While we were away..... summary of news

Post and Go News

As you know, we don't put much news about Post and Go on the blog these days because there is less interest and not as much happening.  But this is the usual time of year for some different stamps to appear, so this is what we know.  (Click on the images for larger versions.)

Poppies
Poppies will be or have been distributed to Post Office branches for installation and use from today (23rd).  There is a new printing with R18YAL year code, but branches will probably use up old stock first, so it may be possible to get strips with two different dates from the same branches.  The Poppy stamps will be in use at the Postal Museum, but not in any of the other museums.  This includes all the military museums.   Blank strips of the R18YAL printing have already appeared on eBay.

Winter Greenery

These designs will make a reappearance at Post Office branches and probably at the Postal Museum, though the latter has to be confirmed. A new printing is expected.  Blank strips of the 2017 and 2018 printings have already appeared on eBay, coded R17YAL or R18YAL on the 1st and CL17S or CL18S on the 2nd class.  (2017 version shown here).  We think these should be installed after the poppies are removed on 31 October, but see update below.  It's been pointed out to me that the Poppies ought to stay on sale until at least Sunday November 11th, Remembrance Day.
UPDATE 1 November.  Postal Museum have announced today that "the Royal Mail Post & Go stamps featuring Winter Greenery designs will be available from its Post & Go machine from 8 November 2018, not 12 November as reported elsewhere.
The stamps will replace the Machin 1st and 2nd class designs with the ‘F’ Box 50 overprint."
(See below for clarification of the F-Box situation).



Errors
Meanwhile DF continues to report a lackadaisical attitude at some PO branches about what can and can't go where in Self-Service Kiosks, providing this example of the 2nd class stamps being used in the 1st class position.  This is the CL17S version. 

Also in the cabinet "I noted a full reel of Anniversary in the box and was told – 'oh! those ones can go anywhere'".   Incidentally I'm told that PO Ltd contract with NCR is up for renewal and new machines may appear in branches next year. I'm not sure why this should be so if the old machines work well (although there are always problems in public-facing machines of any sort).  Will this see a resurgence of interest in Post and Go, or be a further nail in the coffin?


UPDATE 24 October: Mount Pleasant and Postal Museum etc

Poppies at Postal Museum are year coded15, those at Mount Pleasant and Islington POs are 18.
Mount Pleasant and Islington POs have year 17 2nd class Winter Greenery in already - this seems to be early and should not be until 8* November when Winter Greenery replaces the Poppy. (*Corrected 1 November by Postal Museum.)

At the Postal Museum the Machin designs reverted to the default inscription, but somebody forgot to remove the F-type Postbox illustration, so that was available for a short period on 23rd with the lower (normal) Postal Museum inscription.  This error was corrected during the afternoon, I'm told, so these short-term errors will be worth having - if the buyers even noted them, in fact.  The Machins are 15-coded.  It always makes sense to test all the reels, one of our reporters did that and this is his picture.

 

Thanks to DF and MC for the reports.

UPDATE 2 November.  It seems I misunderstood the 'correction' that was made during the afternoon of 23rd.  Initially the F-box 50 inscription was omitted but the picture remained.  I thought that the correction was to remove the picture, but in fact the inscription was restored as well.  Thus when the Winter Greenery replaces the Machins on 8 November the Machins will still have the full F-box 50 inscription and logo.  Thanks to Eliska Bejrova at the museum for the clarification.

---