As we reported in previous years, the Christmas stamps* are generally made available for bulk mailers to use on their fundraising efforts, whether they be charities or mail-order companies.
* It's been pointed out that this is open to misinterpretation! What I should have written was the 'Christmas stamp designs are made available, as shown below. My apologies - and thanks to JE.
My thanks to JF for supplying this scan from a mailing from the PDSA (People's Dispensary for Sick Animals) latest appeal, which uses the 2nd class stamp.
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| Direct mail from the PDSA using the 2021 Christmas 'digital stamp', license C9 10017. |
If anybody has any others used this winter, or variants on the Machin definitive, please send them in for publication. Thanks.
UPDATE 10 December: My thanks to a different MM who sent this picture of two more examples.
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| Small cover from Hidden Hearing; Larger cover from Careco |
Update 12 December: JE has sent these three examples showing how printers are having trouble colour matching the stamp design.
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| Digital 2021 Christmas stamps in three different colour shades, from the Salvation Army (C9 10018, Brightpost), Bonusprint (C9 10031, Onepost) and Museum Selection (also C9 10031). |
JE also provides this picture illustrating the earlier pre-digital situation when stamps were provided at a discount. It seems as if this was for an international appear, as the total face value of the 1st, 2nd & 2p stamps totals £1.17, the rate for letters up to 20g to Europe.
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| Direct Mailshot from PETA in 2014 with postage of £1.17 - the 20g rate for Europe. |
They're not only on charity mailings.
ReplyDeleteLast Tuesday a catalogue came for my wife from 'Museum Selection' of Workington with one on, identical to that except that it was "C9 10031" and 'cancelled' again by an illegible ink-jet postmark.
Line 2 - "charities or mail-order companies."
DeleteI've collected quite a few of these in recent years but never seen the information left of the seven wavy lines boxed as in that Salvation Army one, the same as on normal DSA impressions.
ReplyDelete