I'm indebted to the editor of the Deegam catalogue for bringing another datamatrix error to my attention. As with many other errors, it raises more questions than can easily be answered, and for which we are unlikely to get answers from Royal Mail.
A Scottish subscriber purchased these on eBay (so we have no information as to where they were found or how many).
The image shows two Christmas 2024 stamps, a 2nd-class and a 1st-class stamp. The mysterious thing, however, is that both stamps have the same barcode date 250624, the same barcode stamp value of 00085 and also an identical coding S112 in the 5th to 8th positions of the barcode.
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| 2nd & 1st class Christmas 2024 stamps, the 1st class datamatrix code showing 85p rather than the first class rate. |
The complete first part of the 2D data matrix code on these two Christmas stamps reads as follows:
1st-class JGB S11251017031170047360008525062402
2nd-class JGB S11251017031233603360008525062402
The 1st class normally has a barcode of 100624 and the 2nd class 250624. In between the miniature sheet was printed with stamps coded for 17th, 18th, 20th, 21st, and 24th. Even if the datamatrix printer was set up to print 2nd class when 1st class stamps were inserted in error. But in that case why is the 1st class colour correct?
If anybody else has any similar error please contact me and the editor at deegampub@gmail.com.
According to reports elsewhere on the MBPC, an example was also bought in a Huntingdon Post Office. It's also reported that both orientations of the backing paper exist.
ReplyDeleteAnother tv 50th anniversary missed, The Wombles
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