Royal Mail have confirmed that they have no immediate plans to issue £2.20 country definitives to cater for the new Worldwide airmail rate which took effect in the spring.
So this stamp, and similar from the other three countries of the UK will not be printed.
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| Mock-up of £2.20 England country definitive (QE2 head) which will not be issued. |
A spokesman said:
"Our decisions are primarily based on sustainability so we will introduce new stamps on a schedule driven by forecast use and anticipated replacement. There will be a time they need to be replaced but having launched them in 2022, just 5 months before the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it will be into 2024 before we consider the full range. We will then take a view at that point as to the value requirements beyond NVIs. The only decsion taken at this time is nothing was required for 2023."
A bit short-sighted I think. The obvious use for these is postcards from tourist destinations. So if they were available in booklets to be sold in gift shops and the like, they could well be popular. Collectors might well went all the variations - unless it was a 4 country booklet. Which might be a bit more complex to set up but I think it would be attractive.
ReplyDeleteThey weren't required because on the whole, the public don't use them. They just can't withdraw them without bad PR.
ReplyDeleteProbably high time that they either got rid of them properly, or replaced them with something better.
Reports from POs in the other 3 countries at least, are that the public likes the new self-adhesive (barcoded) versions.
DeleteThat is good news, perhaps making them self adhesive is all that was required.
DeleteGiven recent concerns with hygiene etc. one might imagine that the idea of licking stamps to affix them ought to have been phased out completely by now!
The recent regionals don't really work, but it doesn't mean that a new issue wouldn't work, I agree. What would be best would be some nice small sized view stamps, which tourists would enjoy using on £2.20s for the relevant country. At the moment tourists are sold those odd stamps that aren't Royal Mail but have pictures of local places and I'm not sure they ever arrive. Given the way Royal Mail issue vast numbers of unnecessary values in each "commemorative" issue, it would surely be better to issue some tailored tourist stamps publicising place across the UK.
ReplyDeleteNot Royal Mail? Is that possible?
DeleteSee http://www.norphil.co.uk/articles/unmailuk/universal_mail_uk_info.htm
DeleteYes Ian that link is to the ones I've seen. I live close to Greenwich in SE London and newsagents there sell these with postcards. I've not had any evidence whether they arrive or not it must be said. You'd have thought the possibility of tourist card revenue that Royal Mail are missing out on, might be a motivation. They could even shove the large bar codes on them!
DeleteExactly Simon! Those shops and the gift shops at Cutty Sark or Maritime Museum are the ideal place to sell booklets of barcoded regionals. Who remembers the booklet of Worldwide postcard Machins? I was once offered those at a National Trust gift shop.
DeleteThose Universal Mail international postcard stamps are perhaps not really worth the paper they are printed on. Reports via Postcrossing say that the postcards go via strange locations and take ages (the tourist would most likely arrive home well before the postcards make it there), much much longer than using Royal Mail stamps. Also, it seems the sellers do not stress that these "stamps" can't be used for postcards staying within the UK...
DeleteWhite Knight. I have long thought that local stamps depicting local points of interest would please a lot of people - not just country stamps but also English regional stamps eg East Anglia, the West Midlands, the North West, Yorkshire etc with differing subjects being issued annually for each region. This could also be used (or as an alternative) on Post & Go stamps. They should be pictorial. Local residents would find them something to be proud of and I agree that visitors might like to use them on their mail home. I do however wonder how many people actually sends postcards now. I never receive postcards now (and really can’t be bothered to send them myself) so the use by visitors may be less frequent than suggested. But under its present show biz-orientated management there seems little chance of Royal Mail changing its present new issue policy of frivolous, dumbed down subjects being featured on its stamps in preference to serious subjects which reflect local and national pride (in the old sense of the word)
ReplyDeleteWhat about a cheap rate for postcards to combat the use of social media which has mostly overtaken their traditional role? With regards to Post & Go, Ireland seem to have it sorted with their SOAR issues so that should be adaptable for here, after all ,all the PO counters have a printer for horizon labels?
ReplyDeleteWhen I joined Postcrossing, postage was 50p for Europe 20g, and 56p for postcard/10g worldwide (didn't send any domestic mail so can't recall 1st/2nd class rate - May 2008). Now that first rate of international airmail is all wrapped up to 100g for £2.20... So, now I prefer the quality of penpal letters. I will still send a few postcards now and again, but do wish there was a cheaper rate - perhaps postcards only rate.
DeleteAs it costs no less to process a card than a letter, that is unlikely M. Would a special offer encourage more people to send cards? I doubt it.
DeleteI'm not sure about the "near" and wouldn't be surprised at "No airmail country definitives in the future".
ReplyDeleteI doubt if many Post Offices now stock any country definitives. Few people know they exist let alone want to use them, and I've not received one on any post for many years. I suspect that Royal Mail only continues the First and Second Class country definitives, just eight 'permanent' stamps, because their withdrawal would prompt questions in the House of Commons and their reintroduction.
If airmail country definitives were to continue a "W" for Worldwide NVI could usefully avoid an annual rate rise issue, and for the current-£2.20 Charles definitive, but NVIs have, for whatever reason, been reduced in recent years.
( As for "What about a cheap rate for postcards" it's parcels, not postcards and letters, that Royal Mail's all about now )
Mudgie - I agree, but the point is should Royal Mail just be about parcels? If so, then why do all parcels get labels not stamps?
DeleteSimon,
DeleteIt's been about parcels since privatisation and looking after the shareholders, rather than a public service concentrating on the timely and affordable delivery of letters that we've appreciated all our lives.
Horizon labels are are undoubtedly more efficient than stamps for parcels, and similarly in most countries of the world, and, given all the forgeries nowadays, Royal Mail would probably like to phase out definitive stamps if there was a practical alternative. Then it would only be about stamps that make easy money such as those with pictures from American comics.
I fondly remember when Royal Mail properly looked after philatelists, and properly looked after other customers and its staff.
Go to the RM website for Special stamps and then click on Definitives and it takes you to Country, QEII and then KC in that order. What are they up to now? They really need lessons in marketing.
Delete