Cartor Security Printers acquired by banknote authentication technology specialists.

From Cartor's website:

Following the recent acquisition of Cartor by Spectra Systems Corporation, we are now an integral division of Spectra Systems, the US-based global leader in electronic encryption, authentication systems and gaming security software. 

The combination of Spectra Systems and Cartor will allow for rapid penetration into the banknote polymer substrate market as well as an increased product offering in security printing of tax stamps, labels, and  ID documents.

From Cartor's Press Releases

Security printing group, Cartor Security Printers, has been acquired by Spectra Systems Corporation, a leader in machine-readable high-speed banknote authentication, brand protection technologies and gaming security software. Following completion on 22 December 2023, the acquisition is set to bolster Spectra’s presence in the polymer banknote substrate market and introduce fresh avenues for selling its security products.

Cartor’s existing management structure, comprising Andrew Brigham as managing director, Ian Brigham as chairman and Martin French as finance director, will maintain their respective roles, emphasising the integration of the team as a unified group.

Cartor operates through three wholly-owned subsidiary companies and maintains manufacturing facilities in both the UK and France. It supplies postage stamps to more than 180 administrations worldwide, offering a wide range of products, including conventional and hybrid postage stamps, tax stamps, vouchers, coupons, certificates, and security documents. Additionally, Cartor provides a secure environment for manual assembly and fulfilment. The company stands out from its competitors by employing cutting-edge technology to make it difficult for counterfeiters to operate in industries with valuable products and services.

In collaboration with Spectra over the past two years, Cartor has developed the expertise required to produce Fusion™ substrates, which are undergoing qualification by central banks and leading polymer banknote printers.

Spectra’s acquisition of Cartor will not only enhance its presence in the polymer substrate market, but also enable the integration of advanced security technologies into Cartor’s product portfolio. As a well-established global player in these sectors, Cartor is well-positioned to seamlessly incorporate Spectra’s technologies, develop necessary processes and introduce Spectra’s products to its existing customer base.

Dr. Nabil Lawandy, CEO of Spectra Systems, commented: “The Spectra Board of Directors and I are pleased to announce the acquisition of Cartor, which solidifies our position in the polymer substrate market and broadens our business reach through new sales channels. Our two-year collaboration with the Cartor team has been exceptional and I have great confidence in the group’s leadership.”

Andrew Brigham, managing director of Cartor, added: “The acquisition comes at a pivotal moment for Cartor’s growth and, under Nabil’s leadership, we aim to expedite this growth and unlock new opportunities. The Cartor group intends to harness Spectra’s extensive technical expertise and Cartor’s operational prowess to deliver groundbreaking solutions to both current and future customers.”

 

What is the impact on stamps?

I don't expect any immediate impact on stamp production, and believe that most of the benefit will be in Cartor's other areas of production.  However, this clip from Cartor's 'stamps' page identifies how they are assisting postal administrations in the fight against forgery:

Postage stamps were in the past less targeted by organised crime, but that is no longer the case. Today, many administrations are losing revenue due to counterfeit stamps, but also due to stamp washing, an illegal activity whereby used stamps are collected in large volumes and cancellation marks are removed chemically thereby enabling their re-use.

Cartor is at the forefront of combatting these activities. A combination of security features including encrypted barcodes enable electronic cancellation and inhibit the possibility to generate counterfeit codes.

With our turnkey solutions, administrations can not only immediately reduce revenue loss but also benefit from additional marketing and track and trace capabilities, made possible by our bespoke camera systems and aggregation software. This means it is possible to record exactly which stamps have been produced, which retailers they are ultimately sold from, and where the stamp is eventually delivered, which will be key information to drive mailing solution optimisation in coming years.

Whilst combating revenue loss remains our primary goal, it is also Cartor’s ambition to provide solutions that meet the high aesthetical and quality standards expected in this sector. Cartor has unique experience of working with innovative substrates and is the only provider in the market that has invested in coloured barcoding solutions.

That said, I don't think barcodes will be extended to commemorative stamps. I believe the numbers of modern stamps is very much lower that it used to be, and the numbers actually used (ie within two years) is very low.  

The definitive Swap-out scheme has been a huge and expensive exercise for Royal Mail (and stamp holders) which has had a significant effect on the stamp market.  The market for discount postage has plummeted according to some sources, though generalisations are not easy to substantiate.  Doing the same for commemoratives would be even more disastrous.

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Walsall = ISP = Cartor

It seems that the name of Walsall Security Printers is to disappear for good.  We understand that ISP - International Security Printers Group (Walsall and Cartor) have changed their company name to Cartor Security Printers.  

According to the filing at Companies House, the change took effect from 23 August 2021.

What appears to be a press release on the Digital Labels & Packaging website reads:

UK-based International Security Printers (ISP), Walsall Security Printers (WSP), and France-based Cartor Security Printing have announced a rebranding to Cartor Security Printers. The move, which reflects the way the company has grown and expanded in recent years, consolidates their existing brands to form a single unified identity.

A new logo based on the Cartor name style, which has been designed to reflect the company’s security printing offering, includes a hero graphic to suggest a barrel lock – or fingerprint – providing a creative and impactful nod to the “C” of Cartor. The firm’s current website is being completely redeveloped to reflect the rebrand and is scheduled for launch in January 2022.

As a security printer, Cartor Security Printers produce high caliber print for a large global client base from both their UK and France production sites. This includes work for more than 180 postal administrations throughout the world, where the Cartor name has become synonymous with  creative stamp printing.

While the new branding reflects this heritage, the company will be targeting new markets where it can apply its expertise in print, ink and materials technology, to create highly innovative, secure solutions for businesses with high monetary or intellectual value products and services. From security printing to advanced track and trace and authentication capabilities and tailor-made consultancy services, Cartor’s wide range of solutions help companies combat fraud to better protect their brands and revenues.

Ian Brigham, Cartor’s managing director, says, “Both the existing ISP/WSP and Cartor parts of the business are different in terms of offering, approach, communication and customers. Despite complementing each other, the current configuration can be confusing for customers, so the time is right to unite our brands under one identity.

“With significant investment in plant and facilities, together with an experienced, skilled and committed workforce, we believe that we are well placed to deliver an industry-leading security printing service to global organizations in order to protect revenues, brands, and reputations,” he adds.

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Be scared! Now it's Batman & friends as Royal Mail take another opportunity to "Extend Beyond Philately" - 17 September 2021

Our apologies that an incomplete version of this post appeared; it was scheduled to publish at midnight, but I was prevented from completing it, which has now been done.

For no apparent reason, other than they have secured a licensing agreement and have reserved a space in the calendar, Royal Mail will issue on 17 September 2021 a set of stamps (plus) celebrating DC Comics Super Heroes and associated Super-Villains.

It was this issue that prompted me to write the '2015 turning point' post here.

Whereas in the case of previous licensed topics Royal Mail have pointed out 'the British connection' in the information they supply to dealers (as part-justification for the inclusion in the stamp programme) no such details are included this time, although there are connections.

Indeed on his Commonwealth Stamps Opinion blog, WhiteKnight writes 

"the American philatelic agency IGPC* revealed the designs of the 12 stamps and 1 miniature sheet containing 6 further stamps to be issued on 17 September 2021 by Royal Mail on the subject of characters from the American DC Comics".

 *They didn't, but anybody who reads that blog often will be aware of WK's acerbic comments on IGPC and Stamperija - and Royal Mail, Australia Post, Isle of Man Stamps, Guernsey/Alderney, Jersey, Gibraltar and any other organisations which seem hell-bent on as much money-grabbing as they can from stamp collectors before everybody stops writing letters and using stamps.  Conversely he also highlights those places which produce really interesting stamps of local worth and usage.

Anyway, I shall reproduce an edited version of what was supplied to us by Royal Mail:

DC Collection

Royal Mail celebrates DC Comics through the ages and the Super Hero genre that it helped create with a bumper 18 stamp set of Super Heroes and Super-Villains including; 12-stamp set of the world-famous Batman, his allies and his foes and a special Justice League Stamp Sheet including the iconic trinity, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.   2021 also marks the 80th anniversary of the first appearance of Wonder Woman, who was among the first-ever female Super Heroes in comics.

Key Product Range Information:

• Twelve stamps exclusively illustrated by the prestigious Comic artist, Jim Cheung and colourist, Laura Martin, celebrating Batman, his greatest foes and allies.
  
• An exclusively commissioned Justice League stamp sheet for the Royal Mail illustrated by the same artists, including characters Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and more.
  
• Framed prints showcasing the initial sketches of the stamps, as well as signed versions from the artists.
  
• New, exclusive silver-plated and gold-plated medals with exclusive stamp imagery, as well newly packaged silver medals.

Set of 10 x 1st class DC Comics stamps 17 September 2021 (as usual, click on images to enlarge them)

Justice League miniature sheet containing 6 x 1st class stamps 17 September 2021

The sheet stamps depict: Batman, Batwoman, Robin, Batgirl, Alfred, Nightwing;
The Joker, Harley Quinn, The Penguin, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, The Riddler.

The Miniature Sheet is an exclusively illustrated six-stamp miniature sheet celebrating the Justice League; the World’s Greatest Super Heroes joining forces to protect the planet:

Batman, Green Lantern and The Flash, Wonder Woman, Superman, Cyborg and Aquaman, Supergirl and Shazam.

Technical details

The 35 mm square stamps are designed by Interbang using artwork by Jimmy Cheung and colourist Laura Martin.  They are printed in sheets of 60 on gummed paper by International Security Printed in lithography.  The miniature sheet is self-adhesive with two stamps 50 x 30 mm, two 35 x 37 mm, one 60 x 23 mm and one 27 x 37 mm.
BATMAN and all related characters and elements © & ™ DC Comics. WB SHIELD: © & ™ WBEI.(s21).  JUSTICE LEAGUE and all related characters and elements © & ™ DC Comics. WB SHIELD: © & ™ WBEI.(s21).  Stamp designs © Royal Mail Group Ltd 2021.

As usual individual stamps can be purchased in multiples of 5 each.

Other products

Two retail booklets the contents of which have already been revealed to Royal Mail's standing order customers by the inclusion of 'BM' and 'WW' on their pre-issue invoices.  These contain 1st class Machin definitives with code MCIL M21L. These stamps are printed in gravure.

Batman and Robin retail booklet 17 September 2021

Wonderwoman retail booklet 17 September 2021

DC Collection - Prestige Stamp Book
The DC PSB takes a brief look into the timeline behind DC Comics and in particular, the key Super Heroes and Villains that contributed to its success. A bumper facts book that explores every character from the official DC Collection Stamp Set and Justice League Stamp Sheet in more detail, the one-off product also delves into the impact of the ‘British invasion’ and the remaining strong ties between DC and the UK today.  (And THAT is the first intimation that there is any connection to the UK, but it doesn't say what it is!)

The 8-stamp Machin definitive pane contains 2 x 1st class stamps, 3 x 2nd and 3 x 20p, which at least means the apparent 'leftovers' are useful values.  But of course we have already had a 1st class stamp in the Music Giants V PSB, and a 20p in the Industrial Revolutions meaning that the 2nd class is the only new stamp with £2.30-worth of stamps spare.

Two of the non-stamp pages describe 'The British Invasion':

"The 1980s saw a host of creators from the United Kingdom joining DC as the company sought out talent in what became known as the 'British Invasion'.  Alan Moore led the way with a genre-defining run on Swamp Thing before collaborating with Dave Gibbons on Watchmen and with Brian Bolland on Batman: The Killing Joke.

That illustrious group was quickly joined by a legion of talented experts in their craft, such as Jamie Delano, Mark Millar, Peter Milligan, Steve Dillon, Alan Davis, Glenn Farby, and Irish-born Garth Ennis."

The name of Alan Davis is known for the production of the Marvel Comics miniature sheet, but apart from that these are unknown to me.  The only name instantly recognisable further on, is Neil Gaiman, who combined with the late Terry Pratchett in the writing of the Discworld novel Good Omens, and is also known for radio/tv series Neverwhere, and for The Sandman, and for work with Marvel Comics.

The stamps are the same as in the sheets and miniature sheet, ie the Justice League stamps are self-adhesive, which means that all the WonderWoman stamps are self-adhesive - although those in the retail booklet are gravure rather than litho.

UPDATE 20 September.  My thanks to Geoff H for this picture which shows that one of his PSBs delivered from Tallents House has pane 4 missing.  It seems that most PSBs produced recently can be found with an error, usually a missing pane but sometimes with pages inverted.  Cartor's quality control is slipping.

Fluor tricks
Once again spot-fluorescence has been applied to the stamps - though not always successfully.  With my new UV lamp, the effects show up when fully in the spotlight, but only if it is not overwhelmed by the brightness of the lamp.

On the Batman stamp the batlogo in the background is hightlighted, but so is the one on his chest, unfortunately overprinted with black!   Below that, Batgirl doesn't have that problem.  Other areas are he spotlight on the Batwoman stamp, and the bats and cave entrance on Alfred's stamp.

The Nightwing chest logo, and Robin's staff are also highlighted, although the latter is of minimal significance.  

With The Joker, the letters HA are highlighted, although as they are printed in dark orange the fluor doesn't show well.  The window and crystal held by Catwoman, and above that the disk and outlining of the letters are highlighted.

For The Penguin it's his hat, and The Riddler the staff/crook and ? highlighted on his hat.

The miniature sheet also has highlighting though more difficult to show.  The DC logo, Batman's chest logo (again overprinted in black) and belt?, Green Lantern's eye-piece and Flash's.. flashes.

For the rest of the miniature sheet, Aquaman's water splashes, and possibly WonderWoman's rope. It's difficult to see with the Super set; I think the areas highlighted may be too small on these to properly work.

Now if Royal Mail also sold a simple UV lamp with these, even if it is only the special edition PSB, then all the fans would appreciate it as well, rather than just philatelic nerds who have to shine a UV lamp at everything!

The Limited Edition Prestige Stamp Book (limited to 1939 when Batman first appeared in Detective Comics) is priced at £49.99 (a reduction on previous LE PSBs).  As always the stamps are said to be exactly the same as in the regular PSB, so no need for more details here.

Batman Collector Sheet, includes all 12 stamps from the set, alongside what Royal Mail now terms as 'stickers' rather than labels. The sheet is litho self-adhesive printed by ISP, and priced at £11.40, only £1.20 more than the face value of the stamps.

Other products

Three Stamp Character Packs (ie like a presentation pack but just a carrier card): the set, 10 x Batman, 10 x Joker.

Batman and Wonder Woman medal covers, each silver plated (£20) or gold-plated (£25), and silver medal boxes (£100 each).

Batman Art Print Collection which includes 12 high-gloss art prints, card with 12 stamps affixed, and a 10% voucher for use in the Royal Mail shop!  (£25)

Framed products including prints of the 'progressives' of the Batman, Joker, and Justice League sheet with pencil, then ink by Jim Cheung, and then colour by Laura Martin. These exclusive products, at least, are impressive even at £46 each.

I'm sure Matt Parkes will be pleased with this, and that there will be sufficient sales to encourage Royal Mail to do more similar - what else though?  Rolling Stone magazine has a list of the top 50(!) Best Non-Superhero Graphic Novels but many are on subjects which would be unsuitable, some are anime (nothing wrong with that), and none have the fan-base of the superheroes, save perhaps for Tin Tin.  Suprised Asterix didn't make it in there.

Anyway, I don't think that there is anything more that I can write on this.  Only two more issues this year, Rugby Union and Christmas.

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Cartor moves Wales 1st class to level 4, but otherwise no change.

The 1st class Wales country definitive has been reprinted again.

Readers will recall that (in common with all the other low value country definitives) the Wales stamp was reprinted in 2017 with a new font.  On this occasion the plate numbers were reset to C1.

But on 30/01/2019 plate C3 was used - and it followed from the previous C2 in having the old (original) font.  Now we have a further printing from plate C4 on 10/08/2020 - again in the original font!

1st class Wales country definitive printed 10/08/2020 from a new set of C4 plates, but still with the original font, rather than the revised font introduced in 2017.

The reprint has a slightly darker dragon than on the previous (C3) printing (shown here on the right). Otherwise there is little difference.

What, one wonders was the point of creating stamps in the new font?  Needless to say none of the other low value country definitives, from Wales, England, Northern Ireland or Scotland, has been reprinted since the introduction of the new font.  Or if they have, they haven't appeared yet in Tallents House stocks. My thanks to RB for reminding me that the England 1st & 2nd, the Wales 2nd and Scotland 2nd  were all reprinted in 2020, and the Scotland 2nd in 2018 & 2019.  These were all with the new font.  This makes it all the more surprising that the Wales 1st class has been reprinted twice with the old.

As you can see, this one is from four grid positions on a primary plate, so there are no others printed at the same time, as was the case with C3.

So to summarise:

C1 - 10 & 11/07/2012
C1 - 07/04/15
C2 - 17/11/2016
C1 - 26/12/2017   new font
C3 - 30/01/2019
C4 - 10/08/2020

Cylinder and date blocks of C3 and C4 can be obtained on request (normally 6 and 8 respectively, but blocks of 10 are available).  Please email your request - do not leave the comment here.

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Star Trek Prestige Stamp Book error - extra page

Sadly this error does not affect the stamp panes but one of the narrative panes.  Nonetheless it is a while since we had a PSB error so it is good to be able to report that the printing and assembly process is still not perfect, and anything could happen.

My thanks to B of Livingstone, for providing these details and pictures in the middle of last month.  I'm sorry I couldn't get this post published until now.

B writes: "the odd thing is that pages 3 'The Genesis of Star Trek' and 4 'The Original Series' have been repeated i.e. there are two copies of these pages before the first pane of stamps. I'm not sure however if there is anything else missing as a consequence because I don't have another booklet to examine for comparison purposes."

The only copy of the PSB I had had already been passed on by the time this was reported, so I'll rely on my readers to tell us if anything is missing.  The pictures show the error well:

Pages 2 and 3

Pages 4 and 3

Page 4 and stamp pane

Please examine your copies and let us know if there is a narrative pane missing!   

And of course if you find any other errors we will be pleased to report them here.

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Country definitives: shades of grey, and other colours

When the Gibbons Great Britain Concise catalogue appeared this year I mentioned that the new Scotland 2nd class stamp listing that had appeared in Gibbons Stamp Monthly had had it's description changed in line with what we all knew rather than what had been mentioned by John Deering and misinterpreted by most readers.  Heads on both were shades of grey, not metallic silver.

A blog reader comment  pointed out that there was a new listing for the England 1st class stamp from the Visions of the Universe booklet which also gained a separate number (EN53a) due to its shade, which is described by Gibbons as 'Venetian Red', with the sheet stamp being 'Indian Red'.

Not for the first time, we had Cartor printing significantly different stamps in the prestige books to those that are in sheets. 

I mentioned in June that there were new printings of some country definitives and I have now had time to examine these, and compare with previously issued stamps.  I think Gibbons' catalogue editor will have some thinking to do!

Scotland 2nd class
The first Cartor printing with the new font was 27/12/2017, cylinder C1.
The second printing was 27/08/2018, from cylinder C2.
The third printing is 16/04/2020, back to cylinder C1  (Column 1 in a grid of 2x2.)

The first two printings are very similar in shade of blue, and the head, which is the light- (or silver-) grey: SG159.   The third printing is markedly different, with the blue much darker, and the head also qualifying for the description 'dull-grey' applied by the editor to SG159a.  But is the blue dark enough to mean yet another new stamp, ie three in total?

The stamp from the James Bond PSB (left) compared with the new sheet printing:

I suspect we will see a further amendment to the catalogue indicating that this stamp also exists from sheets.

England 1st class
As mentioned above, the 1st class stamp from the Visions of the Universe PSB is listed as EN53a, Venetian Red.  The original sheet printing is no longer available from Tallents House, which will be why it was necessary to have a new printing on 25/06/2020. 

This stamp, from Cylinder C2, is also Venetian Red!  (Column 1 in a grid of 2x2.)

Again, the catalogue will have to indicate that this is not only from the Visions PSB. 

However, what the catalogue doesn't mention is that the head on the stamp from the Visions PSB (shown in the centre below) is lighter than that on the sheet stamp.

Is it lighter enough to qualify as 'silver-grey' as in the original Scotland 2nd class above?  Do we have three different stamps here?  I'm not sure that it is light enough: the editor will have to decide how specialised the Concise is going to be in the absence of a Specialised catalogue.

England 2nd class
This stamp hasn't appeared in a prestige book so the 2018 sheet issue (EN52) is the only one with the new font.  As with the 1st class, the original 2017 printing is out of stock at Tallents House, so this also has a new printing on 25/06/2020.

When it was issued in 2018 I mentioned that the white denomination made "the 2nd class England stamp join the top value for Northern Ireland in having a face value that is almost impossible to determine."

The new C2 printing (col 2 from the 2x2 grid) certainly changes that!

Over the years the shades of this stamp have got lighter, and in the case of more recent printings, yellower or creamier.  This printing takes us back almost to the shade of the original 2001 printing:

As with the Venetian Red 1st class, this must have a new sub-number, probably EN52a.

Wales 2nd class
The latest printing of this stamp on 16/04/2020 is a good match for the original 26/12/17 printing.  It's slightly yellower (ie less red), but within the normal tolerances for printing.

Scotland 1st class
When it was issued in the Visions of the Universe PSB, I said that this stamp was a good match for the original 2017 sheet printing (issued 2018).  But I perhaps overlooked the head.  It is lighter grey than the original - is it different enough to have a separate listing?  (Or does it just look lighter because the background is slightly darker?)

Other country stamps
The 1st class Wales stamp was issued in the Visions PSB but unlike the Scotland and England stamps, the head and denomination are reversed out (ie white), so the only difference is the slight shade (slightly less yellow)- we await the sheet reprint with interest.

Similarly there are no new printings for Northern Ireland stamps yet which, given reports of their scarcity at post offices in the province, is not surprising, but they could come.  Watch this space!

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End of the Second World War details - 8 May 2020

The next stamp issue marks the End of the Second World War, timed to coincide with the end of the War in Europe and Royal Mail have started distributing the stamps to registered dealers.  Several people alerted me to its arrival on the Royal Mail website although that was only a place-holder and has since disappeared. 

This seems to be a regular thing, that the techies test the page on the live site, and either then realise their error or are told, and off it goes again until the proper embargo date. However, although they don't have a lead-in page, all the items are now available to view via the Special Stamps page.

Background
This stamp issue reflects on the end of the war both in Europe and in the Far East, with three concepts: Celebrating, Returning and Remembering.

In the eight sheet stamps are depictions of the sense of relief and celebration by service personnel and civilians when news of the conflict’s end was announced. Also featured in these stamps are images of personnel returning from overseas, as well as the return of children evacuated from major cities.

Of an entirely different tone, four stamps in a miniature sheet will mark the concept of Remembrance, with images depicting official monuments and cemeteries to the fallen as well as a major memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.


The stamp set of 8
A collection of eight Special Stamps featuring evocative photographs capturing the relief and jubilation that followed the formal end of the Second World War in 1945.

The original black and white photographs have been expertly reproduced in colour for the first time.

 

Details
2nd Class A serviceman returns home to South Devon from his airbase in Lincolnshire.
2nd Class Jubilant nurses celebrate VE Day in Liverpool.
1st Class Ecstatic crowds gather in London’s Piccadilly on VE Day.
1st Class Evacuees return home to London after a wartime stay in Leicester.
£1.42 Troops march through London’s Oxford Street during a parade for the Victory Over Japan exhibition.
£1.42 Soldiers and sailors leave a demobilisation centre carrying their civilian clothes in boxes.
£1.63 Allied prisoners of war at Aomori Camp near Yokohama, Japan cheer their rescuers.
£1.63 A member of the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRENS) proposes a toast during VE Day celebrations in Glasgow.

The Miniature Sheet
... focuses on memorials honouring servicemen and women who gave their lives to serve their country, as well as victims of the Holocaust.

 

Four stamps feature memorials in Jerusalem and Rangoon, as well as Runnymede and Plymouth in the UK, on a Miniature Sheet carrier bearing the title in stone carved lettering.  A common feature is that the memorials mark the loss of men and women who have no known grave.


1st Class Yad Vashem, Jerusalem Israel’s official memorial to victims of Second World War Nazi genocide of 6 million Jews.
1st Class Runnymede Memorial, UK commemorates over 20,000 airmen and women who were lost during operations from bases in the UK and Europe during World War II and who have no known grave.
£1.63 Plymouth Naval Memorial, UK, originally erected to mark the more than 7,000 sailors who died in World War I with no known grave, and extended in the 1950s to include nearly 16,000 sailors who perished in World War II.
£1.63 Rangoon Memorial, Myanmar within the Taukkyan War Cemetary commemorates almost 27,000 dead British and Commonwealth Land Forces who fell during campaigns against the Japanese in Burma (Myanmar) and who have no known grave.

Technical specifications
The 41mm x 30mm stamps are designed by Hat-trick Design, with Photo colourisation Royston Leonard, printed in sheets of 60.   The 192 x 74 mm miniature sheet contains four 60 x 30 mm stamps.  All are printed by International Security Printers in Lithography, perforated 14½ x 14 with phosphor bands (single central band on 2nd class).

Acknowledgements
Serviceman welcomed home © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images; Evacuees return home © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images;
Navy personnel celebrate © Mirrorpix/Bridgeman Images;
Allied POWs liberated © Everett Collection/Bridgeman Images;
Nurses celebrate © Mirrorpix/Bridgeman Images;
Jubilant public © Picture Post/Hulton Archive/Getty Images;
Demobilised servicemen © photo by Reg Speller/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images;
Troops parade at end of war © Mirrorpix/Bridgeman Images
MS Background image – stone carved lettering by Gary Breeze and photography by Joe Howat;
Hall of names, Holocaust History Museum, Yad Veshem, Jerusalem © Israel images/Alamy stock photo;
Plymouth Naval Memorial and Runnymede Memorial – photographs by Mike Sheil © Royal Mail Group Limited 2020;
Rangoon Memorial, Myanmar © Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Prestige Stamp Book

Yes, there's an error in the caption on this one, but this is preliminary artwork. 
The actual pane is correctly captioned.

Compared with the £19.80 selling price, the Machin pane is relatively low priced compared with some others, with one airmail (20g Worldwide letter) and two make-up values the pane provides two sets of new stamps, 5p, 50p & £1.63 which have, at last, the M20L year code and a full MPIL source code. There are two spare 5p stamps so look out for those sometime being used for postage.

The Cartor litho-printed stamps are a good colour match for the Walsall gravure stamps, which means that Cartor are getting things right.  The style of the irridescent lettering is very thin - we've had this before - but the letters are much thinner than on the gravure stamps

These aren't very good photographs but they do show (especially if you click to enlarge them) the codes at top left and top right of the stamps.

   

 

The stamps are numbered 3005P.20, 3050P.20 and 3163 in the Norvic Checklist, a new version of which will be issued very shortly, now that the latest numbers have arrived from Gibbons.  A new post will appear here in due course.

Other products

First Day Covers x 2, Stamp Cards, Presentation Pack, Limited Edition Coin Covers, Press Sheet of 14 miniature sheets, Framed Stamp Set.

UPDATE 16 May
Reader GI-man reports:

I received 4 x Presentation Packs yesterday. All of the stamps were fixed the the backing card. The miniature sheet was also fixed to the card.
I was expecting to use the stamps - and now I can't! Has anyone else had similar experiences? Thanks.

It would appear that Royal Mail have not learned from their mistake earlier in the year with the James Bond presentation packs and that there are two versions, one of which is should have been for sale only on Amazon.   But once again they have mixed up the two stocks.  Anybody receiving the wrong one should follow the instructions on their Despatch Note or Invoice to get a replacement.

News About Other Machins

There is still no news of reprinted booklets or business sheets.  These are typically sold at supermarkets, card shops and other small retailers as well as Post Office branches and Royal Mail online.  With so many people finding ways to communicate electronically, and small businesses such as repair garages (who send invoices & statements by post) having far less business, it may be some time before we see any evidence of new printings.  

And of course people who consistently provide me with news, as they use their free public transport passes to trawl around those outlets looking for new stamps, are wisely not now doing so.  So please look out for what appears on your letters.  You may be pleasantly surprised to receive a bill with a new printing of a 2nd class booklet stamp on!

Let us know what you find, please!

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