Datamatrix codes - they could do so much more.

Regular readers will remember that when the Datamatrix-added stamps were trialled, 

"Nick Landon, Chief Commercial Officer at Royal Mail, said: 'This initiative will see Royal Mail become one of the first postal authorities in the world to add unique barcodes to stamps. By doing this, we are looking to transform the humble stamp so that we can offer our customers even more convenient, new services in the future."

(See 2nd class Machin with datamatrix added)

Then...

"Following a successful national trial we will now be adding unique barcodes to all our regular ‘everyday’ Definitive and Christmas stamps. Each barcoded stamp will have a digital twin and the two will be connected by the Royal Mail App. The unique barcodes will facilitate operational efficiencies, enable the introduction of added security features and pave the way for innovative services for our customers. 

"The new barcoded stamps enable you to watch and share an exclusive Shaun the Sheep video via the barcode itself using the Royal Mail App. You or the recipient can watch the video just by scanning the stamp barcode using our App. More videos will be added over the coming months."

But apart from Shaun the Sheep, what additional innovative services have been added?  None as far as I am aware.

But one of the other first postal authorities in the world to add unique barcodes to stamps, Germany, has developed their barcodes to provide more detail, as I found out when a reader in Germany sent me a Christmas postcard.

Scanning the barcode with an ordinary QI reader produces very little information.

Postcard posted from Munich Germany 15 December 2025.

This is what the sender wrote:

The Deutsche Post stamp barcode base tracking isn’t even that detailed (only the fact that the letter has passed intermediate and final sorting centres), but it’s appreciated. It would probably be easy for RM to implement the same if they decided to.

Interestingly, while there are 2 stamps making up the airmail value, there’s only 1 piececode associated with them. I found this out when I scanned them in the app. During the purchase, the postal clerk scanned both stamps’ barcodes & did some inputs into their computer.

This is what the Deutsche Post website shows (they have an English option). 

Further information about 'Basic Tracking':

What is basic letter tracking?

Basic tracking documents the processing of your mail item at the origin and destination mail centers. Confirmation of actual delivery is not included in basic tracking.

I assume that if the card had been sent to a domestic address then the latest entry would show the 'final sorting centre' as the one that delivered to the addressee.  Being international with no link with Royal Mail, Cologne West was as far as it is recorded.

The extra effort of scanning and (presumably) putting the address into the system at Post Office branches would probably require additional payment from Royal Mail to Post Office Ltd, and hence to the postmaster.  However, it would bring extra footfall into the branches which might be additional benefit. 

A benefit for collectors and anybody who is interested in the stamp on their letter/card is found by clicking on 'More about this motif' which produces this very useful dropdown:

The data shows the size of the stamp, and of the image on it, the date of issue and the face value, the description of the issue (in this case permanent series or definitive) and the name of the designer (Bettina Walter).  

The last line, More information, describes why datamatrix-coded stamps have been issued and provides a YouTube video showing how you can track the progress of an ordinary letter even when it is dropped into a street postbox.  The letter is scanned in the DP app, and then you can give it an identity (card to Norvic) and then track it through the system.  It would be possible to tell the addressee when it was at the final delivery office.

Not shown on the picture above is a further line which translates as 'More information about the stamp'.  Clicking on that, and then translating with Google Translate produces a wealth of information about these pictorial definitives:

Permanent series "World of Letters - Airmail"

Artistically, imaginatively, surreal - this is how the motifs of the new postage stamp series "World of Letters" can be described in a nutshell. In a playful way, she combines the most diverse worlds of life with the letter, the most personal ambassador in the world, and creates an original overall picture that invites you to collect and brings the desire to write to new life.

The possibilities of messaging are diverse and have a long history. Also "Luftpost", the motif of the new postage stamp of the series "World of Letters", is older than some may believe. For millennia, the pigeon served as a postman until the French brothers Montgolfier in the 18th. century a hot air balloon, the so-called Montgolfière, developed. From now on, man could lift himself up into the air. However, the breakthrough of the airmail was achieved with the invention of the aircraft. On the 17. December 1903 the world's first motorized flight took place. The Wright brothers did not have letters in their luggage that day, but already in 1911, as part of an exhibition in the Indian Allahabad, letters and postcards were officially transported in a biplane for the first time. With the permission of the Reich Post Office, a plane was used for the first time in Germany for the first time in 1912 at the postcard week "Flugpost am Rhein und am Main".

A particular interest in airmail receipts are stamp collectors who are committed to aerophilately. The stamps and stamps used are of importance here, but also the circumstances - for example, rescued mail items from accidental aircraft are sought after. The crowning achievement of such a collection, however, is the "Inverted Jenny," an American stamp misprint from 1918, in which the pictured double-decker Curtiss JN-4 was printed with the nickname "Jenny" traffic. With only a hundred known copies, the misprint of the first U.S. airmail brand is a valuable rarity. 

I haven't taken the trouble to edit the errors in the translation as most people will understand the meaning.

Obviously with Royal Mail only applying datamatrix codes to definitive and Christmas stamps the scope is far more limited, but imagine how much information the could have provided to people who were interested in these six cathedrals (or at least the five that people might have had on their cards).

Christmas 2024 miniature sheet showing Cathedrals.

 What do you think?

  

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Christmas stamps 2024 error of datamatrix codes (2nd & 1st).

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.

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.

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Review of the Year 2024

Welcome to the delayed Review of the Year.  An exercise that I usually undertake during the last couple of weeks in November until nearly Christmas has been fitted into occasional dips into the past year over the last couple of weeks.  If you think I missed anything really notable and worth recalling, please let me know.

Definitives

Royal Mail's Swapout scheme continued to send Queen Elizabeth stamps in exchange for the invalidated ones, although some King Charles values appeared during the year.  Similarly the sale of Machins continued at Post Office branches and they were only gradually replaced by definitives of the new reign.  It is to be hoped that PO central stores has kept the two stocks separate to ensure the old ones are used up first.   The King Charles 1st class Large business sheet continued to be advertised on their online shop but as we know it hadn't been printed and customers received the Machin version.

Commemorative or Special Stamps

Once again Royal Mail decided that two music acts were worthy of being commemorated in the Music Giants series, together with two television programmes.  Worthy anniversaries included the 170th anniversary of the Meteorological Office, the centenary of the first British commemorative stamps and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Winston Churchill.  

For those who prefer thematic issues subjects rather than those from the entertainment industry, the year offered dogs, dinosaurs, spiders, Vikings, and the 60th Anniversary of the Red Arrows flying display team. 

The Union Flag stamp was reissued in August with the head of the King for no obvious reason, and it was also included in the Churchill PSB.  1st & 2nd class Wales definitives were also issued with the new head, and RM announced that there would be no more airmail-rate stamps in the country definitive range.

Errors

There were fewer this year than in some previous years, but those that did surface continued to amaze, and beg questions!   A couple on stamps printed on envelopes by mailing houses were unusual - one with no denomination and one printed in a poor grey-lilac colour instead of green.  

A major error on a 1st class Machin definitive from 2022 involved a 2mm leftward shift of the iridescent printing hiding the source code.   A sheet of the Machin 2nd class Large was found in a PO branch with no datamatrix codes.

We thought that the use of the Movember slogan in July was an error until it appeared from mail centres across the country.  No explanation was ever forthcoming from Royal Mail, and it didn't reappear in November.

Prestige books, as usual, were a source for lucky collectors with the Dungeons & Dragons book appearing with two definitive panes, and the Churchill definitive pane on Royal Mail's official first day cover appearing with two sets of barcodes on each stamp.

Postage Rates

Royal Mail continued the practice of two changes to postage rates started in 2023. 1st class letters, which started the year at £1.25 increased to £1.35 from 2 April, and to £1.65 on 7 October.  The postal regulator, Ofcom, controls how much 2nd class rates can be changed, and they increased also by 10p to 85p in April, but remained unchanged in October.   The Worldwide Airmail basic letter rate increased by 30p in April, and another 30p to £2.80 in October.

The compensation levels for Royal Mail Signed For were more than halved in April and a new over-the-counter Tracked service was introduced, although it took some time for it to be available in all branches. Unfortunately for this service no stamps could be used and payment was by cash or card only.

Forgeries & Penalties

With the volume and range of Chinese forgeries available on well-known marketplaces unrelenting, Royal Mail introduced a smartphone app to identify whether a definitive stamp was genuine, but only by scanning the barcode.  Even that was not totally foolproof and they suspended the £5 surcharge penalty for using forged stamps in April.  It remains in place for unpaid mail, or mail sent inland using Universal Mail International Postcard Stamps. (Example written up here.)  

The number and variety of counterfeit special stamps, including gummed & perforated rather than self-adhesive continued to expand.  A new forgery of the 1st Large 2021 Christmas stamp appeared with blatantly wrong die-cuts and the barcode copied from Royal Mail's publicity photos.

Post and Go

There have been no new Post and Go stamps since Royal Mail decided to stop using their own (IAR) machines at the end of 2023, although the usual contributors have kept the January post regularly updated with news of new discoveries, new Self-Service Kiosk installations and, more often, removals often due to closure/relocation of post branches.  

I don't know how many people are still collecting, by Malcolm, Trevor, Robert, DaveC, and Anonymous contributors have continued to keep you updated (apologies for any names I missed, skimming through).  I'll carry this on with a new January post early on. Please wait for that before any January news. 

Slogan Postmarks

A reader has already suggested that there were not as many slogans in 2024 as before.  In fact we recorded 20 between us, up from 18 last year but down on the 26 of 2022.  Apart from the Saints' Days and Christmas (only one type), many were the regular health or greetings-card related or other 'special days', although we also had slogans marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Air Ambulances, and one exhorting us to send in our Postal Votes for the general election.  An oddity which seemed like an error but which obviously was not was the use of the Movember slogan in July, which was widespread. The slogan was not used in November. 

Postboxes

The only item of note was the installation of the first King Charles postbox (with a new crown).  There were no reports nor any publicity from Royal Mail of any redecoration in other colours, although I did show some green ex-British examples from our trip to Ireland.

Royal Mail operations

Confusion continued in both Post Office branches and at Royal Mail Customer Service and Business Customer Services, with the latter asserting to one reader that postage stamps could not be used on Special Delivery items, and neither could the SF & SD barcode labels.  

They eventually conceded that this advice was wrong, but the experiences of readers at PO branches continues to vary widely as experienced staff are let go and grocery shop assistants take over.  One even suggested that older stamps had to be used before the price increase in October.

The new Tracked 24/48 service which was announced in April resulted in an increase in the volume of tracked mail handled by postal delivery workers.  Being guaranteed for 24 or 48 hours, compensation for delays to these could be claimed, and so RM management insisted they had priority over untracked letters.  

Needless to say the senior management denied that ordinary mail was delayed, but if insufficient time is allowed for all mail to be delivered, then ordinary mail has to be left behind.  Posties confirmed that there were "Specific and explicit instructions to ensure tracked are done above all else", and in the month before Christmas, the volumes increased further with ordinary mail for some addresses being left
for 3 days or more.

On the Post Office side, the much-heralded and gently-trialled replacement for Horizon seems to have been abandoned before it got very far (but after much public money had been spent on it), and Fujitsu will continue to support PO systems for a while longer.

The Horizon Scandal

The heavily trailed ITV reconstruction Mr Bates Vs the Post Office had a much bigger impact than the producers, the cast and the postmasters and their lawyers could possibly have expected, with the government announcing by mid January that wrongly convicted postmasters would have their convictions overturned.  The legislation was produced in due course and such was the cross-party support that it was one of the few pieces of legislation pushed through parliament in the week before the recess for the general election.

Elsewhere the Statutory Inquiry continued to its final public evidence hearings and cross-examinations in December, followed by closing submissions from the Core Participants Legal Representatives. 

 I haven't followed these later stages as closely as I had been but there is a good summary by the Inquiry Secretariat here, which covers the year's key points.  Expect the lengthy Inquiry Report in the late spring.

The blog, the business

Despite a fall-off in my output over the last couple of years (see right - shows posts per year) the number of viewers and contributors continues to increase and we are now approaching 9 million views as against 6 million in August last year.  This is in no small part due to contributors sending examples of slogan and other postmarks, and errors, and making comments and asking questions.  Thank you all.

With the Machin series coming to an end, but nothing significant in the new definitive series, there is just not as much news.

I continue to add occasional posts to the parallel "Modern British Postal History" blog (originally intended to cover Machins on cover, but they need a lot more sorting out before here is anything significant to add).   It is now expanded from Machins alone to include examples of modern surcharge patterns and recent special stamps on cover.   The former shows how Royal Mail got things right and wrong in equal measure, and the latter how difficult it is to find proper uses of modern special stamps.

As for the business, the year started with continued efforts to get as many invalidated stamps as possible into the hands of collectors.  I've now stopped this and will take down the lists soon, although they will still be available as reference for anyone who wants the listings.  I'll then do a stocktake and send the rest to Royal Mail for exchange, a process which is taking over 4 weeks now as they reduce the staffing allocated to the task.

Projects for the year ahead include listing definitive first day covers, including those not available on Royal Mail standing order, and some with single from PSBs rather than more expensive complete panes.   I'll also make a list of the less common Post & Go stamps for sale; there are some odd values available for short periods only or from limited kiosks.  And as I work through my boxes and stock-books, who knows what might be available?   (I've still got aerogrammes as well!)

I will also start selling stamps for postage again, to reduce stocks of special issues and more common Post and Go.  The latter are especially useful being NVIs in all cases.  Some bargains will be available there.  The next stages will be to look at older GB, and then Commonwealth and Foreign.  

If you have any particular interests in stamps, cards, postal history and oddities, worldwide, please do ask as this takes up far more space at present than the core collections that I want to keep.

So as we are once again under the influence of cold and wet weather, time to settle down with your albums, stock-books and catalogues, and enjoy your collections.

A Happy New Year to all our readers.

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Not Quite the Review of the Year 2024

For reasons which will be obvious if you read my post of 19th November, I have been rather busy of late.

Consequently my usual 'Review of the Year' has not proceeded beyond the layout/headings stage. I hope to remedy this very early in 2025, but probably not before some posts about the first issue of the year on 14 January, and the outline programme for the year.

 

Instead, I'll end the year with a heartfelt thank you to everyone who wrote or sent cards following the death of my mother.  Some were regular contributors, some I used to meet at Stampex and had not seen for more than ten years.  Some I had never met, but they had supported the business for many years and are counted as friends as well as customers - and in some cases also suppliers.  My thanks especially to Iain, Vince and Adam for your cards.

And a few people who must have been readers, but from whom we had never heard before, also sent the condolences.  Thank you for your thoughts and kind words at what was a difficult time.

 

I usually end with a winter picture or one of a church from our holidays.  Instead this year, as it has been dull and gloomy for much of December, I am jumping back to September and our very sunny holiday in Ireland which will, I hope, brighten the day for UK readers!

 

My message this year is a repeat of last year's as the conditions remain the same for many people, and so do our sentiments.

We hope all our readers have a happy Christmas holiday whatever religion you follow (if any).

We think especially of those in the care and health sectors who are working while we are relaxing;  those who are no longer with us, especially those who have passed this year; and we think about those who have died awaiting and fighting for justice.

We hope that you and your friends and loved ones stay safe and healthy. 

Remember those who are less fortunate than you and if you can help one person - try to make it two!  Don't forget the postal workers who we rely on, and who are working harder while so many of their colleagues are leaving for a less stressful life.

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The Review of the Year 2024 was posted in January and can be found here.

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So Post Office's new N-BIT the dust!

I have written about The Post Office's new computer system which would replace the discredited Horizon several times, and the very limited trial at just a few branches.

As recently as October Computer Weekly suggested that with an already massive £1 billion overspend and over-run the plug might be pulled - leaving Horizon in place, and Fujitsu still supporting it.

Now that same journal reports that the system is being abandoned without sufficient care being taken over retention of important data.

According to a source close to the project, the Post Office is ending its Strategic Platform Modernisation Programme (SPMP), which the Horizon replacement project known as New Branch IT (NBIT) sits within, and is letting staff go.

and

Last week, a large group of staff on the SPMP were told they would not be needed beyond Friday 13 December, giving the Post Office about a week to secure the data they hold and ensure it can be accessed in the future. 

The data could be vital for future inquiries into the project, the Post Office and why SPMP spent hundreds of millions of pounds more than it budgeted for but still failed to deliver NBIT. It includes data in emails, messaging apps, working documents and technical information documents. 

The source told Computer Weekly: “Over the next couple of weeks, the SPMP is concluding its decision to let go of contractors and third parties, but without adequately completing a credible data safeguarding activity, the Post Office’s response to the risk is very weak. Something is not right about this.”

Read the full piece here.

And then

A source with inside knowledge of the project said it is now “nearly certain” that a fusion of Horizon, in-house NBIT and off-the-shelf software will replace the current system. This would involve the Post Office buying the Horizon system from Fujitsu rather than renting it as it does now.

This was a previous proposal that had been scrapped, according to the source. “There is nothing new about it and there were reasons why it was rejected in the first place,” they said.

Another source said teams at the Post Office have a “vested interest in Horizon staying around” and that some have been vocal about it. He added that “change is a difficult thing and a lot of people object to it”. 

Second story here. 

This must mean the end - soon or already - of the trial which produced labels such as those at the head of this piece.  Whilst we know that a number of these have been produced by collectors and possibly by dealers, there certainly can't be many.  And for anybody who has collected Horizon labels and wants to continue through to replacement systems, inclusion of these is essential.

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Another datamatrix error - 2nd Large Machin 2022 counter sheet.

Readers who have been following the exchanges in the comments about datamatrix-coded stamps having a glaring omission will be interested to see these pictures.

There is no doubt that this sheet of stamps exists, with no datamatrix code on the 2nd Large counter sheet.

Machin 2022 2nd class large counter sheet with no datamatrix code.

The story is that 

"A local post office had these issued and sold some before being recalled."

But then who alerted the administration that recalled them?   And were they legitimately acquired (after others had been sold) before others were returned?

Machin 2022 2nd class large counter sheet with no datamatrix code showing security details.

Machin 2022 2nd class large counter sheet with no datamatrix code showing printing date.

 

It was, for decades, established practice that faulty stamps were to be returned when discovered, and any posmaster or post office employee who retained any was at risk of dismissal (even though they were paid for).  

I'm sure the principle still holds.  These stamps will be listed in The Deegam Handbook of British Barcoded Stamps, and mentioned in the next Deegam Report.  

Were there any more of these?  Are any other errors on Machins lurking - waiting to be revealed?

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December Slogan Postmarks and other interesting Postal Markings

November actually ended with the Post Early slogan which I received on a (stamped business!) letter today.  

This may be the only general design until Royal Mail get date specific - last year they didn't do any post early slogans and in 2022 they were urging us to use up our old stamps until the middle of the month when they switched to date specific.  

Remember also, that the Universal machines are usually pressed into service at this time of year.

2022 Date-specific 'Post Early' slogan.

Dumb wavy line Universal machine in 2022.

Decades-old Snowman slogan in Universal machine in 2022.

Post Early

This slogan will be widely used, I should think, so please send me other layouts.

Remember to
post early
for Christmas
royalmail.com/greetings

This first example is from Peterborough Mail Centre 30-11-2024.

Post Early slogan, Peterborough Mail Centre 30-11-2024

UPDATE 4 December: We and MM both received reversed examples today on square envelopes.  Mine is from Gatwick 02/12/2024 and MM's is from Tyne & Wear 03/12/2024.

Reversed Post Early slogan, Gatwick Mail Centre 02/12/2024

Reversed Post Early slogan, Tyneside NE/SR Mail Centre 03/12/2024

And the last layout to complete the set (of mostly poor impressions!) comes from PC with this one from Romford Mail Centre, probably 02/12/2024.

Post Early slogan, Romford Mail Centre 02/12/2024

UPDATE 21 December 2024  Royal Mail's last day for posting 2nd class mail was 18th December, and although the last day for 1st class mail was 20th, the Post Early slogan was replaced on 19th by the default British Heart Foundation slogan.  I suppose anything posted on 19th was unlikely to be delivered on 20th, so no point in continuing to remind people of the last posting date.

Here's a the envelope from a card which reached us this week which has the Birmingham Mail Centre Post Early slogan on 17/12/2024, and also a Norwich Mail Centre British Heart Foundation slogan on 19-12-2024. After that there is a clear example of the BHF slogan from Norwich on 20-12-2024.

Post Early slogan from Birmingham Mail Centre slogan on 17/12/2024, and also a Norwich Mail Centre British Heart Foundation slogan on 19-12-2024.

Norwich Mail Centre British Heart Foundation slogan on 20-12-2024.

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UNIVERSALS

CP emailed to say that Stromness's Universal machine was used again, but could not send a copy.  I should think it is much like this one, without a year.  "Stromness stamped the reverse of my letter (on 2 December) suggesting the Universal is only used on island mail and the stamp on the front was cancelled with Glasgow Post early slogan of 3 December"

Stromness, Orkney Universal with no year slug, used in 2023, which was used again in 2024

UPDATE: the reported 2024 usage has now reached me and is of course the same slogan as last year, but they put the day slug into the time slot on 2 December.

Stromness, Orkney, Universal with no year slug, used 2 December 2024 with the day slug in the time slot.

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Other postmarks, postal markings etc.

Jersey post used a Santa Sleigh slogan postmark this year: the transposed position as used by Royal Mail in pre-inkjet days allows the slogan to be seen clearly. 

Jersey Post Merry Christmas slogan illustrated with Santa and reindeer 05.12.24

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Remember, all postmarks appearing in December will be added to this post, so check here before you spend time scanning and emailing.

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Amazing Prestige Stamp Book Errors - the latest episode.

Ever year, though not every issue, we report different types of error on Prestige Stamp Books: missing panes, duplicate panes, inverted pane, perforation errors, miscuts, and so on.

But we've never had anything quite like the one in the image that was sent to me today.

Churchill PSB definitive pane on Tallents House FDC - with duplicated datamatrix code!

My thanks to IG for sharing this with us all.  It's an amazing error - and of course there must be more because however these are printed, in whatever sheet or reel format (probably the latter as it is especially for automatic addition to Royal Mail first day covers) - each of the stamps should have a unique datamatrix code.  The two codes on each stamp are indeed different.

If anyone else has received a similar error, it will be very interesting to know just how many we can record.

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150th Anniversary of the Birth of Winston Churchill set & PSB - 30 November 2024.

When I saw that these stamps were on Royal Mail's shop yesterday, a day before my embargo, I was annoyed not so much that they were early again, but that I hadn't got a blog post ready.  But it seems that I have: I must have done this last week and totally forgot about it!  The benefits of the ability to schedule posts for later publication.

The 150th anniversary of the birth of one of Britain's most iconic figures, Sir Winston Churchill is marked this year. To commemorate this significant milestone, Royal Mail is proud to present a special collection of stamps and collectibles celebrating the life and legacy of the man who led the nation through its darkest hours. This exclusive set captures the essence of Churchill's remarkable journey—from his early years as a soldier and statesman to his leadership during World War II and beyond.

The set of eight special stamps commemorate the 150th anniversary of Winston Churchill’s birth, honouring one of Britain’s greatest leaders. The stamps feature carefully selected images of Churchill, capturing key moments from his extraordinary life—from his early years in the military and in journalism to his pivotal role during World War II, whilst also showing his life as painter and devoted husband. Accompanying each stamp are some of Churchill's most famous quotes, offering timeless words of wisdom that continue to inspire, creating a beautiful and touching tribute to Churchill's legacy.

The stamps in detail

Set of 8 stamps marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Winston Churchill.

Upper images

2nd Class: A young Churchill in 1899.
1st Class: Churchill with Vice Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, 28 August 1940
£1.00: Churchill painting at Miami Beach, Florida, USA, 1946,
£2.00: Churchill at work during a train journey, June 1941.
 
Lower images
 
2nd Class: Churchill in the military uniform of a hussar, 1895.
1st Class: Churchill making ‘V for victory’ sign outside 10 Downing St, June 1943,
£1.00: Churchill & Clementine, his wife, Horse Guard’s Parade, January 1941
£2.00: Churchill in later life.

Technical details and acknowledgements

The stamps were printed by Cartor Security Printers in lithography in vertical se-tenant pairs, on gummed paper sheets of 60.  Perforations are 14½ x 14.

Image of Sir Winston Churchill reproduced courtesy of Churchill Heritage Limited and Curtis Brown, London. Quotations from the writings and speeches of Sir Winston Churchill © the Estate of Winston S. Churchill, reproduced courtesy of Curtis Brown, London. Photographs: Churchill in 1899 by Elliott & Fry, photograph by Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Churchill in the military uniform of a hussar, 1895, reproduced courtesy of Curtis Brown, London, on behalf of the Broadwater Collection; Churchill with Vice Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, 28 August 1940 © IWM H 3508; Churchill making ‘V for victory’ sign outside 10 Downing Street, June 1943, photograph by HF Davis/Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images; Churchill painting at Miami Beach, Florida, USA, 1946, photograph by Bettmann/Getty Images; Churchill with his wife, Clementine, on Horse Guard’s Parade, London, January 1941, photograph by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images; Churchill at work during a train journey, June 1941 © IWM H 10874; Churchill in later life, photograph by Baron/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Prestige Stamp Book - £20.45

The Prestige Stamp Book offers a rich, 24-page biography of Winston Churchill, exploring his remarkable life and career, written by Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives Centre. Expertly Curated Content - Authored by a leading Churchill historian, this book delves deep into Churchill’s personal and public life, offering unique insights into his legacy as a statesman, soldier, and Nobel Prize-winning author. With stunning visuals, the book carries carefully selected imagery, the book captures Churchill’s defining moments, from his early military adventures to his leadership during the Second World War.

The Prestige Stamp Book contains all eight commemorative stamps on panes 1 & 2. Pane 4 contains four of the new King Charles III Union Flag stamps, and pane 3 contains two each of the 50p & £1 definitives with security codes M24L MPIL.

Collectors Sheet

The sheet is self-adhesive making 8 new stamps, plus two extra 1st class.  It includes 10 Churchill stamps paired with photographs of Churchill at defining moments through his life and career. The dramatic background to the sheet shows Churchill in the middle of delivering a speech. (This is a preliminary image with no values shown.)

Winston Churchill 150th anniversary Collectors Sheet.

Products available

Stamp Set, presentation pack, stamp cards, prestige stamp book, first day covers (set and definitive pane), collectors' sheet, coin covers (3), framed set.

Note: there are differing opinions as to the legacy of Churchill's long life.  Comments which venture too far on this will not be published.  You are entitled to your own views but this is not the place to go into lengthy discussions about them.

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Get ready for Christmas post delays

Ahead of the Christmas rush period for Royal Mail I thought I would post some of the predictions of postal workers - you know, the people at the coalface who actually know what is going on, rather than the suits in the boardroom and facing parliamentary committees who deny there is anything untoward.

I'm compiling this from the start of October and will publish when I think there is enough to make it interesting for readers. Most will be taken from Twitter (now known as X).

Friday 4 October

We are told we never prioritise tracked over LETTERS............ BUT due to space constraints we have to clear all packets and parcels because rolling them over causes a MAJOR health n safety issue, and H&S trumps everything else! So take all the tracked and leave the letters  [@CoahcPyrah]

Specific & explicit instruction to ensure tracked are done above all else.
"Premium product" is the phrase to watch out for now we're heading into Xmas pressure period.
It's not "ignoring letters" it's "focusing on premium products".
Newspeak. 2yrs on from strikes & worse now.    [@Angry_Postman]

But management deny telling us to prioritise tracked ‘premium products’ above all else  I suspect this Christmas will be without doubt the biggest s**t show any of us have ever seen  [@andy_cooper9]

 

 

Tues 8 October

30mins now entire office has been sat waiting for the last lorry. Who'd have thunk moving traffic* to rush hour would cause issues & network delays...

(* A couple of months back the last despatches from the mail centres to delivery offices have been put back an hour or so. This was presumably so that the Mail Centres could clear late arrivals but it no means that the lorry is caught in rush-hour traffic, delaying departure of your postie from the delivery office.)

14 November

I have a major access road closed till Xmas Eve on my round [@postmann26] - East Kent.

80 tracked, can't even fit it all in van. Ludicrous  [@Angry_Postman]

Explain why I'm to abandon letters (including several NHS ones & cards) - In order to deliver Amazon Prime packets? 

Important items such as a massive box of tissues. Sorry you don't get your hosp appointment/results but you don't matter as much as paper tissues [@Angry_Postman]

Some rounds at ours {office} haven't posted {delivered} a letter all week  [@Phil19703] - Northern Ireland

Update 27 November  - Things are building up now, what with Black Friday etc. And there are the houses covered in lights, etc.  Very festive but... (and it's only November).

And have today found my first Xmas Wreath across the door blocking letterbox. The annual tradition of marking your home as inaccessible and no post for you.  [@Angry_Postman]

Can't finish a delivery because a [HQ manager] doesn't understand rush hour...  I reversed at 1mph down a lane almost 1/2 mile long as gate was shut. [Picture of on-screen Road Safety Message about reversing.] No way I'm going against instruction. [@Angry_Postman]

And now I have, with break, 4hrs 13mins. Which isn't possible. Today fails because lorry was 35mins late, as is always the case on a Tuesday. Utter clownshow.  [@Angry_Postman]

Our final lorry now doesn’t turn up until 8:15 which is no good on days like today where we were all worked up & ready by just before 8am!  [SpiderMan72]

We can't move for parcels! Letters again pushed to 1 side. We have 10 extra parcel duties and we still can't cope! [Nick Pyrah]

Update 28 November 

Genuine question - why am I told to return letters if needs be in order to deliver Amazon Prime packages? Who do I work for again?  [@Angry_Postman]

very year at this time is the same we bail out every one else with no thank you!! & the public get mislead yet again... & do we see anything from this do we b*****s [SmallArsenalCoknee]

I remember it used to be an actual Offence to delay the Mail..Posties got on Buses free when they'd the " Bag " on them.  [Auntygoya]

 

 

 

 

(If anybody has any other verified stories from the postal system, please send them.)

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November slogan and other interesting postmarks and postal markings

November started off with the default British Heart Foundation slogan, before it was replaced by one for Remembrance Day.

This was the first slogan we have received for some time, BHF from Cornwall Mail Centre on 01/11/2024.

British Heart Foundation slogan Cornwall Mail Centre 01/11/2024

UPDATE 12 November: my thanks to JH for sending the alternative BHF layout dated 11-11-2024.  Still no sign of Movermber.

British Heart Foundation slogan Peterborough Mail Centre 11-11-2024

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Remembrance.  My thanks to JH for this reminder of Armistice Day on Monday 11 November; used at Swindon Mail Centre on 07-11-2024.

Lest We Forget.
Armistice Day
11 November 2024

Lest We Forget Armistice Day Swindon Mail Centre 07-11-2024

UPDATE:  two readers have provided the other layout.  This is the better one from KD (thanks also to JF) from North & West Yorkshire 08/11/2024

Lest We Forget Armistice Day North & West Yorkshire Mail Centre 08/11/2024

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LAST MINUTE UPDATE 30 September 2024:  My thanks to KD for sending this - possibly Birmingham - Nottingham example of the St Andrew's Day slogan, the first we have had for some years.  Somebody please send me a good copy: there must be some out there!

St Andrew's
Day
Saturday 30th November

St Andrew's Day from Nottingham Mail Centre 29/11/2024

UPDATE 2 December:  My thanks to MG for providing a very clear example of this from Dorset & SW Hants Mail Centre on 29-11-2024.  

St Andrew's Day from Dorset & SW Hants Mail Centre 29-11-2024

While I was updating this with the Christmas slogan JF sent two copies of this slogan; Croydon produced one as good as the Dorset one above, but this one from Bristol is nearly as good and much better than the one from Nottingham.

St Andrew's Day from Bristol Mail Centre 29/11/2024

 

And that's it - Christmas has started, and will be reported in the December post, which will appear shortly.

I was premature!  On St Andrew's Day Royal Mail started the reminder to Post Early for Christmas.

This slogan will be widely used, I should think, so please send me other layouts.

Remember to
post early
for Christmas
royalmail.com/greetings

 

This first example is from Peterborough Mail Centre 30-11-2024.

Post Early slogan, Peterborough Mail Centre 30-11-2024

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Other postmarks, postal markings etc.

The Lest We Forget image also shows a counter date stamp from Headington Oxfordshire.  This is unusual in having the county name and in full. So many that we have seen are almost anonymous!

The branch is now in the Co-operative supermarket, and the Headington History website has a page devoted to the post office over the centuries.

Headington (Oxfordshire) Post Office (Google maps)

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Our Canadian correspondent SS has another package posted at Littlehampton's Wick News post office branch - all they need to do now is cancel the stamps!  They must be misinterpreting a PO Ltd instruction.

Wick News A counter date stamp 3 OC 24, but not cancelling the stamps.

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Remember, all postmarks appearing in November will be added to this post, so check here before you spend time scanning and emailing.

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