which asks viewers to collect items that can be recycled or sold to raise money for the chosen cause. For example, in 1973–74, Blue Peter sponsored a "Stampede", asking people to donate postage stamps in support of Ethiopian famine relief.
In 1981 the appeal was for postage stamps and pre-decimal and foreign coins for Operation Pipeline, which provided 150 Javanese villages with pure water systems and health care services.
The delay in the delivery of this item is very much
regretted. Unfortunately it was missorted into the
Blue Peter Pipeline Appeal bag and has only now
been returned to the Post Office by the organisers
of the appeal.
Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience
caused to you as a result of this unfortunate error.
Post Office and Royal Mail pictures
Lars Tåders has sent some photos from his travels which may be of interest to readers.
The first is of the vehicles at Royal Mail's Dartford Delivery Office (on a Sunday which is why they aren't out delivering.)
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| Royal Mail delivery vans at the Dartford Delivery Office (June 2025) [Credit Lars Tåders] |
Post Office branches
Mundesley Norfolk and Springbourne, Bournemouth.
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| Village Post Office at Mundesley, Norfolk (June 2025) [Credit Lars Tåders] |
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| Branch Post Office at Springbourne, Bournemouth. (June 2025) [Credit Lars Tåders] |
All mushrooms are fungi, but not all fungi are mushrooms. Mushrooms are fungi with a stem (called a stipe) and a cap.
This stamp issue was first announced as 'Fungi', but is now entitled 'Mushrooms', although not everything depicted is a mushroom. Fungi are a unique branch on the tree of life that scientists use to
visualize organismal relationships. Fungi are
actually more closely related to animals than they are to plants!
(Holden Forests & Gardens - a good read!)
This special stamp issue celebrates the extraordinary diversity and ecological importance of fungi found across the United Kingdom.
Often overlooked, mushrooms and toadstools reveal a hidden kingdom of remarkable beauty, colour and form—from the iconic red-and-white fly agaric to the jewel-like amethyst deceiver and the delicately sculpted scarlet elf cup. With over 4,000 known species in the UK alone, fungi are a vital and varied part of our natural landscape.
They thrive in woodlands, meadows, hedgerows, and even garden lawns, playing essential roles in nutrient cycles and ecosystem health. Many species form intricate symbiotic relationships with plants, supporting tree and shrub growth through underground mycorrhizal networks, while others contribute to the decay and recycling of organic matter. Some mushrooms are prized edibles, others strikingly toxic, but all are fascinating in their own right.
This stamp collection offers a glimpse into this complex and captivating world, paying tribute to the fungi that enrich our environment with their presence, beauty and biological importance. Through these designs, we celebrate not only the visual wonder of mushrooms but also the essential role they play in the delicate balance of life around us.
The stamps
5 x 2nd class
CHICKEN OF THE WOODS Laetiporus sulphureus
The common name of this popular edible mushroom relates to its texture and taste when cooked. The very large, flattened brackets, up to 50cm across, are found on standing or fallen trees, especially oaks, chestnuts and other deciduous species. The yellow to orange colours and fleshy texture make it difficult to mistake for any other mushroom. The underside of each bracket has thousands of minute pores from which the spores are ejected. This mushroom appears in the early summer and continues throughout the autumn
CLUSTERED BONNET, Mycena inclinata
Wherever you find fallen oak logs, you may see the clustered bonnet, one the most common and widespread British species of Mycena. The reddish brown stems, paler at the top, pale grey-brown caps and rather strong odour – sometimes likened to wet paint, cucumber or flour – are good identification characteristics. Several other species of Mycena grow in clumps on logs, but this is perhaps one of the easiest to identify.
SCARLET WAXCAP, Hygrocybe coccinea
This is one of the most beautiful mushrooms. Its scarlet cap can be found in late autumn in open, undisturbed, unfertilised meadows. The lamellae, or gills, on the underside of the cap and the fragile, waxy stem are both reddish-orange, with the stem being almost white at the base, while the thin reddish flesh is nearly odourless. The caps can reach up to 4cm across. There are several other red species of waxcap, differing in subtleties of colour, texture, size and smell, all best identified using a good field guide.
MOREL, Morchella vulgaris
Morels are found from March to May and are considered to be prized edibles. There are several very similar species, of which this is one of the more common; its sponge-like head is where its spores are formed in special cells, from which they are ejected in huge numbers in a smoke-like puff. The greyish-brown head can be up to 8cm tall. When cut in half, the body is hollow. This mushroom is widespread in the UK and found in mixed woods on rich soils.
SCARLET ELF CUP, Sarcoscypha austriaca
Found in the late winter through spring, this beautiful species can reach 5–6cm across and often occurs in groups along fallen, mossy branches in wet or humid deciduous woodlands. It is widespread and locally frequent in some parts of the UK. The outer surface of the cup is whitish and finely woolly, formed of microscopic curly hairs. If disturbed by tapping, it often fires clouds of spores up from the inner cup surface. It has an almost identical twin, Sarcoscypha coccinea, differing in microscopic features.
5 x 1st class
PENNY BUN, Boletus edulis
Also known as cep, this is one of the most famous edible mushroom species in Europe, celebrated in numerous cuisines. A robust species, it has caps that can reach 25cm across, varying from yellowish brown to dark chestnut. The fleshy stems have a fine white mesh or network on the surface, while the spongy pores on the underside of the caps are white, then yellowish. The flesh is thick, white and unchanging when cut. This fairly common mushroom can be found in the autumn in mixed woods throughout the UK.
AMETHYST DECEIVER, Laccaria amethystine
Small troops of amethyst deceivers may appear almost as soon as the autumn rains begin. They push up through the fallen leaf litter in forests across the UK. The amethyst deceiver’s small size and striking colour of bright amethyst violet on all its parts help make it one of the easier mushrooms to identify. Its violet gills may be dusted with the white spores it produces.
COLLARED EARTHSTAR, Geastrum michelianum
This mushroom starts growing closed up, rather like an onion, but then the outer tissues split and fold back into star-like arms, lifting the central ball up from the ground. Inside the ball are spores that puff out when the ball is struck by rain drops or falling debris. Earthstars are fairly common in the autumn in mixed woodlands and hedgerows and can reach up to 12cm across. This mushroom is also commonly called Geastrum triplex, but that is now known to be a different species from Southeast Asia.
FLY AGARIC, Amanita muscaria
This is the classic toadstool illustrated in children’s books of fairy tales around the world, but many people do not realise that it is a real fungus. Widespread over the whole of the UK from around August to December, it is most commonly found in birch woods, although it will grow with other trees too. The white spots are the remains of a veil that once covered the entire fungus when young. The fly agaric is one of several poisonous species in the genus Amanita, some of which are deadly.
TURKEY TAIL, Trametes versicolor
Bracket fungi, or polypores, produce bracketshaped bodies and usually grow on tree trunks or branches. One of the most common of the smaller bracket fungi found in deciduous woodlands throughout the UK, turkey tail is remarkably variable in the colour of the concentric zones, with purples, browns, greens and even bluish shades all being common. The fruiting bodies are tough but flexible, and the pale cream undersides have thousands of minute pores from which the spores are ejected.
Technical details and acknowledgements
The 35 mm square stamps designed by Studio Up are printed in two sheets of 50 by Cartor Security Printers in litho with conventional gum, perforated 14½.
Chicken of the woods © Tony Watson/Alamy Stock Photo; clustered bonnet © Craig Joiner Photography/Alamy Stock Photo; scarlet waxcap © Richard Becker/Alamy Stock Photo; rear – scarlet elf cup © Adrian Davies/Alamy Stock Photo; morel © David Broadbent/Alamy Stock Photo; amethyst deceiver © Chris Mellor/Alamy Stock Photo; penny bun © Justin Long/Alamy Stock Photo; collared earthstar © Alex Hyde/naturepl.com; fly agaric © Derek Croucher/Alamy Stock Photo; turkey tail © AE Burrell/Alamy Stock Photo
Products available
Set of 10 stamps, first day cover, presentation pack, stamp cards, framed set.
This van was spotted collecting from a Dereham OneStop shop. The shop does not include a Post Office but is an Evri Parcelshop.
We can also post our parcels at some Post Office branches - Dereham's [Crown] Office offers DPD and Evri as well as ParcelForce and Royal Mail.
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| Post Office Evri electric parcel van |
Has anyone else see vans with this livery?
Post Office Ltd have been asked for more details - watch this space.
UPDATE:
By coincidence Boscombe East PO posted this on X yesterday.
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| Tweet on X from Boscombe East Post Office 24 June 2025 |
What soon became apparent was that there was a grey area.
Some stamps were definitely invalid and should be swapped, some would definitely remain valid. And some would remain invalid but would also be accepted for the swap scheme.
Here and on various philatelic forums people were asking why Royal Mail didn't just produce a list of what would remain valid and what would not, and what would be swapped and what wouldn't. The grey area didn't matter so much because stamps could be on both lists.
Thanks to a reader and regular contributor we now know much more. The reader was given a tour of part of a Mail Centre and spotted a notice board with some very useful information, which I have reproduced below.
So what does this tells us?
At the time of printing ordinary old Machin and country definitives are invalid and the £1.10 surcharge applied.
The Machin Signed For and Special Delivery stamps should not be surcharged. Likewise the Machin airmail postcard, 20g and 40g stamps.
Definitive-sized Wildings and the 1d red (and black and 2d blue) stamps should not be surcharged.
Post and Go stamps should not be surcharged unless underpaid.
And as we know, Christmas stamps without barcodes remain valid.
Dates and timing
The £1.10 surcharge applied in 2023, so we don't know whether the poster has been updated, replaced, or whether RM HQ have simply assumed that all postal operatives now know what is what - which, given the high turnover of staff, would seem to be a foolish assumption.
But it's something. And something that I will try to explore with Royal Mail.
If you buy Royal Mail's coin/medal covers, do you always check them for errors? MC noticed this one, and it may be that all are like that - check yours!
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| Royal Observatory coin cover with missing postmark error! |
There's not a great deal of news at present, so I am digging out some unusual items (mostly one-off) from my boxes to offer here rather than going to the trouble of adding them to the online shop. Postage is extra and depends on destination.
Firstly I have I've a few spare definitive panes from recent Prestige Stamp Books so I'm offering them here first rather than sending them back to Tallents House for refund.
Some are not in the latest Concise catalogue so I have guessed the catalogue numbers for those. (Note none of these have the stitching holes at left.)
Only one of each apart from D&D pane for which we have 3.
All PSB panes now sold. More to come, but not recent definitive.
1. Dungeons & Dragons SG V5270l - 2p, 50p, £1x2 M24L
2. Valour & Victory SG V5277l (?) - 20p & two each 50p & £1 M25L
3. Churchill SG V5280l - two each 50p & £1 M24L -
Other offers
6. 2016 Great War Presentation Pack error - withdrawn from Post Offices - see blog.
I have a single copy of the Presenation Pack that was withdrawn because of an embarrassing error not on the stamps but on the miniature sheet holder. On the left, the first paragraph refers to Sergeant Albert Knight - his name was Alfred!
Price of pack with error £35 - or with correct version, £50 (retail for the error alone is nearly £50).
7. London 2010 Souvenir £1 PUC Facsimile pack - excellent reproduction of this iconic stamp. Price £17
8. Olympic Games 1948 Facsimile Pack 2012 - Price £12.50
The Facsimile pack, written by Douglas Muir, includes details of the selection process and unadopted designs from the 20 artists and printers who were invited to submit designs for consideration by the Stamps Advisory Committee of the time. The pack includes a non-postally valid Facsimile Sheet of the four stamps printed in gravure as a block of four.
That's all for now
Process:
1. Please check the comments to make sure what you want is still available.
2. Then leave a comment with which one(s) you want to buy, then email for payment details to ian-at-norphil.co.uk - and let me know where you live! (Postage will depend on UK or international.)
3. I'll reply same day if possible, and will show which ones are sold as soon as I can.
Posting will normally be on Tuesdays or Fridays.
June will have started as May ended with the default British Heart Foundation postmark although I've yet to see any examples.
We might get one for Father's Day as we did in 2023, and we might get one towards the end of the month for Pride Month, but there are no other regular slogans in previous years. Maybe the Royal Observatory will be marked, as has been done with previous years' June stamp issues.
Update 26 June It has taken most of the month, but I have today received a BHF slogan from Chester & N Wales Mail Centre dated 23/06/2025
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| Default British Heart Foundation slogan, Chester & N Wales 23/06/2025 |
Update 10 June
As predicted, the Father's Day slogan is in use. Thanks to OD on Stampboards for this example from Manchester Mail Centre 00/06/2025.
Don't forget
Father's
Day
Sunday 15 June
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| Father's Day slogan Manchester Mail Centre 09/06/2025 |
UPDATE
Thanks to SH for the other layout from Glasgow Mail Centre on the same day. I also received one from Cornwall Mail Centre (layout as above) dated 13/06/2025.
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| Father's Day slogan Glasgow Mail Centre 09-06-2025 |
UPDATE 26 June
Royal Mail is supporting Armed Forces Day with this postmark which started yesterday.
Here's the mock-up they used on social media (at the same time last year we had a slogan for postal voting).
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| Mock-up of Armed Forces Day slogan 2025 |
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| Armed Forces Day 28 June 2025 slogan from Cornwall Mail Centre 25/06/2025 |
Thanks to JM for this example of the other layout from Aberdeen Mail Centre 26-06-2025
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| Armed Forces Day 28 June 2025 slogan from Aberdeen Mail Centre 26/06/2025 |
UPDATE 3 July - The last slogan for June will run into July, and is the annual 'Dog Awareness Week' slogan reminding homeowners to keep their dogs under control when the postman calls (and any other time for that matter!).
This is the same as last year, with the Protect Your Postie caption. Thanks to JM for this one from Inverness Mail Centre on 30-06-2025.
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| DOG Awareness Week slogan, Inverness Mail Centre 30-06-2025 |
Other postmarks and postal markings
Nothing remarkable was provided for May, except this one which was delivered in June, so I am including it here. Thanks to JH for sending this example of a 'Morse code' counter handstamp from Crab Lane Harrogate dated 30 May 2025.
Here from Google street view is the PO branch in the OneStop store at 40B Crab Ln, Harrogate HG1 3BG, which also has a bank of InPost lockers.
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| Crab Lane Post Office Harrogate HG1 3BG |
Parcel lockers first announced in January are now being installed in a partnership with the Co-op. From the Royal Mail press release:
Co-op and Royal Mail have signed a partnership to rollout parcel lockers at the convenience retailer’s stores. The first ones will launch in summer, with plans for lockers at 100 stores.
The lockers will add an additional convenient service for the community at Co-op stores, allowing people to drop off pre-labelled Royal Mail parcels and returns 24/7. Collection will also be available at the lockers soon.
The lockers provide label printing, meaning customers simply need to pay for postage online and print the label by scanning a QR code at the locker, or request a QR code if they are returning a purchase.
The Co-op is the first retail group in the convenience stores sector to host Royal Mail parcel lockers.
George Hayworth, Co-op’s Head of Online Development, said: “We are delighted to partner with Royal Mail, enabling Co-op to further expand its network of safe, secure and convenient parcel lockers. Co-op is focussed on developing added services and enhanced convenience – we aim to have the best small shops, and work to ensure our stores are a convenient destination for a range of services that meet local needs. Including growing our network of lockers to help residents, commuters and time-pressed consumers pick up or return parcels at a time that suits them, quickly, easily and conveniently.”
..... the last 108 Directly Managed Branches which are operated by the Post Office will be franchised by the autumn.
This means that those communities that currently have a Directly Managed Branch in their area will continue to be able to access Post Office services either at, or near to, the same location.
More details have been revealed in the last few days.
It is proposed that 56 Directly Managed Branches will be operated by three operators from the same premises where they are currently located whilst the long-term arrangements for the branch are finalised.
RF Retail
With 21 years’ experience in retail and Post Office, Richard Fleetwood, is the third generation of postmasters. His grandfather and father both ran branches, and his mother has had several senior roles managing Post Offices across the UK. RF Retail’s journey began when it opened its first store in the North East of England in September 2020. They currently operate six Post Office branches. RF Retail is also the largest independent operator of Banking Hubs in the UK after operating the first two in 2021. They currently operate six Banking Hubs. Another Post Office and Banking Hub are also being planned for this summer.
RFE will operate branches at Bransholme, Bridlington, Caernarfon, Chester-Le-Street, Crossgates, Gloucester, Grimsby, Morley, Nailsea, Oswestry, Redditch, South Shields, and Sunderland City.
UOE
Led by postmaster Elliot Jacobs, UOE operates nine 'Mains' Post Office branches, a Banking Hub, and a group of award-winning stationery stores across London, Hertfordshire and Surrey. With 28 years of retail experience — including over a decade as a Postmaster — Elliot brings deep expertise in running high-performing, community-driven retail operations, and is a non-executive director of POL.
Eight of UOE’s nine Post Office branches are former Directly Managed Branches (DMBs). Together, the UOE network serves over 2 million customers annually and employs more than 60 team members. All of UOE’s London Stores and Post Offices are open seven days a week.
UOE will operate these branches in London and beyond: Baker Street, Barnet, Brixton, Cambridge City, Golders Green, Hampstead, Harlesden, Harold Hill, High Holborn, Houndsditch, Islington, Kennington Park, Kilburn, Kingsbury, Kingsland High Street, Knightsbridge, Leighton Buzzard, London Bridge, Lower Edmonton, Milton Keynes, Mount Pleasant, Northolt, Oxford, Paddington Quay, Raynes Park, Roman Road Bethnal Green, St Peters Street St Albans, Stamford Hill, Wealdstone, and Windsor.
ZCO
ZCO is a well-established company based in Bolton that operates 21 Post Offices across the UK, which were all former directly managed Post Offices, as well as four banking hubs. ZCO was founded in 2014 by Zubeir Patel and now the Managing Director is Tan Musa. He has well-organised regional teams to assist with the running of Post Offices in England, Scotland and Wales.
A sister company, called Potent Solutions, set up in 2008, operates Post Office branches on a temporary basis to maintain service to communities. However, it is ZCO that is taking on these new franchised branches. The retail alongside their branches is traditionally cards and stationery. Bespoke retail also has included luggage and luggage accessories, souvenirs and beach equipment, depending upon each unique location.
ZCO will operate across the country: Bexhill-on-Sea, Canning Town, Cricklewood, Dereham, Edinburgh City, Furness House Barrow-in-Furness, Glasgow (West Nile Street), Haddington, Kendal, Kettering, Matlock, Melville Road Hove, Morecambe, Poulton-Le-Fylde, Rotherham, Saltcoats, South Ockendon, and Springburn Way Glasgow.
Run by postmaster Mikesh Parekh, Firstclass Retail operate thirteen Post Office branches in and around Greater Manchester, the majority of which are larger, Mains-style branches. With over fifteen years of experience as a postmaster, Mikesh has a wealth of experience in running post offices at the heart of communities. Being a postmaster runs in the family, with Mikesh having learned from his father at his branch in Oldham, who himself was a postmaster for fifteen years.
Mikesh also runs Interim Solutions, which delivers a number of temporary post offices. Between the two businesses, Mikesh currently operates around 30 branches and employs over 170 staff. Mikesh has a deep commitment to the community he serves and has a track record of working with local stakeholders to safeguard Post Office services.
Firstclass will run branches at Barnes Green Manchester, Breck Road Liverpool, Didsbury Village, Eccles, Hyde, Leigh, Old Swan Liverpool, and Salford City.
Liam Searle is at the helm of South Coast Retail in Dorset. He is the third generation of his family connected to Post Office branches. Both his grandmother and his father worked at Directly Managed Branches as counter clerks. His father’s career progressed to being an area manager before he took on Swanage Post Office when it was being franchised. Liam then took over as postmaster for Swanage in 2019. His Dad still helps at his Swanage branch and runs the outreach services.
The 36-year-old now also operates successful branches in Dorchester, Sherborne, Swanage, and Weymouth, plus three outreach services for three communities in the Swanage area. A banking hub also opens in Sherborne in June. Liam runs a close-knit company with 50 employees. The retail offering at his branches is cards, stationery, gifts and soft drinks.
SCR's new branches will be at Bideford, Liskeard, Mutley Plymouth, Newquay, Paignton and Teignmouth.
New operators for about another 30 branches are to be announced and will be added here.
