A Handbook of British Barcoded Stamps

When Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died it brought the end of our Security Machin Checklist, which listed the Machin definitives from 2009 up to and including those issued with Datamatrix Barcodes.  Before that I had indicated that although there was much to be learned from a study of the data contained within the barcode, that was not something I would be pursuing, much in the same way that I did not produce a Post and Go Checklist.  We would also not produce a Checklist for the stamps of King Charles.

However, it is clear that a large number of people around the world are interested in the stamps of the new reign, and that a number of those are interested in delving into the hidden world of the datamatrix code. So I am pleased to provide details of a new Handbook covering this subject.  Users of the Complete Deegam Machin Handbook will be aware of it already, but I'm sure there are collectors who never got into the complexities of that volume but who nonetheless are interested in these new codes.

The Deegam® Handbook of British Barcoded Stamps.

 

● Published as linked Adobe PDF files (delivered via WeTransfer)

● More than 100 Mb of data and images

● In colour and printable

● Constantly updated (five times a year)

● Suitable for Windows PC and Mac

2022 was a remarkable year for British philately! Two ‘radical’ changes took place at almost the same time – first, original definitive stamps were replaced by barcoded ones, the invalidation of non-barcoded definitive stamps from 31 July 2023 preceded by a Swap scheme allowing users to exchange old for new.

The second change was caused by the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II and succession by HM King Charles III.  Both changes triggered different reactions among collectors. One group decided to stop adding future new issues from Royal Mail to their collection, either on the introduction of barcodes or the death of the Queen, while others - as always when there is a major change - see a new starting point in their collecting interests, as these barcoded stamps present a further milestone in the development of the postal service.

Therefore, it has been decided to create a separate publication for these barcoded stamps – The Deegam® Handbook of British Barcoded Stamps (or, in short, HBBS). The term ‘barcoded stamps’ includes not only barcoded National and Country definitive stamps with images of the monarch King Charles III or Queen Elizabeth II, but also barcoded Christmas stamps. In fact, Christmas stamps have the same format and similar features to the definitive stamps. In other words, this Handbook contains all GB barcoded stamps.

The same structure and navigation as that used in the Machin Handbook HB5 are used for this Handbook although the text is presented in one column rather than two. There is an ‘Introduction’ that is structured similarly to the Chapters of Handbook HB5 – so that in the future this Introduction can easily be divided into Chapters (if necessary). 

It contains a catalogue of barcoded stamps. This is divided into three levels to suit beginners, intermediate collectors and specialists. Each level forms part of the unique numbering system which never changes no matter what new values or variations are issued. Every value has its own section, making it very easy to find the stamp you are looking for. In addition, all FDCs (more precisely, non-cancelled FDCs) are displayed in order to visibly present the barcodes on all stamps. An appendix for forgeries has also been added.

The Handbook is updated every 2-3 months with Deegam® Reports which are free to registered owners for a period of time. Every Handbook is created to order so yours is always the latest version when you buy it.

This Handbook is currently the only publication on British barcoded stamps on the market! The author is very optimistic that many collectors will share his enthusiasm for barcoded stamps.

Sample pages of The Deegam® Handbook of British Barcoded Stamps (HBBS) are available from the ‘Handbooks’ page of the Deegam website at https://www.deegam.com. 

 

The price of this new Handbook is £29, but there are a number of other purchasing options if you already have, or want to buy, the Machin Handbook.  See the Deegam site for details.  I urge readers to look at the sample pages referenced above, as even from these few you can see how detailed and comprehensive this Handbook is.

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Last Post for the Norvic Security Checklist: I think it's all over!

"From February 2009 1st and 2nd class Machin Definitives and higher-priced 'make-up' values at 50p and £1 will be produced as self-adhesive Stamps with enhanced security features including semi-circular slits and an irridescent overprint.

"These initiatives are part of the on-going development of security features for Stamps. The slits are designed to inhibit the removal of these Stamps for fraudulent sale and re-use. The overprint features the words 'Royal Mail' in a pattern reminiscent of security features on banknotes."

This was how I announced the introduction of Machin definitives with security features on our website back in 2009.

It was only in April 2009 that we listed the different source codes, following the report on the Machin Mania blog. This in turn reported that the late Douglas Myall had written that 'the non-denominated security Machins have a hidden code that identifies the format in which the stamp was issued'.

The following April, the late Alec Withell reported that new retail booklet stamps had a year code, and this was soon found to apply to all stamps printed each year.  There were inconsistencies, with many new years' printings not being sold until the following year - but occasionally in the previous year!

Catalogue producers then had to work out how to list these new stamps with their variations.  Gibbons, sadly, chose a complex way of doing so.  There is a logic to it, but their system caused multiple changes, such as for the Recorded Signed For stamp is listed as

Concise 2010: U2916a;
Collect British Stamps: U2940;
Concise 2011: U2981.

I had already decided on a different numbering system, and started a conversion table, in part so that users of preprinted albums with SG numbers would know where to find the stamps in our sakes listing.

This developed into the Checklist which has developed over the years, with the help of so many readers and other collectors, running to over 50 pages.

Now that the last of the Machins have been issued, there will be no more additions to the Checklist, and no changes unless somebody wants to go through and fill in all the missing printing dates etc. 

The last edition is now available for downloading here.

My thanks to friends, collectors and dealers for their continued contributions to this list over the years.

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Norvic Machin Security Stamps Checklist version 2.6.9

When I launched Checklist version 267 in January of this year, I speculated that it might be the last. 

Only three situations could produce a new one:

1. New printings of existing Queen Elizabeth Machins in 2023 with a year code of M23L.  This is unlikely.

2. New values due to new tariff.  This seems even less likely.  One would imagine that preparations for the design of new definitives have been in place for decades even if the possible design has been changed over the years as King Charles has got older.  (The first KC3 stamps were issued in April.)

3. A new Prestige Stamp book containing new values.  The first issue of the new year, all 'blockbuster' issues, and Music Giants have included PSBs - until this latest one.  Whilst not conclusive evidence, this suggests to me that there are no plans to have PSBs - or maybe no plans to have Machins in them - until after the definitives for the King are issued.  

Well, that just goes to show that my optimism was unfounded and that Royal Mail produce their stamps well ahead of the proposed issue date (and yet sometimes still have delays in supply).

In the event there were two more Prestige Stamp Books, the X-men in February and Flying Scotsman in March, the first of which produced the 2nd class Machin with MPIL code. 

A fourth reason for a new list, which I should have anticipated given the caveat over Concise catalogue numbering shown in GSM supplements, was that Stanley Gibbons would do some re-numbering.  

And so for these two reasons I have today updated and uploaded version 269 of the Checklist, which really ought to be the last one, and you can download it here.

Remember, if you cannot find this post to download it again, the link is always on the right-hand navigation panel - just under our sales lists!

Addendum: thank you to the several people who have pointed that on page 19, the V4845 (10p barcoded) is from DY45 Tutankhamun, not DY44 Transformers.   In several places the Flying Scotsman PSB number is omitted - it's DY47.

On that subject, a timely reminder that I am selling ALL Machins including my Security Stamps reference collection which includes many stamps not listed on the e-commerce site, for many years.  Use the checklist as a list of what could be available.  Stocks are changing too rapidly for me to keep an active stock list (especially as for many stamps I have only one copy). 

Email to ask if the ones you want are available.  Act now, there are a lot of scarce PSB singles waiting for a customer to decide if he can afford all he wants.  If he can't, they will be available.  Staged payments are possible, just ask.

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Norvic Machin Security Stamps Checklist version 2.6.7

Experts have now established that the Machin definitive stamps in the Tutankhamun PSB are printed in lithography, so although we don't know how Stanley Gibbons will catalogue them, we have now produced an updated list which may even be the last.

Only four things could really affect our publication now:

1. New printings of existing Queen Elizabeth Machins in 2023 with a year code of M23L.  This is unlikely, although as Royal Mail seem to be having to use a great number of existing barcoded stamps in their Swap-Out scheme I suppose we should not rule it out.  We know that 2022 printings are still appearing - although some of the recent discoveries date back to April.

2. New values due to new tariff.  This seems even less likely.  One would imagine that preparations for the design of new definitives have been in place for decades even if the possible design has been changed over the years as King Charles has got older.  With the coronation due on 6 May it is likely that new definitives will be issued earlier, in time for the new tariff which - if Royal Mail are losing as much money as they say they are - is more likely to be February/March than June.

3. A new Prestige Stamp book containing new values.  The first issue of the new year, all 'blockbuster' issues, and Music Giants have included PSBs - until this latest one.  Whilst not conclusive evidence, this suggests to me that there are no plans to have PSBs - or maybe no plans to have Machins in them - until after the definitives for the King are issued.  

Because nothing is ever certain, I'll consider a fourth reason - that somebody discovers something not yet reported, from the security period 2009-2022!  New date printings of listed stamps are not added unless there is something significant about them.

Download from the link above or from the link in the right-hand navigation column, where you can also find the link to our sales lists if you have any Machin or Country definitive gaps to fill.

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Updated Norvic Checklist of Security Machins

As Stanley Gibbons have changed some of the catalogue numbers for the barcoded Machins, and because of errors in the previous edition (highlighted by keen-eyed readers, thank you!) a new list Checklist has now been made available for download.

It's at the usual link in the right-hand navigational panel (web-view), or from here.

UPDATE. As usual eagle-eyed readers have pointed out errors/omissions as follows:

page 6: U4500 ==> V4500
page 10: V45067 ==> V4507
page 33: MB18a? ==> MB18 (the 2018 printing)
page 36: VV4528 ==> V4516

The definitive pane from the Unseen Heroes PSB has been allocated number V4750a. Readers will recall that a few years ago Gibbons changed the sub-numbers for PSB definitive panes from a, b, c etc to l, m, n. Expect this one to change when they realise their mistake.

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Catalogue Reviews

Now that the Gibbons Concise catalogue has arrived, it is time to review that and the latest edition of the Burgess Complete Machin Catalogue.

The cover price of Stanley Gibbons' Great Britain Concise 2022 edition has increased by £2 to £39.95. It has 14 pages more than last year’s, with 12 pages devoted to the additions from Royal Mail’s special stamp programme, and the others covering the datamatrix Machins.

On the latter, the catalogue editors, despite leaving some spaces in the numbers they allocated in GSM to the Stamps issued in April, have already decided to change some.  For some reason the editors no longer take the trouble to help dealers and collectors by highlighting those changes in the Preface, although there is plenty of space to do so. 

One thing editor Vince Cordell does start to address in the Preface is the impact of Royal Mail’s invalidation of certain stamps on catalogue values.  He writes:

“The more difficult issues can only remain sought after, the more common issues whose prices have been propped up by their face values will undoubtedly need some future adjustment.”

This is an important confirmation of something I have thought about for some time.  

From my recent experience of sorting QE2 stamp booklets it is clear that the booklet section could be improved. Eliminating inconsistencies in the listing of changes to covers and contents would mean additional numbers and might mean changing some, but this is not without precedent.

They could also make it easier to identify the contents without constantly having to flick back to the relevant pages in the main listing by providing more illustrations. This is especially true of the Q (Greetings) booklets where not all the panes are even illustrated.

Indeed Gibbons could provide actual illustrations of all the booklet panes instead of the diagrams they use in the Machin section. Whilst these do convey a lot of information, it is surely easier for readers to identify a pane quickly if it is in full colour, rather than black and blue as at present. The phosphor bands could still be added in yellow.

When the internet first attracted hobbyists most of us were still using dial-up connections with low download speeds, and web authors generally provided a lot of text and small, if any, illustrations. Remember, at this time it was possible to set your web browser to load pages without illustrations, such was the saving in cost!  

To some extent I suspect Gibbons are still in this mindset, but in print.  Whilst providing all the essential textual information and illustrations of all the stamps in a set (once at least), other useful illustrations are not considered.

This is where Gary Burgess’s Complete Machin Stamp Catalogue has some advantage. Starting in the 21st century when the whole attitude to information sharing has changed - and printing costs, especially in full colour, are relatively cheap - this catalogue has full colour illustrations of many booklet panes as well as covers. Indeed the 2022 edition now includes all PSB panes not just those with mixed values.  

(Just to clarify, the Burgess catalogue does not picture the Greetings booklet contents either, but then it is a Machin catalogue.)  

Correction: I edited that sentence into my draft from memory: Gary reminds me that the contents of the booklets ARE illustrated in his catalogue - something I suggested to Hugh Jefferies for the Concise some years ago.

This opus is devoted principally to Machins rather than the whole of Great Britain since 1840, and so it’s 320+ A4 pages weight much the same as the Concise, but there is much more ‘white space’ making it easier to read.  

I also like the classification of Post & Go stamp types as A, B, C, D, E, rather than Gibbons’ (John Deering’s) I, II, IIA, III, IIIA, which is more difficult to read in the listings with the sans-serif typeface.

New for this edition are sections on the Open Value P&G labels from self- service kiosks in PO branches, which don’t get anywhere near as much attention from most collectors as the stamps churned out from Royal Mail’s museum machines. Their variety and in some cases scarcity makes the recording of them here all the more important.

Likewise Horizon labels which, whilst not collected as widely even as Post & Go, are an important part of postal history whether collected singly or on cover/piece so another new section in the catalogue is devoted to them. This should certainly assist those collectors who have squirreled away examples and now need to sort them out.

Paradoxically I know some collectors who are trying to obtain any label from every branch, a task magnified by closures, reopening and outreaches. Sensibly those details are not included in this catalogue!

The Complete Machin Stamp Catalogue costs £32.99 softback, and £19.99 as a pdf, plus postage.  It's also available from several stamp dealers who visit fairs.

Nobody should be without the Concise.  But users who want more help in identifying their definitives, without going to the Deegam level of complexity and numbering idiosyncrasies, should get the Burgess catalogue as well.

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We are taking another break, from 20-27 June. 

The e-commerce site will stay open and orders will be dealt with quickly on our return.  

Thank you for orders from the Booklets list. Some sections are sold out, for others we still have good stocks, at bargain prices.

Regional Machins will overtake booklet panes that I suggested would be in the next list.  I was hoping to have produced that by now but family matters have been something of a distraction.

Meanwhile the 2022 edition of SG's GB Concise catalogue has been published and they have already changed some numbers for the datamatrix stamps (V-numbers), so I have to examine these carefully and update the Norvic Machin Checklist.  

I'll be doing a write-up of that, and the new edition of the Complete Machin Stamp Catalogue.  

Please do not phone and leave messages until 28 June.  Thank you.

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Gibbons numbers for newer datamatrix stamps

Stanley Gibbons' monthly magazine for June includes numbers for the datamatrix definitives issued on 4 April.

These have been added to the original post.

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Gibbons' Great Britain Concise catalogue due in two weeks.

Stanley Gibbons have announced that their Great Britain Concise catalogue 2022 edition will be available week commencing 30 May.   Buy from your favourite dealer or independent bookshop.

From Stanley Gibbons press release - the 37th edition of the Great Britain Concise catalogue.

The 2022 edition has been extensively updated with all prices reviewed and revised in line
with the current market.§

• Priced listings of definitives, commemoratives, regionals, postage dues, departmental officials,
postal fiscals, first day covers, miniature sheets, booklets, specimens and post office ‘Smiler’
sheets.
• Priced listings of watermark varieties, major plate varieties, missing colours, phosphor,
embossing and imperforate errors.
• Priced listings of Post Office Telegraph stamps, including watermark varieties, major errors
and specimens.
• Priced listings for all booklet panes, including single value panes and those with inverted
watermarks up to 1967.
• Commemorative design index included.
• Listings are complete from May 1840 to April 2022.
• Helpful introductory notes.
• PHQ card and presentation pack listings include Royal Mail reference codes for easy
identification.
• The Machin definitives are amalgamated in an easy-to-find separate section and fully updated.
The highly collectable source and date codes are individually priced.
• Post & Go stamps are brought right up to date, with clear notes describing stamps from
different machines. Separate illustrated tables give details of those only available at
exhibitions and museums.

§ This will presumably reflect recent increases in postage rates, but I wonder what the changes will be in the 2023 edition, when the postage value of old 1st class definitive stamps drops from 95p to zero?

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Updated version of the Norvic Security Machin Checklist is now available.

I am pleased to announce that the latest version of our long-running and ever-developing Checklist has now been made available for free download.

The main development this time is the inclusion of the new NVI stamps issued at the start of February which incorporate a datamatrix code, and are issued in new colours, the Royal Mail 'brand red' having now been abandoned on stamps.  As the issue of the make-up values (1p-£1, £2-£5) has been announced for early April, these have been incorporated on a provisional basis.

It is likely that a number of new airmail values will be issued at the same time, and news of these should be publicised in March while we are away.  Details will be added to the blog on our return and a new Checklist issued as soon as possible.

Download here, or always download the latest version by clicking on the Link (On desktop computers and tablets this is in the right-hand column; if you are using a smart phone you will probably have to click on 'View Web Version' at the foot of the page and proceed from there.)

As usual, if you spot any errors, do please let me know by email as soon as possible.  Many thanks.

ERRATA:

- New 2nd Class Large grey-green business sheet shows MNIL instead of MBI.

- Table on page 3, 2920E and 2921E should be 2921F and 2921F;  colour of 1st Large should read Turquoise-blue.

- page 10, 1st purple book of 4 should be code MFIL rather than MEIL.

- page 12, 2nd Large gre-green should be code MBIL not MNIL (finger slip).

- pp 13, 14,  colour of 1st Large should read Turquoise-blue.

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New version of the Norvic Security Machin Checklist published - v 259

After I published the last, delayed, edition a number of people contacted me with adjustments or additions, for which I am very grateful.  As we are now definitely at the end of the year, I decided that it was time to publish a new version as I am sure that there will be new stamps quite early in 2022 to add to the list.

As we have had Christmas (definitive-sized) stamps with datamatrix codes it can't be long before the Machin counter sheets appear the same way, and if counter sheets are changing then booklets probably will also.  

For booklets this will undoubtedly mean a change in size or content - either the booklets will be larger, which seems unlikely, or the contents will be reduced.  Instead of 6 and 12, booklets of 4 and 8 seem likely based on the size of the Christmas counter sheets.

No news about 2022 can be published yet, but if anybody has a list of likely subjects with dates of issue and reasons, I'll be pleased to publish it for everybody's entertainment!

You can download the new Checklist at the usual link on the right hand column (desk-top view), or here. 

Security warning!

Some browsers will warn you that this download might be a security risk.  That's because our old website and server does not have a security certificate, that is it is still accessed as http://---- rather than https:// .  Because of time constraints we have kept all new information on the blog, and not updated the website.  Consequently not only does it sometimes have that warning, but it has also not been adapted for phones and other portable devices.  It renders correctly on laptops and tablets, but may be small on those.  I'm sorry, but there is nothing planned to change this situation, we are far too busy on other matters.

Checklist - if you do not want to visit the site to download, please email me and I will send a pdf copy. Be aware though that this is a 750k file and some people have mail software setting rejected attachments of this size.

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Norvic Machin Checklist Update - October 2021

ON 14 October I uploaded a new version of the Checklist.  The file name suggested v2.5.5 but the document shows v2.5.6.  This doesn't matter!

I believe that this is complete to date, although I have started v2.5.7 but did not have time to check it out or load it in October.

If anybody has time to check the currently available version and let me know of any errors or omissions (recent issued or otherwise) I would be very grateful, and if necessary will issue another corrected version soon.

Many thanks.

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Norvic Checklist of Security Machin Definitives - v 2.5.3 - 30 June 2021

A new version of our Checklist is now available for download.  It incorporates all the new stamps for 2021 as of yesterday, but there are more making an appearance all the time, although more
gradually this year.

You can download the new version here.

One major change this year is how we show Stanley Gibbons numbers.  One of the original reasons for the list was that Gibbons changed some numbers at least twice in the 2009-10 period and some stability was needed.  Gibbons still have a system which requires periodic number changes, though. 

In the 2018 edition of their Great Britain Concise catalogue, Gibbons renumbered most of the U-series stamps.   In the 2019 edition further changes were made by SG including at least one booklet. Until now we have included columns for earlier Gibbons numbers but this is becoming increasingly difficult to accommodate.  Therefore only one column is now provided for SG numbers which is intended to show the latest number.

Similarly in the reverse-look-up table, this Checklist no longer shows all the individual stamps with different year codes, as the Gibbons numbers remain the same for each year, unless there is another difference. Thus U2920 is for all the 1p counter sheet stamps irrespective of year.

As always there may be errors, and we know data is missing especially for printing dates or booklet pack dates.  

Please let us know of anything we've got wrong, and continue to tell us what is new.

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New version of the Norvic Security Machin Checklist now available and up to date - version 2.3.5

The latest version of our much-consulted Checklist includes all this year's stamps with relevant Norvic and Stanley Gibbons catalogue numbers and as much information as we have about printing dates etc.

The checklist (version 2.3.5) can be downloaded here.

 

If I looked at this with fresh eyes I would say that it has certain disorganised elements.  For instance, the main section of notes is somewhere near the middle, starting on page 25 of 57.  Certainly it would benefit from some reorganisation and some illustrations: but there is little time for that.

My main area of concern at present is the Reverse Cross-reference, which enables users who start with SG numbers to work out what our numbers are and therefore how to find particular stamps.  This is actually larger than it needs to be, I think, and I have asked on page 39 for feedback on this.   

As Gibbons' catalogue does not distinguish between years (on stamps with a year code) nor even between printers - something that even Royal Mail regard as different - there seems little point in having 10 or more lines for the 2nd class counter stamp: Gibbons' number is U2995, ours is 2911 with .0 to .20 so far for different years, one extra entry for SBP, and one for Walsall's phosphor colour variants.  

But the collector having found that SG U2995 is Norvic 2911.- can easily find all the other years in the table on page 5, and so on.  This will save about 8 pages, reduce the file size and download speed, and the printing for those who do.

I propose to change with the next major edition unless I get a European Super League-type backlash from the fans!

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New version of the Norvic Security Machin Definitive Stamps Checklist takes us into 2021.

We have updated the checklist to take into account the new tariff values issued at the end of
December, and the booklet stamps which will be issued in January and February 2021.  

You can download the file from this link (click here)

Tablet users may find it useful to save it from their browser to an e-Book app, such as Apple Books, which is where I keep mine for constant reference.

It is probably not very easy to use on even the larger mobile phones, and as a pdf does not adapt for the small screen.

As always if you find any errors, please email me.  And if you have any dates or other missing detail (not inverted and upright SBP2, though) let me know and I will fill in the gaps.

A further reminder that this is not a priced catalogue of everything we have for sale.  Very nearly everything listed has been offered since these stamps were first introduced in 2009 but we do not restock - when they are gone, they are gone.  

 

 

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New edition of our Machin Security Checklist available now.

With apologies for the delay, I am pleased to say that the latest version of our Machin Security Stamps Checklist is now available as a free pdf download.  This is version 2.2.9

You can read it online or download it by clicking on this link, or on the one in the right-hand column below the Covid-19 notice.

This includes the 1p and 5p counter sheet stamps not yet received.

APOLOGETIC UPDATE: The slow process of updating the Checklist meant that I had produced more than one version, and I then updated an old one instead of the later one.  Thus the omission of several stamps and I am grateful for readers pointing out those omissions.  

The link above has now been corrected to download the new version 2.3.0.

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Latest Gibbons Concise catalogue - new corporate style, but no number changes!

The 2020 edition of the Stanley Gibbons Great Britain Concise Catalogue was published on 30 June and I have found time to have a quick look at it.

The most obvious change is the cover, which has now been brought into Gibbons' new 'corporate branding style' matching all new catalogues.  The preface mentions that this happens to make it very similar to the earliest editions which had just one stamp on the cover, but I think it is unfortunate.

Like the front cover the spine is dark blue, with the title in bold white near the top in a font which is like Times New Roman, rather than the sans-serif font used in previous years.  The previous style look modern: the new style looks 'traditional' and dated to me.  I suppose if you have a library of Gibbons catalogues or you keep several years' catalogues they will look good on the shelf, but I prefer the colourful pictorial front cover with a recent commemorative making it easy to see from a distance that this is the latest version.

But the meat is inside, of course.  One of the most important points, especially for the Machin security stamps, is that there are no number changes.  The Postage Rate tables, previously only for 1st class, 2nd class, Large and 'E' stamps, have been expanded to show the Recorded Signed For and Special Delivery stamps, and the rates applicable to Post and Go Faststamps with their various and oft-changing weight steps for airmail.  This is important for postal historians, calculating whether covers bearing these stamps after the step changes are prepaid at the correct rate - a 40g stamp issued in 2010 (costing £1.46) is now valid for 100g and is worth £2.42 in postage.  I'm pleased to have played my part in persuading the editors to include this information.

With over 500 pages I haven't looked all through and made comparisons with previous editions. The preface indicates that, as usual, prices have been 'carefully checked and updated where necessary to ensure that they represent an accurate picture of the current market for British stamps in very find condition'.

I've looked at the U stamps and note the following mostly from John Deering's supplementary tables.

- U2923 the 10p M17L counter sheet is up from 70p to £4

- U2939 the £1.28 has changes both ways: the 2013 version drops from £6 to £5 and the 2014 up from £5.50 to £12.50

- U3031 the scarce 2nd Large 2010 business sheet stays at £24, but

- U3032 the similarly hard to find 2nd Large 2010 booklet stamp is up from £21 to £27.  This and the 1st class stamp were readily available (once discovered) at the London 2010 exhibition.  The 1st class stays at £8 in the new catalogue.

- U3745, the Long to Reign stamp on Security Backing paper from booklets (REIGS) stays at £35.

Another thing I noticed was the 2nd class Scotland stamp with the new font, S159/a. In a Stamp Monthly catalogue supplement the stamp from the James Bond PSB was given a new sub-number. This stamp was listed with a grey head whereas the original sheet stamp listing described the head as silver.  In fact there is no metallic silver ink and both are shades of CMYK grey.  The new catalogue now describes S159 as silver-grey and the S159a PSB stamp as dull-grey.

I think this is unfortunate. The shades of grey are undoubtedly different, but many country definitives exist in a wide range of shades, notably the 1st class England.  If this new stamp is worth a sub-number, then some of the others must be.

(It's been pointed out to me that the 1st class stamp from the Visions of the Universe PSB is listed as EN53a and described as Venetian Red, compared with the sheet stamp which is Indian Red.)

Apart from these there are many ups and downs in prices, especially in the case of used stamps many of which are no longer the same as the mint.  It is fair to say that it is still possible to buy many of the more common stamps at prices lower than those shown, but as always the premium hard-to-find variants are probably being sold at around full catalogue value or more.

People who have more time than I do at present will doubtless have their own views and spot changes and not only in pricing. I look forward to your findings and will add them here when time is available.

UPDATE 9 JULY

The £1 machin gold foil stamp, listed twice (as acknowledged in the Preface), but the pane has different prices on pages 289 and 358, £16 and £13.50 respectively.

2019 STAMPEX opt on Normandy/D-Day m/s (MS4236) is not mentioned unlike the previous 
overprints, e.g The 2019 Classic stamps MS 416, where it's mentioned as a footnote after the listing.

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Checklist update, and new SG Concise due soon

The last update to the Norvic Machin Security stamps checklist (v2.2.4) was published just after news of the first two new reprints this year, the 1st class Large Signed For, and the Special Delivery 500g, which had not then been received.

A new version 2.2.5 is now available incorporating these two new stamps and the 2nd class business sheet for M20L.  You can download the pdf here, and of course it remains free of charge!

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The 2020 edition of Stanley Gibbons' Great Britain Concise catalogue will be published on 18 June.  Despite Gibbons' very limited trade discounts now, you may be able to buy this from your favourite stamp dealer, but the current situation means that that won't be at a stamp fair, and retail shops may not be open.   But Gibbons have it listed for pre-order on their website, with free shipping within the UK.  I'll be checking out their new catalogue compared with our own as soon as possible after our copy is received.

But - if you do buy from Gibbons direct this year, do remember your stamp dealers for future years, when we all get back to socialising at stamp fairs!

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Norvic Machin Security Checklist - Corrected and Updated

Thank you for the readers who took time to contact me regarding what I expected would be some omissions and errors in the previous version which I had some trouble editing.

With time on his hands one stalwart found errors going back to 2016 when some new font booklets were excluded, so those omissions are now corrected - and all are highlighted.

The new version - 2.2.4 - can be downloaded from the link in the right-hand column.   Previous versions remain in place, just change the version number to get an older one if you wish to.

This is the quick and easy link for version 2.2.4.

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Norvic Security Checklist v 2.2.3 - now available.

As promised in the World War II post, the new updated version of our Checklist is now available at the link in the right column, and here.



This version takes us up to the 8 May issue.  I did have a problem with an OpenOffice crash whilst editing this, and it reverted to an earlier amendment.  I think I restored everything I wanted to add, but if you find any errors or cross-reference errors, please do let me know.

UPDATE: A number of errors are reported and a corrected version will be out soon.
Most importantly PM71 is not a World War II retail booklet, which does not exist.

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