December slogan postmarks

The first December postmark actually starts in November as already reported, with the Post Early for Christmas slogan.


This was seen for the first time from Sheffield Mail Centre (and another indistinct) 29 November 2018.  (Thank you to JW who has sent an even less distinct example from Southampton dated 28 November.)

Remember to

Post Early

this Christmas!

 

So that's a start.  Another example of the first layout would be useful, and later there will be specific slogans for 1st & 2nd class inland posting dates.

Update 6 December: JG has sent a much better example of the first type of slogan, from Swindon:

And thanks to DF & RW we have two examples of the reversed slogan applied to square envelopes when the stamp is identified as being in the 'wrong' corner, one from Cumbria and the other from Plymouth.

UPDATE 8 DECEMBER:  Thanks to BM and JG for the latest batch of slogans which includes one for the NHS 'Staywell' campaign.   Glasgow 05-12-2018, Southampton with logo 07/12/2018, Edinburgh 05-12-2018, Birmingham with logo reversed 06/12/2018.

Stay well

this Winter!

Find out more at

nhs.uk/staywell

 

 

Meanwhile Gatwick MC is still using Movember for it's reversed slogan on 06/12/2018.

UPDATE 12 December
And here's a lovely square card envelope from Gatwick Mail Centre: cancelled on 8 December with the ordinary position of the Movember slogan (no logo) which missed the stamp - this should have been reversed so as to hit the stamp;  but it was delayed and processed again on 9 December with the Staywell slogan!

13 December: Nice to see that Tyneside MC is catching up (see previous monthly reports), and is now showing the Staywell slogan, here reversed on a square card, 8 December.

UPDATE 17 December
The first of the last posting dates slogans has appeared, but some are very blurred.  Thanks to RW and JG.  Examples here from Exeter (15th December) and Peterborough and Bristol (14th)

Merry Christmas!

Last posting dates

for mail:

2nd class - Tuesday 18th

1st class - Thursday 20th

Update 20 December: Now that we have a better copy of the slogan with the logo, we can see the alternative layout of the slogan.  This from South East Anglia on 19 December, with all text the same size.

Merry Christmas!

Last posting dates

2nd Class:

Tuesday 18th

1st Class

Thursday 20th

UPDATE 3 January:
First a reversed Last Posting Date from SE Anglia on 18 December (square envelope layout)

By 20th December, ie too late for the Last Posting Dates slogan, at least some Mail Centres were back using the default Action for Children slogan, thanks to BM for these.

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Remember also that there are still some Universal machines in use, or pressed into use, which may have old slogans.  We would be interested to show all of these as well. and they will be useful for the British Postmark Society records.

 

UPDATE 7 December: Surprisingly, the first Universal impression this year comes direct to us from Jubilee Mail Centre (I can just make out the JUB on the right of the datestamp), used on 5 December.

 

UPDATES 13 & 17 November: Norwich can be added to the list of offices pressing the Universal/CFC machine into use, albeit with the outer slug inverted, but the date (7 XII 2018) upright.     Also Peterborough SCM3 - with year but no date & month.

 

 

Another update 17 November.  Just as the Peterborough one was added, another email from MB showing the Snowman Happy Christmas PLEASE POST EARLY from North & West Yorkshire -3- dated 13 December 2018.

 

JANUARY UPDATE.  This usage from Swansea & South West Wales on 2 January 2019 was reported on the Stampboards forum.  This has been repeated in a new post for January Slogan Postmarks.

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UPDATE 2.  This has to be the most bizarre piece ever shown in the postmark threads.  The postmark on the left is about as good as mine from Jubilee, and is from Lerwick - you can see the CK.  This was posted on 1 December, a nice clear date.  It then got reprocessed in Edinburgh, again with a CFC1 Universal-type postmark!  And one on which they hadn't changed the date slugs since 30 VII 2017!!  Thanks to JG for this one.

Beat that!!

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I received this in the post last week, and thought that it was an odd slogan.  But then I realised that the God Jul slogan came from Kastrup in Denmark, despite the obvious Royal Mail 'ghost' slogan.

 

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