As promised, Royal Mail have now released their 2017 programme and many lucky people have already received the January Philatelic Bulletin. On the back page is a list of 2017 issues (see left), and a selection of pictures which may or may not be used for stamps - no promises given that one of them shows a 2015 post and go stamp!The programme (updates highlighted in yellow,):
17 January
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Ancient Britain |
6 February
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65th
Anniversary of the Accession - £5 Machin definitive We're told that Tallents House customers with regular orders will NOT get this stamp unless they have high value definitives as part of their regular order. |
15 February
|
Windsor Castle set and miniature sheet PSB* and retail booklet |
15 February
|
Post and Go Postal Heritage: Mail by Rail |
14 March
|
Music Giants - David Bowie |
end March
|
New Tariff Machin and Country Definitives |
6 April
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Racehorse Legends |
4 May
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Songbirds |
24 May
|
Exhibition Generic Stamp Sheet Finlandia |
5 June
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Machin Anniversary including PSB |
5 June
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New Style Machin Anniversary Post and Go 1967-2017 |
20 June
|
Windmills and Watermills |
13 July
|
Landmark Buildings |
31 July
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World War I including PSB |
22 August
|
Classic Toys |
13 September
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Post and Go Royal Mail Heritage: Air Mail |
13 September
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Postal Museum Opening stamp sheet (Generic/Commem?) |
14 September
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Ladybird books |
20 October
|
To be advised |
7 November
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Christmas |
16 November
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Lunar New Year of the Dog |
20 November
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To be advised |
* The four panes in the Windsor Castle PSB contain
a. 2x 1st (external) and 2x £1.52 (internal) views
b. single 1st (external) and single £1.52 (internal) views
c. Eight Machin definitives coded MCIL M16L: 2 x 2p (new), 3 x 1st class deep scarlet (new), and 2 x 10p and a single £1.05 as already issued in Beatrix Potter PSB. So TWO sets of the new stamps.
d. 4 stamps from miniature sheet in different positions
The retail booklet contains 1st class deep scarlet Machins coded M17L MCIL
Post and Go News for 2017 from the January Philatelic Bulletin
a. More Enquiry Office machines countrywide from April
b. More static sites
c. Exhibition programme
Spring Stampex 15-18 FebruaryConfirmation of 2016 developments which impact on 2017: Pictorial stamps used in Enquiry Offices in parallel with those at Post Office SSKs, new labels introduced at PO SSK machines for parcel/packet barcoding, 'Post a Parcel' tested at the party political conferences - although it is unclear how much of a test this was given the limited access: one can imagine only those who actually wanted to post a parcel from the conference would actually do so whereas collectors with access would have tested it anyway!
Scottish Congress Perth 21-22 April
MIDPEX Warwickshire Exhib Centre 8 July
Autumn Stampex 13-16 September
Wasn’t the Fur and Feathers Post & Go issue released in 2015.
ReplyDeleteThe 50th Anniversary of the Machin design on a Post & Go, interesting: a new colour for the 1st class rolls maybe, a montage of previous sheet stamp issues possibly or a series of working drawing/cast? Lets hope they give clear instruction as to which printer they are supposed to be loaded into. But one thing which is a virtual certainty, those tame Post Offices (Hastings springs to mind) will still load them in the wrong printer at the behest of others.
For those who are interested, I found a cover showing the new £5 Machin on the BFDC website. Link below. Hope this is ok Ian.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bfdc.co.uk/2017/65th_anniversary_of_queens_accession/windsor_castle.html
Absolutely, thank you Steve. I have the design, but as it wasn't in the Philatelic Bulletin, can't show it. But it's very much like the 1977 Salmon and chalky blue (SG1028), but without the salmon and with security features.
ReplyDeleteOddly, I can think of greater justification for the issue of the 1977 £5 definitive, than for this one!
I had to look twice, thinking it was the 1977 stamp at first glance. Personally I like it but then I have always been a fan of the large format definitives.
DeleteI doubt it will ever see genuine postal use unlike the 1977 issue. I might just have to send myself a registered letter with one of these on. Now, what make up stamps to put with it.......?
I'm using one on a sending to a customer overseas; he doesn't collect used but knows somebody who will appreciate it.
DeleteAnother good year for thematic collectors - obviously not much to celebrate historically.
ReplyDeleteLooks reasonable, as a stamp user. Hoping there will be the 20g rates for Europe and Rest of the World at least every couple of months, although I think I should not buy as many first class stamps as I ponder the future - hoping Her Majesty has more life in her (winter colds have affected her seasonal engagements), and how long the stamps will be valid after she passes.
ReplyDeleteLet’s hope the £5 stamp is available from Post Offices unlike the current £5.
ReplyDeleteGoing by what my ‘Local’ format offices sell, they won’t be getting them, the ‘mains’ round my way may get them, but probably won’t use them (like the special stamps they just send back) so that just leaves the dwindling number of Crown Offices and Tallents House.
Maybe time for Royal Mail to enforce the contractual obligations the Post Office has for selling its products.
Now that NCR have produced a ‘Card Only’ version of their SSK, will the increase in static sites and Museum see them getting the new SSKs or will they continue with the IAR machines?
ReplyDeleteSometime ago I was told that Post Office m/cs were not capable of doing overprints
DeleteJohn Embrey
I can guess what the 20th November issue is going to be ( hint, subtract 70 years from this year!). Not sure what the October issue would be though
ReplyDeleteWell the October release could well be for the net Star Wars film, due for release in December 2017. If it does transpire to be the case, I guess we can expect another set in 2019 to mark the final chapter of the story
ReplyDeleteAs for the November issue, I guess it will be to commemorate this:-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_of_Princess_Elizabeth_and_Philip_Mountbatten,_Duke_of_Edinburgh.
The Racing Post is saying that the Racehorses set will feature 8 stamps, 4 jumpers and 4 flat horses, and that one of the will be of Desert Orchid en route to winning the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
ReplyDeleteThe pocket stamp calendar is available for downloading at
ReplyDeletehttp://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/royal-mail-special-stamps-for-2017.pdf
I see MIDPEX is down for a POst & Go m/c. Two years ago the m/cs were there but no overprint. There was no interest from collectors apart from the odd geek including myself. I am not clear why they discriminate against MIDPEX. They need to decide early on that there will be an overprint and allow MIDPEX to include it in pre-exhibition publicity
ReplyDeleteJohn Embrey
Hello John,
DeleteThere is no discrimination against Midpex; there were no inscriptions at Stafford or York either, with only the national events - Stampex and Scottish Congress - getting separate inscriptions (plus internationals of course). This has been clearly stated policy by RM for some time.
There was interest in the past when York and Stafford at different times where the first place that a certain combination of stamp and imprint type were available, and now I come to think of it Midpex as well - see http://blog.norphil.co.uk/2013/07/freshwater-lakes-faststamps-from-midpex.html it was the first day of availability of the Lakes issue.
Thanks Ian
DeleteWhen they dropped York and Stafford it was said they were not the right category of exhibition whereas MIDPEX Scottish Congress STAMPEX were. So there was no historical discrimination With the other 2 long dropped MIDPEX is currently discriminated against compared with Scottish Congress and STAMPEX
As a Royal Mail shareholder based on 2015 it is a waste of Royal Mail money to go to MIDPEX without an overprint
John
Well, the Machin Anniversary Faststamps will probably be available from an IAR machine for the first time, so people who want each type of stamp from each type of machine.... will buy them.
DeleteWhy can't Royal Mail just have a simple overprint on the Midpex Post & Go issue for example just MIDPEX 2017 would do. This would at least generate more interest and in the long run and sell more stamps giving more revenue for Royal Mail.
DeleteSorry to be a cynic, but what could be the 'Music Giants' be this year ? Maybe another Pink Floyd set with yet even more miniature sheets and mini -sheets or a Gary Gilmour or Roger Waters set of 10 ? I'm convinced someone in the RM design dept was a huge fan.
ReplyDeleteMy money is on David Bowie
DeleteNo Xmas Post & Go?
ReplyDeleteNot listed, but yet still possible.
DeleteWell, I was kind of hoping that Royal Mail would put out a swell flurry of new Machin issues with a neat design for its Golden Anniversary and/or a prestige book such as they came up with 10 years ago on its 40th Anniversary. But looking at the upcoming issues, I don't suppose that they'll be giving it the grand treatment this go-round. Post and Go labels are very fine and all, but, ahem... I mean let's have some real Machin stamp definitives I say. The £5 Large Format Machin stamp is interesting and all, but I can see no real use for it on its own merit.
ReplyDeleteOh, there will be plenty for you to buy on 5 June - did you miss this entry:
DeleteMachin Anniversary including PSB
I have seen, but can't reveal, preliminary designs for the commemoration and, believe me, you will be well catered for. A far better commemoration than the 10 x 1st MS for Arnold Machin, and more flamboyant than the 40th anniversary www.norphil.co.uk/2007/06a-machins.htm