Now available from Royal Mail - but not for long

As several people have mentioned in comments on different posts, Royal Mail have produced an updated Stock List for Spring 2022.

This is important because it is likely to be the last such listing the Machin and Country Definitive stamps without datamatrix codes. 

Notably the last day of sale for the old-style Machin sheet stamps is shown as 28 May 2022, ie about six weeks away!  I don't think this has been mentioned anywhere by Royal Mail, and they haven't told their registered dealers, unless I missed it.  Others are listed as 'while stocks last'.

Summary:

Machin counter sheets - 28 May 2022

Mixed Booklets* & PSBs - While Stocks Last except Harry Potter (both), 31 December 2022

Country definitives - While Stocks Last - only 2nd, 1st and £1.70 stamps are available now.

* Other retail booklets - these are not mentioned at all in the Spring 2022 list. 

It seems, though, that the blue and red 12 x 2nd, 12 x 1st, 6 x 1st, 4 x 2nd Large and 4 x 1st Large are no longer available - if you are missing any of these then it is time to find them at local post offices. Those still available from Royal Mail's website shop are shown here.  

My thanks to the people who have confirmed that non-mixed retail booklets were shown as 'While Stocks Last' in September 2021, which means that for some reason (!) stocks only lasted until new-style booklets were issued, and no opportunity was given to obtain any at the last minute.  (My thanks also to AJ for sending me the list I was missing.)

Year by Year

Many readers know that as part of our arrangement with Royal Mail, registered dealers are provided with details of new printings of counter sheet stamps.  While this is not fully comprehensive, it has enabled us in the past to provide new years' printings including date blocks (usually but not always) before you could find them in Post Offices.

On the basis that there is an opportunity to sell rather than burn existing stocks, Royal Mail have now produced a new list, the first since October 2021, and this is a summary:

Stamp	Printer	Year
1p	W	M20L M21L
2p	W	M21L
5p	D	M16L M17L
5p	W	M19L M21L
10p	W	M21L
20p	D	M17L
20p	W	M21L
50p	D	M12L
50p	W	M19L
£1	D1	M16L
£1	W1	M18L M20L
£1.50	D	2009 no code
£2	D	2009 no code
£2	W	M19L
£3	D	2009 no code
£3	W	M19L
2nd	D	2014/5/6/7
2nd	W	2018/9/20
2nd Large	D	2011/2/3/4/5/6/7
2nd Large	W	2018/9/20
1st class	D	2017
1st class	W	2018/9/20
1st Large	D	2015/6/7
1st Large	W	2018/9/20

For values shown up to £3 there is usually only one date (and for some of those no cylinder and/or date blocks are available).

For the NVIs there are in many cases several dates available for each year.  Details on request!

For airmail values between £1.42 to £4.20 there are usually only the one or two original printings.  Again, details available if anybody wants them.

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