Just when we thought that the multiple variants of phosphor and fluorescence were making modern Machins too complicated, a further development has occurred which creates at least two more Machin variants. Can you spot the difference?You'll remember that when security printing was added to the booklet backing paper all the text was upright. And later, SBP2 appeared which has some lines inverted and can appear in two forms, which have various designations depending upon the club you belong to, the catalogue you use, or the blog you read. Well we had assumed that all the SBP1 paper had been used alongside the SBP2, but it seems that is not the case.
Walsall still had at least one, probably more, rolls or part-rolls of SBP1. I'm told the intention was to use this on this year's Christmas booklets (which would certainly have created two versions of at least one of the booklets, given the huge quantity printed).
Instead, the paper was used on books of 6 x 1st: specifically the MSIL padlock booklet which has appeared with SBP1 as before (and so is MB18 rather than MB18a), but with M18L for the first time (the M16L was also on SBP1).
The other booklet affected is the Harry Potter mixed PM64. There are several odd things about the Potter booklet. Firstly, dealer supplies from Tallents House have been SBP2 as normal, while supplies in (at least some) Post Offices are SBP1. But the second oddity is that the SBP1 is inverted. As far as I can recall this is the first instance of SBP1 being used inverted. This should get a separate number in the Stanley Gibbons Concise catalogue: one of them at least will be PM64a. We have some stock of the Potter booklet but it isn't being added to our shop until existing orders are clear. The single 1st class Machin will be listed by us as 2936aC.8a with SPB1i.
Any customer who has already written asking for out of stock stamps to be added to existing orders when available can ask for this to be added also. Likewise anybody paying by bank credit or cheque, but those who have already paid by PayPal, we can't add this single stamp and take payment for it as PayPal deductions would lower the price below face! Just email and we can put these aside for you.
Shown below, the two booklets. As always, click on this or the image of the Machins above to see a larger version. We hope to have the Padlock booklet MB18 but with Post Offices now stocking up for Christmas it's difficult to judge when we might see it. Other retailers being replenished with books of 6 x 1st have recently received Star Wars and RAF Centenary booklets, so it seems Royal Mail are sending those out pending the issue of the Christmas stamps on 1 November. (Some Post Offices already have these, of course.)
The question now, is, are there any more surprises awaiting discovery?
Has anyone seen the yellow glow around the wands on the two pictorial stamps? This can be seen with normal long wave UV very well. Such a pity that most non stamp collectors who buy the stamps for postage will never see this.
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