As most UK readers know our letter post, if it is postmarked at all, is
handled by one of the Mechanised Mail Centres and receives an ink-jet
postmark. Some post still receives a counter datestamp (CDS), usually
Special Delivery and other tracked mail.
But I have found that old-style machines are still in use around the country, and not just at Christmas!
This is a place to record the use of these old machines, commonly referred to as Universal or 'unified' as the style is the same but the manufacturer of the machine cannot be identified by the postmark impression.
Click on the images to see them enlarged. Firstly some from earlier in the year:
CITY OF INVERNESS - with inverted wavy lines, and space between elements of date
SWANSEA - same error as Inverness but with line between date elements
CUMBRIA DUMFRIES GALLOWAY
NORTH AND WEST YORKSHIRE with space between elements of date
Now from the Christmas post, 4 types of IPSWICH SUFFOLK postmark (I am fairly confident that the one with the slogan is from Ipswich). Three from the same square envelope, dated 4 Dec 2014, and one 9 Dec 2014 with the inverted Happy Christmas / PLEASE USE / THE POSTCODE slogan, with a snowman,
Although comments are welcome, to be useful we need a picture of the postmark, so please email to ian@norphil.co.uk (a 300dpi scan is perfect)
UPDATE 21 DEC:
Thanks to Doug we can show that North and West Yorkshire have used the 'Candle' Post Early slogan this year. Happy 54th(?) birthday to the Candle postmark! (There's an example on the British Postmark Database from York in 1960.)
Another one that I overlooked from Doug's December reports:
Plymouth / Cornwall & W. Devon (inverted town die) with Happy Christmas /PLEASE/POST EARLY snowman slogan. 8 DEC 2014
But I have found that old-style machines are still in use around the country, and not just at Christmas!
This is a place to record the use of these old machines, commonly referred to as Universal or 'unified' as the style is the same but the manufacturer of the machine cannot be identified by the postmark impression.
Click on the images to see them enlarged. Firstly some from earlier in the year:
CITY OF INVERNESS - with inverted wavy lines, and space between elements of date
SWANSEA - same error as Inverness but with line between date elements
CUMBRIA DUMFRIES GALLOWAY
NORTH AND WEST YORKSHIRE with space between elements of date
Now from the Christmas post, 4 types of IPSWICH SUFFOLK postmark (I am fairly confident that the one with the slogan is from Ipswich). Three from the same square envelope, dated 4 Dec 2014, and one 9 Dec 2014 with the inverted Happy Christmas / PLEASE USE / THE POSTCODE slogan, with a snowman,
Although comments are welcome, to be useful we need a picture of the postmark, so please email to ian@norphil.co.uk (a 300dpi scan is perfect)
UPDATE 21 DEC:
Thanks to Doug we can show that North and West Yorkshire have used the 'Candle' Post Early slogan this year. Happy 54th(?) birthday to the Candle postmark! (There's an example on the British Postmark Database from York in 1960.)
Another one that I overlooked from Doug's December reports:
Plymouth / Cornwall & W. Devon (inverted town die) with Happy Christmas /PLEASE/POST EARLY snowman slogan. 8 DEC 2014
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