Wednesday 24 October 2018

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.



8 comments:

  1. My local office has four NCR Post & Go machines with Poppies in two of them. When the Christmas ones come out they will go into the other two machines. So should have some Poppies left by the 11th November as long as they do not sell out.

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  2. the embargo notice supplied with 18 Winter Greenery states Do Not Use Until 1st November 2018

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  3. Why is the Postal Museum putting Winter Greenery into their machine on the 8th November when the first day of issue is the 1st November?

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    1. It's not regarded as a new issue as it isn't a new stamp. I suspect that there has been some negotiation between PM & RM, who are trying to limit the number of P&G variables as much as possible.

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  4. I bought Post and Go stamps in the Pinfold St post office In Birmingham today (8.11.) Two of the machines were dispensing Winter Greenery stamps - the 1st Class having code CL18S and the 2nd Class having code CL17S (annoyingly, I shall have to go back another time to try to obtain the CL18S variety). Other kiosks were dispensing the Poppy 1st Class, the Game Of Thrones 2nd Class and Machin Head stamps. Plenty to choose from.

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  5. Game of Throne 2nd class do seem to be more common than you might imagine after nearly 10 months after issue. Even the 1st class seem to be fairly common still. My local post office still has plenty, though they currently have an interesting mix of poppy labels (16/17/18) in their machines.

    As there seems to have been no mention of R17YAL & R18YAL Machins, did the Machin Anniversary labels and the Game of Thrones ones put pay to them being reprinted, probably the same for the CL18S Machins as well, but as Christmas approaches who knows what is still to appear.

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  6. The SSK upgrade has started
    https://www.onepostoffice.co.uk/secure/latest-news/our-products/better-ssk-screens-in-time-for-christmas/

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  7. The last paragraph hints at what will be coming next year.
    https://www.onepostoffice.co.uk/secure/latest-news/our-branches/speedy-service-key-to-ssk-success/

    More single ssk branches are on the cards

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