Subscribers to Royal Mail's Philatelic Bulletin will see that, ahead of any announcement about the programme for next year, 'Forthcoming Issues' includes basic information about the first issue in January.
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| 2010 Album Covers 1st class stamp, showing Let it Bleed. |
Set of 8 - 4 x 1st class, 4 x £1.70 and Miniature sheet - 2 x 1st class, 2 x £1.70
First day covers for the above, and Stamp Cards and Presentation Pack.
There is also a Prestige Stamp Book which contains, one can conclude, the same set of stamps and miniature sheet, and the usual definitive pane which contains two each of 10p, 20p, 50p, £1, making a total of £3.60, more than recent PSB Machin panes.
As they are issued so early in the year, I expect these will be coded M21L MPIL. If so, the 10p will be a repeat of Music Giants V and Industrial Revolutions, the 20p will be a repeat of Industrial Revolutions and DC Comics and the 50p will be a repeat of Music Giants V. The £1 value has not appeared since the Waterloo PSB in 2015 (SG DY14).
The good news is that with these prices now committed there will be no change to the £1.70 postage rate for Europe to 100g and Worldwide 20g airmail letters. Whether there will be any changes to other rates remains to be seen. Under London Stock Exchange rules material changes to the business have to be announced a month before they take effect. So rates won't be changing on 1 January like they did this year.
The bad news for those who must have everything (and I accept that there are some important variants in the stamps in this list) is that the usual clutter of special editions and framed prints/stamps also accompanies the stamps.
Limited Edition PSB, Press Sheet, 2 x Collector's Sheets (Hyde Park/On Tour), Fan Sheets, Medal Covers, Silver Stamp Ingots, Gold stamp set, Souvenir Folder, Framed products.
I reckon there must be a thousand quid of cost there. I was going to write 'a thousand quids-worth', but that is a matter of opinion.
No pictures appear in the Bulletin. I understand that we will see these in the first week of January.
More of the same. Ho hum.
ReplyDeleteSurely they will be M21L, not M20L?
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Richard. Corrected
DeleteNo retail stamp book?
ReplyDeleteApparently not this time, which means that there will be no M22L MCIL Machin - unless it has been missed from all information received by us.
DeleteWith the probable increase in Barcode Machin Stamps , Retail Booklets will need to change format to accommodate the size.
DeleteMost likely because Royal Mail are going to reduce the Retail Booklets down from 6 to 4 to allow for the bar codes, others will probably follow suit in due course.What would be nice to know is 1) How much royalties Royal Mail pay for these Music Giants, DC/Marvel, Star Wars etc, 2) How much revenue they actually earn from these issues, 3) How many of theses stamps are destroyed and at what cost at the end of selling period, 4) Is it really worth it with the decline in letter's posted today?
DeleteRe your #4, that is of course irrelevant to what they produce for collectors.
DeleteAs you probably realise the 'collectables' products (framed etc) do not go off sale at the same time as the ordinary stamp/MS sets - and even they last at least a year. Harry Potter, Butterfly, Owls, Star Wars, Coronation Street, they are all there.
https://shop.royalmail.com/collectibles-and-gifts/framed-stamps-and-prints?p=3
Thanks for the nice early revelation of whether stamp prices will rise in January. As for the Music Giants stamps; from which you helpfully inferred this; I would nor have thought that The Rolling Stones were A suitable subject. The last time they did anything musical was before most of us were born and their reputation is tainted by drug abuse, promiscuity and pædophilia. On the other hand the stamps may well go together nicely with the earlier Music Giants stamps. That may not be so if the stamps have the new QR-code arrangements in them...but then I suppose that we shall have to wait a long time before Royal Mail lets this website show pictures of them to find out.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is that there will not be Datamatrix codes on these.
DeleteI have been trying to work out why Rolling Stones are MG VI are we saying that 2010 Album covers was No 1, sorry for being a bit thick
ReplyDeleteAlbum Covers was not a Music Giants issue. For anybody without access to a GB stamp catalogue here is the list.
Delete2016 Music Giants: Pink Floyd
2017 MG 2: David Bowie
2019 MG 3: Elton John
2020 MG 4: Queen
2021 MG 5: Paul McCartney
2022 MG 6: Rolling Stones
There's two more in the series which really should be included: 2007 Beatles Stamps and 2010 Classic Album Covers Stamps. So that makes the Rolling Stones issue number eight in my book.
DeleteBut don't forget Handel, Holst, Delius and Elgar in 1985 and the five 'Sounds of Britain' stamps of 2006 !
DeleteActually this is one of the stamp subjects I predicted this year for next year, to mark their 60th Anniversary.
ReplyDeleteAt least - so far - they have truly been deserving of the description 'Music Giants,' each with 40+ years of recording history.
ReplyDeleteIt is probably no coincidence that the (mostly middle-aged or older) diehard fans of these performers are those most likely to be able to afford to (and to want to) collect the plethora of barely-philatelic products released, but I continue to fear the day when Royal Mail's pursuit of 'easy money' (stamp products sold which will never be redeemed for postal payment purposes) will resort to issues featuring One Direction, Little Mix, etc.
So the Rolling Stones in January. The Queen's 70th anniversary in February. BBC 100th in October ??? I wonder what surprises the Royal Mail will have in store for us ?
ReplyDelete15 April – Heroes of the Pandemic: Covid-19 (8 stamps) which was mentioned earlier this year.
DeleteAnd technically the F.A Cup is 150 years, but if you cater for 2 World Wars its 140 years, so we might see a Football set.
If do require any of the dross collectibles (framed ,folders etc) you can often find them at Costco at much lower prices
ReplyDeleteAdvice note received from RM, detailing stamp issue on 04/02/2022. Just titled 'February Special Stamp Issue'. No doubt this relates to the Queen. Items include set of stamps, no MS, no retail booklet, but yet another PSB.
ReplyDelete