Further news added below in blue. Today is the first day of issue of the Symbolic Flowers Post and Go Faststamps at Stampex and at Post Office Ltd branches nationwide.
News on this today:
1. Some Post Office branches with Post and Go machines assert that they have not received the Symbolic Flowers stamps.
2. Some offices (with or without machines) have received the 'packs' of bureau-printed stamps. Apparently in all of West Sussex no branches have blank FDCs. In Leeds one branch had no stamps, the other had the stamps and the FDC, but with no inserts.
[This was mentioned to the Royal Mail team who promised to follow up as it really is not good enough!]
3. Gloucester PO was selling Symbolic Flowers from the NCR Post and Go machine on 13 September (see right, from eBay).
4. Leeds and Harrogate have the new stamps for their Wincor-Nixdorf machines.
At Stampex the Royal Mail machines are also dispensing stamps from a solo-Poppy reel with an additional inscription (or overprint) First World War Centenary
According to the Jersey Post Philatelic Website yesterday (16th) they were selling stamps from their bureau (produced by the back-office machine) with a Stampex Autumn 2014 inscription/overprint. Today the website has changed and no longer indicates what the overprint is. This is because when they received the stamps to sell the inscription read First World War Centenary.
Thanks to Chris we have this picture from Stampex:
Update 19 September:
1. The Union Flag stamps sold from JE01 did not have the World War 1 inscription (as we suspected, really).
2. The Union Flag stamps that I have are all undated.
3. The Machin stamps from A3 and MA13 and those from B001 are undated.
It was good to meet up with friends old and new yesterday: Thomas - ATM specialist from Germany, Chris, Tony, Vince, Bob, Graham (Smilers) Howard, Brian, Torsten Weller and Michael Eastick from Australia, and the Royal Mail team (sorry for anybody I've missed from that list).
Royal Mail Stamp Programme for 2015. in brief:
6 January - Alice in Wonderland
20 January - new Smilers designs in MS and retail booklet
18 February - Post and Go: Working Sail
19 February - Inventive Britons
5 March - Bridges
1 April - Comedy Greats
6 May - 175th Anniversary of Penny Black MS
13 May - Post and Go: Heraldic Beasts
14 May - First World War Centenary
2 June - Magna Carta
18 June - Battle of Waterloo
16 July - Battle of Britain
18 August - Bees
16 September - Post and Go: Sea Travel
18 September - Rugby World Cup
6 October - details awaited
3 November - Christmas
16 November - Post and Go: Winter Fur and Feathers
Plus Generic Smilers and Commemorative Sheets. Further details will be announced in due course.
And lastly, Julia Lee leaves Stamp Magazine today for a new job outside philately. We've been blessed to have had her hand on the GB tiller at the mag for several years now, and on twitter and the SM forum. Good luck, Julia, and thanks !
The Jersey Union Stamp at Stampex does not have an overprint.
ReplyDeleteOn the Symbolic Flowers front, Trafalgar Post Office had been sent blank FDCs, But the inserts were for 'Spring Blooms'.
The union flag stamp in JE01 had no overprint this afternoon.
ReplyDeleteExeter had no FDC inserts either
ReplyDeleteAs far as the solo poppy stamps are concerned, B machine stamp strips were available over the counter this afternoon for those who wanted to purchase them. Not sure what the position was for Machin / Union Flag.
ReplyDeleteTried Cheser-le-Street wincor machine bit still had sping blooms as it has done since they were issued.
ReplyDeleteDurham NCR mahines had symbolic flowers but had FDC's without inserts
Sunderlands wincor machines were removed about two weeks ago.
A003 & A004 were not working at the 11:30 first day opening time thru' to when I left at about 14:00. Royal Mail were waiting for someone to come and fix them.Symbolic Flowers and overprinted Poppies were available over the counter from the Royal Mail stand on the Mezzanine.
ReplyDeletePopped into Old Street Post Office which had Symbolic Flowers in the right hand NCR machine, and MA14 Machins (1st) in the left hand machine. Don't know what was in the middle 2 machines.
Also, Stevenage, which now has 3 NCR machines, had Symbolic Flowers in all machines.
On the subject of "Shambolic" Flowers - Stockport PO had them in all 3 NCR machines. Macclesfield PO has a Wincor-Nixdorf machine and they knew nothing about new stamps in their words, they only had "Fish". I did wonder if only NCR machines are now being stocked with new issues as the Wincor machines are being phased out. Stuart
ReplyDeletePAIGNTON NCR: Had Machin Heads (MA14) to start with on Wednesday - But changed to Flowers II by Afternoon. Number 69 was not cutting stamps in the right place to start with but they got it right in the end, then Kiosk Number 67 was Out of Order and did not except the Flower Stamps at all! Robert1943
ReplyDeleteOn Monday Norwich Castle Mall had FDCs but with Spring Flowers inserts. It is currently having a re-fit prior to 4 NCR machines being installed. The 2 Wincor-Nixdorf machines were not working on Wed "due to building work - engineer awaited" but both were working today with Symbolic Flowers in. Andrew
ReplyDelete