Is Norwich Sorting Office heading for 21st Century? YES!

Something's afoot at Norwich's Royal Mail sorting office, but we don't know what it is!

Mail originating in much of central and eastern Norfolk is usually postmarked in Norwich, using an old Universal machine which has seen better days and rarely seems to have enough ink to make a good impression.

If this was from Norwich (it's from Mount Pleasant) we would think it better than normal!

But this week our mail is receiving the new Peterborough ink-jet postmark:

This suggests that Norwich's old machine may be retiring at last, and that we will soon have an ink-jet machine.  It may be that our customers will know before we do!  Do let us know!

UPDATE: Our customer Stuart confirms that Norwich now has an ink-jet postmark.  I wish I'd used lighter-coloured stamps!

Royal Mail

Norwich

Mail Centre

11-07-2012

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First SA Greetings booklet found with missing silver - Queen's heads

The first GB self-adhesive greetings booklet has been found with missing silver - which affects the Queen's head on 5 of the 6 stamps!

Normal booklet (SG QA1 or QA2 depending on the cover):




The centre stamp on the top row has a pale blue head; the three stamps on the bottom row have the head reversed out of the background (making a white profile head) which is then overlaid with silver.

The other 2 stamps on the top row have the silver head on a white background. The effect of the error, shown on this news report from the Eastern Daily Press, is to produce two stamps with no head, three with white instead of silver, and one unchanged.

The find was brought to the Norfolk & Norwich Philatelic Society Centenary Exhibition last month.  I saw the booklet when it was being discussed on the 'valuations and advice' table, though I was dealing with the sales table at the time.

As reported this is believed to be previously unknown and we are all eagerly awaiting the result of its sale!

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Christmas 2011 early use of booklets

We've had a report that a village post office near Norwich was selling 2nd class Christmas booklets as early as mid-October (precise date not known). In the USA the 'earliest known use' (EKU) covers are prized by some collectors, but they might have trouble here when there is no guarantee of a readable dated postmark!

Getting back to normal, thanks to the Apple Store Norwich

After my computer calamity on manic Monday - I really could have done without that after a week away - things are getting back to normal.

I updated the website today with the new webpage for the Christmas 2011 issue which is out on Tuesday 8th November.  This must be the closest to launch date that a new page has ever been issued - sorry folks!   All the published postmarks are there, and there are more on the miscellaneous postmarks page which could be used on the day of issue.

And designs and details are already available for the early 2012 issues.  The Olympic definitives are already shown earlier in the blog, and you'd be a Charlie to miss this fellow, in January:

The rest of the Roald Dahl stamps, due on 10 January, will be on a new webpage soon.

Meanwhile anybody who has enquired about Norfolk and Norwich Philatelic Society Centenary Covers and Smilers sheets (seen here), I'll get there soon!  While you're waiting you can see what a good time we all had at our Exhibition picture gallery.

Don't leave it too late to get Birds 4 Faststamps!

If you usually get your own sets of Faststamps from your nearest Post and Go machine, don't leave it too late.  For the two machines in Norwich, 3 rolls were provided.  They have all been fitted in one machine as far as I know.

From installation on Friday, and with the office open all day on Saturday, until about 11am this morning (Monday) two whole rolls have been dispensed.  I had the third one installed to complete my purchases.  I know that there is at least one other big buyer in Norwich, but unless there are more stocks forthcoming from central stores, there is no chance of getting a 40 g set from Norwich because by the time the software upgrade is completed there will be no Birds 4 left.

Sets of 36 different bird/value stamps will be difficult to get: even sets of 30 (without the 40 g) won't be plentiful.  So while we dealers are sorting out what we have and who for, maybe it's time to nip into the PO and buy some to put aside (not that I would ever suggest stamps as an investment opportunity!)  But when they're gone they're gone, and if more do materialise, you can always use them for postage.

Update:

We understand that the initial distribution was low because the Swindon Stores Depot changed the unit of issue from a box (of 5 rolls) to a roll.  Consequently initial supplies were very limited.  The unit of issue has now been changed back to box, and any PO now ordering should get a box of 5 rolls which should last a while!  There may even be an automatic distibution to get the seabirds out of the way before the sheep come in next year!

Development of the Postcode - BPMA Blog

An interesting series of blog posts from Postal Heritage, the British Postal Museum and Archive here - http://postalheritage.wordpress.com/tag/postcode/

"The significance of the postcode and its origins in the post-1945 era are considered followed by some archival examples tracing different aspects of its design along its journey from a specialised engineering concept to a universally recognised geographical referencing tool."

Remember, blog entries (currently 3 on that thread) are read from the lowest, with the most recent at the top.

Birds have arrived in Norwich!

As publicised in our local newspaper, the Eastern Daily Press, the pictorial bird Faststamps were duly nesting in the Post & Go machine at Norwich's central post office in Castle Mall this morning.

There were no queues mid-morning and I was able to buy most of what I wanted, only giving way a few times to casual customers who wanted just one set.


The machines were originally made to dispense a maximum of 5 labels in a strip, as shown below, which is an actual strip.  As there are 5 different values many people collected the Machin head in strips of 5, but of course this format leaves us one bird short!  You will note that the new font setting results in the 5th stamp on the strip having the branch and session number line dropping into the perforations.

The receipt is shown slightly reduced; it is in fact the same width as the labels. 

Only one of the two machines in Norwich has the new stamps.  I was told this was to give customers a choice as business customers may not want the bird pictorials.    Given the convenience of these machines, I would think they would be pleased just not to join the queueing system for the counter - although it works much better than the old system did!

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First Day covers and sets of Birds 1 Faststamps are now available for purchase from our online shop. This link will also show other bird products.

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Incidentally, we have a selection of bird books, and many others, in our new bookshop:

Postcode Anniversary postmark update

Update on the Postcode Anniversary slogans which Royal Mail said would be applied at mail centres from 6-12 October and at Norwich from 5-18 October.

I spent the last week on the Welsh borders and postcards posted in the Shrewsbury area received the ink-jet postmark as late as Friday 23 October and the old-style machine slogan at least as late as Tuesday 20 October (no images available).

Late usage from the Norwich area:
CFC 1 using Pass On with inverted date die on 12 October.
CFC 1 still using Pass On on 26 October.
CFC 2 still using Get the most on 23 October.
CFC 3 still using Code it Keep it (pigeon) on 30 October (zero not visible on any copies).
CFC 4 still using Sealed & Postcoded on 23 October.
CFC 6 still using Help us push on 19 October.

CFC5 not seen after due date. Non-CFC usage shown in the previous gallery has been seen only once, on a department store Mailshot. It might have been used only for that mailing.

Gatwick Mail Centre IMP using the ink-jet slogan on 24 October (with Croydon w/l 'overprint').
South East Anglia IMP using the ink-jet slogan on 24 October.


And Preston IMP using the ink-jet on 23 October - thanks Dave!

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We've seen no postcode slogans with November dates from Norwich, and other slogans have been used in at least some IMP machines, but of course we will publish any other reports here.

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United Kingdom Postcodes are 50 years old 2 - the postmarks used - Pass On Your Postcode

Royal Mail's Postmark Bulletin announced that letter cancelling machinery would have a commemorative postmark for a few days.

INK-JET SLOGAN POSTMARKS
An ink-jet slogan marking the 50th anniversary of the introduction of postcodes at Norwich on 8 October 1959 will be used 6-12 October at mail centres applying ink-jet postmarks. A bilingual version is intended for use at mail centres processing mail posted in Wales.

In addition, metal slogan dies are expected to be used at Norwich Mail Centre, 5-18 October. Eight dies are being sent to Norwich
a - Code It Keep It/Prevent Crime;
b - Get The Most From Your Post/Code It;
c - Help Us Push Postcodes;
d - Pass On Your Postcode;
e - Prevent Crime/Postcode Valuables;
f - Remember to Use The Postcode;
g - Be Properly Addressed/Postcode it; and
h - Sealed & Postcoded Correctly Addressed/Mechanisation/Will Do The Rest.

Six of these eight dies are expected to be used in the three CFCs (Culler Facer Cancellers) dependent on operational requirements.

This announcement is for information only. Collectors are reminded that Royal Mail no longer offers a reposting service for slogan postmarks.

Update
The slogan dies were supplied to Norwich from the British Postal Museum and Archive - it may well be that some of them were never actually used at Norwich in their first use. The Postmark Bulletin indicated that 8 dies were to be sent to Norwich which has three CFCs, each with two cancellers, so we wondered which would be used. Fortunately I've been supplied with incoming local mail from a local business and can report. Even more fortunately Norwich sorting office seems to have found some more ink - usually the postmarks are too indistinct even to read the date or placename!

CFC die 1- Get The Most From Your Post/Code It


CFC die 1 - Pass On Your Postcode


CFC die 2 - Get The Most From Your Post/Code It


CFC die 2 - Pass On Your Postcode


CFC die 3 - Code It Keep It/Prevent Crime


CFC die 4 - Sealed & Postcoded Correctly Addressed Mechanisation Will Do The Rest


CFC die 5 - Prevent Crime Postcode Valuables (all examples seen are shifted to the right)


CFC die 6 - Help Us Push Postcodes


Another die was used in the older machine - Remember to Use The Postcode



Example of IMP (ink-jet) slogan used at Worcester


Example of bilingual IMP slogan used at Shrewsbury


Example of ordinary slogan used at Shrewsbury*

* Almost all mail posted in the Shrewsbury area receives two machine postmarks, one the old style and one the IMP (ink-jet). Getting these is quite unusual!

Finally a copy of a much earlier slogan. Thanks to Stafford, Simon, Barry & Richard for information or examples of postmarks.

United Kingdom Postcodes are 50 years old.

Yes, postcodes in their present form came were introduced in the UK 50 years ago this week.
This is what Royal Mail's Press Release - issued in the last few days of 2008 - had to say about this milestone:


50 years on - 1.7 million postcodes continue to deliver across the UK -
30/12/2008

We all have one and undoubtedly take it for granted, but 50 years on since it 
was first introduced, the postcode is still an invaluable tool for Royal Mail 
and many other industries.

In 1959 the first postcodes were introduced in Norwich with the first half of 
the postcode NOR representing the city name, and the last three characters each 
individual street. During the 1960s postcodes were rolled out to all addresses 
across the UK.

The use of the postcode has developed and it is now much more than a delivery 
tool for Royal Mail, forming the backbone of many services such as online 
shopping and satellite navigation systems.

The very first steps toward the modern day postcode were taken in 1857 when, 
faced with London’s ever-burgeoning population, Sir Rowland Hill, inventor of 
the postage stamp, introduced a scheme to accelerate mail delivery. This divided 
the capital into 10 separate postal districts - N, S, E, W, NE, NW, SE, SW, EC 
and WC. The public were then asked to add these district letters to the bottom 
of addresses.

There are now in excess of 1.7 million postcodes across the UK, covering 27 
million addresses. Postcoded letters can be read by Royal Mail’s machinery and 
sorted 20 times faster than by hand. However millions of people still forget to 
put the postcode on letters and cards with almost 20% of non-business letters, 
cards and packets not bearing a full or accurate postcode.

Giles Finnemore, Head of Marketing at Royal Mail’s Address Management team, 
said: "Although the postcode is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2009 it’s still 
as important today as it ever was to help Royal Mail sort and deliver mail 
quickly and efficiently. Our postcode system now lies at the heart of many forms 
of modern technology, such satnav systems, online mapping and route planners and 
of course online shopping."

Did you know?
• Royal Mail’s online postcode checker gets around 4.5 million hits per month - 
equivalent to 55 million checks per year

• Santa Claus has his own special postcode - SAN TA1 - and gets 750,000 letters 
every year to his North Pole address

• Some famous addresses have their own postcode - Albert Square in Eastenders 
(E20), Coronation Street (M10) and Ambridge, home to the Archers (AM1)

So how did they decide to mark the anniversary - special miniature sheet? Smilers Sheet? No, all was deadly quiet until last Friday when a small entry in their Postmark Bulletin announced that letter cancelling machinery would have a commemorative postmark for a few days.

INK-JET SLOGAN POSTMARKS
An ink-jet slogan marking the 50th anniversary of the introduction of postcodes at Norwich on 8 October 1959 will be used 6-12 October at mail centres applying ink-jet postmarks. A bilingual version is intended for use at mail centres processing mail posted in Wales.

In addition, metal slogan dies are expected to be used at Norwich Mail Centre, 5-18 October. Eight dies are being sent to Norwich
- Code It Keep It/Prevent Crime;
- Get The Most From Your Post/Code It;
- Help Us Push Postcodes;
- Pass On Your Postcode;
- Prevent Crime/Postcode Valuables;
- Remember to Use The Postcode;
- Be Properly Addressed/Postcode it; and
- Sealed & Postcoded Correctly Addressed/Mechanisation/Will Do The Rest.

Six of these eight dies are expected to be used in the three CFCs (Culler Facer Cancellers); dependent on operational requirements.

This announcement is for information only. Collectors are reminded that Royal Mail no longer offers a reposting service for slogan postmarks. An article on the 50th anniversary of postcodes is published in the October issue of the British Philatelic Bulletin.

Look out for all 8 - and the more widespread ink-jet slogans from the IMP machines, including the bi-lingual ones from Wales. Send us your images to show here, please!

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UPDATE
Images of all the postmarks so far seen are in a new message here.