Monday 8 October 2012

Royal Mail's preliminary stamp programme for 2013

Royal Mail have provided this draft programme for next year.  The Dinosaurs stamps were originally due to be issued in October 2012.
 
Note: these dates are subject to change.  No details have been provided.  We expect to be able to provide more details and to confirm the dates and subjects 3 months before each issue.
Additional retail booklets, and generic Smilers sheets are expected.

3 January Definitive 1st class and 1st class Large red, sheet, booklets, business sheet 1p-20p with security overprint,50p and £1 colour changes
England and Wales 1st and 2nd class country definitives by Cartor some of which are already in POs in September!* 
9 January London Underground set, MS, retail booklet
7 February Year of the Snake generic smiler
20 February 2nd class Faststamp (Stampex issue)
21 February Jane Austen (Stampex issue)
22 February Faststamps: Freshwater Life - Ponds
26 March Classic TV 50 Years of Dr Who
27 March Machin and Country definitives, tariff change.
16 April Great Britons 10 x 1st
16 April Royal Yacht Britannia Commemorative Sheet 
1 May
David Livingstone, explorer Commemorative Sheet 
9 May Football Legends
150th anniv of the Football Association
10 May Generic Smilers – Australia 2013 Stamp Exhibition 
Post and Go Faststamps - Australia 2013 World Stamp Exhibition
30 May Her Majesty the Queen: Royal Portraits (60th anniv of the Coronation)
18 June Classic Locomotives of Northern Ireland MS
25 June Post and Go stamps: Freshwater Life - Lakes
11 July Butterflies
2 August Bangkok World Stamp Exhibition - Exhibition Smilers Sheet
8 August Andy Murray Tennis Champion MS
13 August British Auto Legends - and Europa issue
19 September Merchant Navy (Stampex issue)
19 September Mixed retail booklet: RMS Cutty Sark and Morris Minor Van (Europa)
19 September Bertram Mackennal Commemorative Sheet and Seahorses High Values facsimile pack
20 September Post and Go stamps: Freshwater Life - Rivers
10 October Dinosaurs
5 November Christmas (religious) and results of Children's Christmas stamp design competition.

* Addition in blue follows an enquiry by reader Chris to Tallents House: he was told that these visible change stamps will be distributed to customers on 3 January.  This is in contrast to the Scotland stamps which had an specific availability date which was, as far as we know, before they were distributed to POs. We've now had confirmation from Tallents House that distribution of these will be with the new Machins as they had not already been distributed to Bureau customers.

14 comments:

  1. I'm sure that there's a mistake for the football stamps. The Football League was founded in 1888, with Preston North End winning the first Championship in 1888-89, so the stamps due to be issued on 9th May 2013 will commemorate the 125th anniversary, not the 150th as stated.

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    1. You seem to be right! I think that is our mistake rather than Royal Mail's, they speak only of 'Football Legends' in the progamme. Thanks for the correction.

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    2. It looks right to me - it's the FA not the Football League.

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    3. That's because we change things if people point out errors.

      It's also the 140th ann of the Scottish FA and the 125th ann of the Football League.

      The new stamps are now showing on the latest blog, 8 February.

      Delete
  2. Interesting. Is the omission of the change of colour to the £1 in the January Machins an omission, or has the post office decided aginst this?

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    1. The £1 will change colour, it just wasn't on the preliminary information I had. Also the 50p is said to be changing to grey, rather than the rust which I thought they had already printed ready for 2012.

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    2. Changing to grey? Isn't the 50p already grey? I thought the whole point of the original planned colour change (which never happened) was because the grey was too close to the diamond-blue 1st class, which shouldn't be a problem once the new red 1st stamps come out.

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    3. Confusing, isn't it Rob, especially when we were told last year that the 50p would be rust - now the £1 will be 'Wood Brown' and the 50p will be 'Slate Grey' which is likely to be even more like the current Diamond Blue than the existing pale grey. I'll put a new blogpost up about this later this morning.

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  3. The Football Stamps don't have anything to do with the Football League but are commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Football Association - the governing body of the sport which was founded on 26th October 1863 and produced a unified code of rules (the "London Rules") by which teams from all over the country could abide.
    A challenge competition was later introduced in 1871 and was the world's first football tournament and has been going strong ever since as the FA Cup.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Paul. We haven't been given precise details by Royal Mail, only reporting what others have told us (interpreted).

      I note that not only is it the 150th anniversary of the founding of the (English) Football Association it's also the 140th anniversary of the Scottish FA.

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  4. Ian - are you able to shed any light on the Merchant Navy (Stampex issue) listed for 19 September 2013? Is there a particular anniversary next September, or is this a general acknowledgement of the Merchant Navy?

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    1. I wasn't at Stampex so I don't know what was said - as distinct from what they have provided in text.

      I'm hoping our body of readers will have time to do some exploring/research! Do tell what you come up with!

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. This post has now been updated with links to other posts which have images and more details.

    The 2nd class Faststamp has been added, this will be launched on the first day of Spring Stampex, but will get to Post Office branches later.

    ReplyDelete

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