Jersey Post introduced new Fujitsu self-service post and pay kiosks in 2009. Using these customers have been able to weigh, stamp and pay for packages to be posted quickly and efficiently, all at one small space-saving kiosk. Initially three kiosks were installed in post office branches and then one at the Jersey Electricity Company’s Power House store in St Helier.
A Jersey Post statement said: "These Post and Go stamps represent a new and very exciting way to begin or enhance a stamp collection." The first designs to be used feature the Jersey flag.
At this stage no self-service machines will be placed in Jersey Post branches.
At Spring Stampex Jersey Post will use a Royal Mail Post and Go Royal Mail Series II* machine to produce stamps in six different values:
Local letter - 45p
UK letter - 55p
Europe - 60p
Local large - 68p
International - 80p
UK large - 88pNo exact details of the inscriptions have been provided but there will be two versions. Those known as 'B series' will be printed on a back-office machine at the Jersey Philatelic Bureau. The ones at Stampex will be 'J series'. Only J series will be available at Stampex.
Products available from the Bureau will be a mint set of 6 at £3.96, and a first day cover and presentation pack at £5.11 each.
At the time of writing these are not on the Jersey Post website, but customers will be able to order from the Jersey Philatelic Bureau, either by phone, email or online at www.jerseystamps.com
Telephone from UK 01534 516320, from outside the UK +44 15 34 51 63 20.
Email: stamps@jerseypost.com
Jersey Philatelic Bureau, POHQ, Jersey JE1 1AB
More details will be added here as we get them.
* Updated: This is the type of machine also known as Hytech so we can expect the datastring layout to be similar to the Hytech/Series II machines seen at events in the UK.
Update 16 January from Postagelabelsuk blog.
At Spring Stampex Jersey Post will join the Post and Go club and will taken ownership of their own ‘Series B’ machine- number J001 - that will vend a unique Jersey Flag stamp with six relevant NVI values on one reel alongside a GB Union flag stamp on the other - a truly unique, modern and innovative way of producing a joint stamp issue.
This is even more ridiculous than at first it appears. We do know that some post offices on the Channel Islands sell UK stamps for the use of their residents when the visit the UK. But to have them both in one Post and Go machine does seem extreme!
Does that mean that RM have bought an extra machine(s) or dose it explain the absence of A4 from the stamp exhibition tour? Will this affect the number of machines at Stampex?
ReplyDeleteAs for the text string at the bottom, Luxembourg the same type of machine with a completely different type of data string. (http://www.ateeme.net/anglesw/aluxembourg.htm if interested).
As these items are not sold from machines in Jersey I can not see how they can be called postage stamps since they are not generally available to the general public for use on mail there. Surely they are nothing more than exhibition souvenirs which may or may not "enhance a stamp collection".
ReplyDeleteI totally agree ... Just make money from collectors.
DeleteSurely this is simply a so-called 'soft launch' of the Jersey P&G product to a select initial audience? This method is used throughout the retail sector.
ReplyDeleteThis approach enables any issues to be resolved prior to rolling-out to the general public. Collectors are an intelligent group, who are experts at giving valuable feedback to postal authorities and I see nothing wrong with this approach.
Now if Jersey was never to roll-out locally in, say, the coming year, then that's another story and I would consider that to be inexcusable, unless the trial had proved to be unworkable of course.
South Africa launched Frama II machine labels in a colourful array of designs and never launched the product to the general public and it is my understanding that they never had any intention of purchasing the machines. That was totally wrong, but the world kept on turning!
The point about this "soft launch" is that it is taking place in a territory ie The United Kingdom where the "stamps" are not valid for postal use which I would have thought is a vital criterion for defining an item as a "postage stamp" which is what philatelists generally collect.
ReplyDeleteIf Jersey Post troubled itself to establish one of the machines in Jersey where the stamps would be valid then I would obviously accept that these items are "postage stamps". Anything issued from a local machine would qualify for this status but something issued in another territory where it can not used on local mail is just a philatelic collectible.
The 'Jersey Post' Website now has details of these stamps.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris. You'll note that the pricing shows as 'ex tax'.
DeleteJersey stamps sold in the UK as new issues are declared on import must have VAT added when sold. But these are not being imported as stamps (at least not the ones from the public access machine) so the VAT position is unclear.
The words cash & cow spring to mind, but the same can be said of Royal Mail, taking their machines on the road round the country with last year’s Australian odyssey and this year’s Korean adventure.
ReplyDeleteJust received an order form from Jersey for these and it does show a UK price including VAT the prices are
ReplyDeleteSet of 6 values £4.16 whilst the price for FDCs and presentation packs are £5.37
Thank you Malcolm. It will be interesting to see whether they charge 'face value' at Stampex. Bearing in mind that both Jersey and UK stamps can be purchased in the same session and same transaction, the invoice should be interesting!
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