After my criticism of Royal Mail's publicity machine in last month's news, I can praise them for the announcement of a slogan in support of the UK's Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC's appeal to help the thousands of people injured and displaced as a result of last week's powerful earthquake which struck Myanmar and the wider region.
This was shown on social media but so far there is nothing on their Media website to say when it is being used. (It certainly needs to be before the dummy date of 5 May shown in this mock-up!). Please send examples for publication.
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| Mock-up of slogan for DEC Myanmar Earthquake Appeal to be used in April 2025. |
Thanks to MM for a live example, from a square envelope for which the postmark missed any stamps, so it's the clearest postmark for a while. From Mount Pleasant Mail Centre 02-04-2025
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| DEC Myanmar Earthquake Appeal slogan used at Mount Pleasant 02-04-2025 |
Update 6 April. Thanks to flip on Stampboards for the other layout of this postmark, from the Bristol Mail Centre [BA,BS,GL,TA] 03/04/2025. Thanks also to DP & GS for other examples of the one above.
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| DEC Myanmar Earthquake Appeal slogan used at Bristol Mail Centre 03/04/2025 |
And thanks to JH for this example which is the clearest seen so far, from Peterborough Mail Centre on 5 April.
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| DEC Myanmar Earthquake Appeal slogan used at Peterborough Mail Centre 05-04-2025 |
UPDATE 14 April: Myanmar has slipped from the headlines and so too has the charity appeal from Royal Mail, as we return to the default British Heart Foundation slogan, from Norwich Mail Centre 11-04-2025.
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| British Heart Foundation slogan Norwich Mail Centre 11-04-2025 |
UPDATE 14 April. Look out for this one in use from tomorrow (15th) to Thursday 17th April marking Rory McIlroy's Golf Grand Slam. (Although stated to be from 15th, it may well be in use today to land on doormats tomorrow.)
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| Rory McIlroy Grand Slam - Royal Mail publicity image. |
The first example of this slogan from RW indicates that it was indeed in use on 14 April, though I can't see where this is from.
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| Rory McIlroy Grand Slam - unknown Mail Centre 14 April 2025 |
A clearer example from CB on 14/04/2025 at Nottingham Mail Centre
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Other postmarks and postal markings
One of the consequences of the regulation of postal services is the limit on the amount by which 2nd class post can be increased; this regulation does not apply to 1st class. A consequence of this is that in recent times the rate for a 2nd class Large Letter up to 100g is lower than that for a 1st class (small) letter - £1.55 vs £1.65 until today.
This might account for the marking on this envelope supplied by SH.
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| Revenue Protection Treat as 2nd Class (2025) |
I have seen several other similar Revenue Protection marks. This one, as I wrote at the time
"is fully paid for 2nd class up to 100g. It is a c5 envelope and could be heavy but I would think the company sought to keep the sending under 100g.
"After checking, it has been marked 'treat as 1st class'. Would this be because it has been delayed by the checking process, or because there was a shortfall and it has been recovered in bulk?"
Whatever the reason for treating this as 1st class (and I think the delay would be a good enough reason for promoting from 2nd to 1st) the latest one works in the opposite way.
Fully prepaid for a 1st class letter up to 100g and up to 5mm thick, it seems as if this was thicker*, so it was treated as (just over-)paid for a 2nd class Large Letter. I nice piece of postal history all the more so because most people would discard it as of no consequence. ( *SH confirms that it was actually square and just oversize for an ordinary letter, rather than thick.)
UPDATE In this case it is likely that someone had doubts and referred this 1st class 1d black stamp to higher authority. The boxed mark reads
DO NOT SURCHARGE
CORRECT POSTAGE RAISED BY
07 JAN 2025
REVENUE PROTECTION
MCO TREAT AS FIRST CLASS
So they determined that (as we all know) the 1d black remains valid and sent it on it's way.
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| Revenue Protection mark indicating 1st class 1d black is valid - 2025. |
Remember, all postmarks appearing in April will be added to this post, so check here before you spend time scanning and emailing.
Re the DEC slogan - well done RM!
ReplyDeleteLooking at inland up to 100g, surely even odder than a 2nd class Large Letter (£1.55) being cheaper than a 1st class Letter (£1.70) is that a 1st class Large Letter (£3.15) is now more than double a 2nd class Large Letter (£1.55), probably the first time a 1st has been more than double a 2nd, especially as when handed across a Post Office Counter BOTH classes of Large Letter go in the same mail bag ( 1st and 2nd Parcels have separate bags ) and there's not much likelihood of Mail Centres having the time to sort the classes ( unless progress has been made since only Manchester had a "flats sorting machine" )
ReplyDeleteGot the Rory McIlroy from Medway Mail Centre dated 14/04 missed the stamp completely and is, in effect, inverted on the bottom of the envelope
ReplyDeleteI ahd one also, from Warrington, on a square, so it missed the complete top line of the slogan and was butted right up to the edge of the envelope.
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