Unusual Machin Trials Surface 20 years After Production

Complete sheets of three trials of the Machin head, produced in 1997, have just come to light in this, the 50^th anniversary of the introduction of Arnold Machin’s iconic portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Machin definitives were first printed in lithography in 1980 as Royal Mail expanded its range of suppliers. However, by the mid-1990s it had decided that all the standard definitives should be printed in gravure. At the time The House of Questa, based in south London, did not have gravure capability.

So Royal Mail permitted Questa to approach Helio Courvoisier SA of Switzerland, probably with a view to subcontracting the gravure printing.

Courvoisier was founded in 1880 and started printing stamps in 1937. It was noted for the high quality of its photogravure work, but sadly it ran into financial difficulties and ceased trading in 2001.

(Click to see larger images)
The undenominated trials were undertaken on 20 October 1997 in sheets of 100 with the Courvoisier imprint along the vertical margins. They exist in three colours: deep green (as used for the 2p), light grey (as used at the time for the 29p), and flame (as used for 1^st class). Courvoisier had been printing the then current Kenya definitives, and these trials are printed on the same coated paper, without phosphor bands, and have perforation 15 x 14 (although the stamp image is slightly smaller than that used on Machin definitives.

The stamps are printed in 10 rows of 10, with the imprint

PRINTED BY HELIO COURVOISIER S.A. LA CHAUX-DE-FONDS, SWITZERLAND

reading upwards in the side margins.   The sheets are perforated on the outer left margin (though the perforations are almost completely guillotined off on the flame sheet), suggesting panes of two.  Sheet numbers are in the lower right corner, with the grey sheet showing (0)10531 though it is not known whether the numbering was reset for this trial, so this is no indication of the total numbers produced.

In the event Courvoisier had no further involvement in producing Machins. Questa, having been acquired by MDC Corporation, moved to premises in Byfleet, Surrey, where it had gravure facilities.

The total quantity of panes printed is unknown at this time, but they are now in private ownership. Allan Grant of Rushstamps has arranged for a set of the sheets to be donated to the new Postal Museum in London, and they will be on display at Spring Stampex (15-18 February) in London's Business Design Centre.

Stanley Gibbons has confirmed that they will be included in the next edition of their GB Specialised Catalogue Volume 4, Part 2 (Decimal Definitive issues).

According to US magazine Linn's Weekly. Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions of Danbury, Conn, USA is representing the owner, who “has not put forth plans for a sale”. Collectors interested in the trials should contact Rick Penko at Kellehers (www.kelleherauctions.com).

How much would you pay for a set of the stamps?!

(Click to see larger images)

Note, a number of people have mentioned the £5 brown De La Rue printing, and the trials with 00 values.  Whilst interesting those post-date these, so are irrelevant to this particular subject.

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