We've now been told that machine M011 at Ministry of Defence Abbey Wood does not have the Poppy stamps in this week, although the original announcement indicated an end date of 23 November. The Poppies have been replaced by the Union Flag.
This means that we will not be able to obtain more Poppy stocks from Abbey Wood - sorry!
In the original announcement Poppies were to be removed from machines at museums (except the postal museum) on 19 November, while those in the machines at Postal Museum, BFPO, MoD and Enquiry Offices would be removed on 23 November. So if anybody can check on the situation at any Enquiry Offices I'll be happy to record it. As far as I know Norwich EO didn't load the Poppies at all: they are still using Hibernating Animals - but not very many.
See Update2 at foot of post.
For some time Royal Mail had a webpage of Post and Go News : http://www.royalmail.com/personal/stamps-collectibles-gifts/post-and-go-news
... but this now diverts to the Post and Go sales page at http://shop.royalmail.com/issue-by-issue/post+go-stamps/icat/cat174
... and even this page does not show the Winter Greenery stamps.
It seems that Royal Mail is doing its best to keep us in the dark about Post and Go changes. IAR told me earlier in the year that they would not be putting Royal Mail news on their website until Royal Mail had made the announcement (on theirs), so don't look for anything from either soon!
IAR still provide information on Jersey and Guernsey changes and events, though.
UPDATE
I've been told that Postal Museum and Mount Pleasant EO machines had Winter Greenery from 13 November.
UPDATE2
I've managed to track previous versions of the Royal Mail web-page and found this statement on the 23 October version:
To mark Remembrance Day, Royal Mail Enquiry Office machines and Post Office Limited machines will carry the Post and Go Poppy stamp, from 24th September until 13 November.Three days later the 'news' page redirects to the shop page.
I have been pestering RM since August on this matter and have got absolutely no ware. The last email response from them on 29/10/2017 stated there web page was up to date. But as you rightly say it diverts you to the shop sales page. I am still awaiting a response as to where the original webpage has disappeared to and how customers can be kept up to date on the various changes, when RM and IAR don't appear to be talking to each other.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know about the 'Trafalgar Day' overprint on the Union Flag stamps issued in October 2107? These seem to have come from various Royal Navy Museum sites. I have seen on eBay collectors sets with this overprint from the RN Explosion! Museum with receipt dated the 20/10/17 and a similar set from the Royal Navy Museum dated the 31/10/17. Trafalgar day was on the 21st October.
DeleteCovered in the Royal Mail Poppy (etc) announcement here http://blog.norphil.co.uk/2017/10/lest-we-forget-poppy-re-use.html
DeleteA reminder to all: use the Search box at the top left for anything that you can't find.
I have been unable to get any poppy issues from EO these are usually type IIIA , very elusive.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention in my previous post that I would like R17YAL code issue.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure whether the EO machines had the 2017 printing.
DeleteJudging by the lack of info coming in from other readers interest is declining.
I think the general lack of thought that currently appears to be going into P&G issues is putting collectors off. We have had reissued Winter Greenery, re-issued Poppies, Flowers at the Shakespeare centre, single mail coach and mail rail for the BPMA. Everything is being recycled. I guess were just lucky that the Robin hasn't had an outing again for a few Xmas's I like the suggestion of 'regional variations' that Ian suggested a long time ago. Why cant we have something similar to the regional definitive in Wales, Scotland and NI? Next years offering Mail by Bicycle seems to be scraping the barrel IMHO , will we have post on foot in 2019 to take the series to its logical conclusion? We just have to hope that the NCR machines don't do over prints. I personally like the Irish issues where real photographs have been used, to date all the UK versions have been artwork. Hoping not to tempt fate but at least the Isle of Man don't appear to have jumped onto the bandwagon unlike Jersey and Guernsey despite their copious output of philatelic material. Perhaps the Triskelion trial has crashed and burned? Oh and machines that the general public don't appear to have access to, Northolt, Abbey Wood, Party Conferences, Royal Mail HQ. Rant over!
ReplyDeleteThanks Trevor.
DeleteI agree with the use of the Poppies, though as I told RM several years ago, if they had thought it through they could have used the WWI Centenary Poppy stamp design on P&G each year and made them different. Unfortunately I don't think I thought of that until 2015!
I don't agree that photos are better than artwork. Photos are the easy option on so many stamp issues, and I like Robert Gilmoor's birds and many of the later designs. I can take photos: I can't do art!
I think you can rest assured that there will be no overprints at PO SSKs. I also believe that the whole P&G network outside PO branches will be rationalised and there will much less variety in future. But I don't expect any announcement from Royal Mail on this subject until they have actually made a firm policy decision (no "we are planning to...").
The other thing that An Post have done in Ireland, of course, is to link P&G-type stamps to ordinary sheet stamps, at least as far as definitives and Christmas are concerned. Look for Royal Mail to follow Spain, France and the USA down that line sometime.
I wouldn’t say the Isle of Man has been quiet. Whilst they have only issued four designs, there are distinct types:-
DeleteType 1
The strips sold by the bureau either on their own or in a presentation pack, which have the value and data string printed at the time of manufacture, just as those sold By An post
Type 2
The labels vended from their Pay and Post Machines. The Font matches well with the pre-printed bureau examples
Type 3
The labels sold from the ’hand held machines’ with the values boxed such as those sold at Spring Stampex.
Type 4
The labels sold from Post Offices, which have a narrower front.
The Isle of Man Post Office have made these versions available in a pack of two 47p examples for £5.
https://www.iompost.com/stamps-coins/product/purlose-1st-day-set/
There is no guarantee what the pack will contain, usually labels 1 & 3 and 2 & 4. It’s anybody guess how they produce the packs, buying two packs does not guarantee that you get the four values, you usually get the same labels.
Some of the labels have the thermal text shifted to the left, resulting in the first few digits printed on the image.
Kingston replaced Poppies with Winter Greenery on 13th Nov as advertised on the IAR website, R17YAL was not in any Enquiry office so no point wondering if it was.
ReplyDeleteMount Pleasant DO had the Winter Greenery issue in their machine on the 13th November as advertised and these were R17Y on the 1st class and CL17 on the 2nd class.
DeleteDONCASTER DO had the Winter Greenery issue in their machine on the 13th November,these were R17Y on the 1st class and CL17 on the 2nd class.
ReplyDeletePoppies will not be R17Y my comment was in answer to petemk, so that he would not waste time looking for new stock in any IAR machine, new stock in on greenery but not poppies from these machines.
ReplyDeleteIt's useful to identify any specific relies. You could use @petemk to be specific
DeleteThank you Ian & Anonymous that is very helpful
DeleteHi Ian
ReplyDeleteI seem to recall reading somewhere that P&G will not available at the Scottish Congress in April. Did I dream it or can you confirm?
I don’t know where it might have been announced yet, but that is what we have been told.
DeleteDitto Spring Stampex.