Least useful and least necessary of the year?

The US weekly stamp publication Linn's conducts an annual popularity poll of readers asking them to vote on the stamp issues of the United States Postal Service.

Unlike Royal Mail's Philatelic Bulletin this poll seeks not only the best stamp, but for three specific categories: commemorative stamps, definitive and special stamps (combined), and postal stationery.  And not only the best - within each of the three categories, voters "can select the stamps or issues they felt had the best design and worst design, and those that they considered the most important and least necessary".  [2017 results here.]

I wonder how that would go here in the UK.  I think I might do a poll somehow, somewhere - probably on twitter because I know how to do that, or at Stampboards.  (If anybody knows how to add a poll into a blogger blog, please let me know.)

This comes to mind because I have now received the 1d black Anniversary Sheet, which is now also available to order from Royal Mail's website.

 

This comes just two days before what is arguably the most important stamp issue this year, which marks the 75th Anniversary of the End of World War II.  Leave aside whether it should be May or August - two chances for special covers and handstamps - this is 'an important event'.

But the 180th Anniversary of the issue of the world's first stamp.... ?

Anyway, here are scans of the actual thing, for you to compare with the pre-issue pictures (the one on the RM website is accurate).  Note that the grid shows all 8 positions, although our sheets came from the same position.  The printing date is 25/02/20 and the short-code is STA013 - not the 13th stamp of the year, we've had far more than that.

With the replica 1840 inscription in the left hand selvedge the cylinder number, FSC code, and all other technical stuff is in the right hand selvedge.

Note that the sheet has a 'cream' wash, but the stamps, and the FSC certificate have no such 'antiquing'.

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UPDATES - James Bond, 1d Black, and others

Hello everybody.  The first post today is an update on previously reported matters which were causing some concern.  I've had a lengthy chat with the account manager in Royal Mail, and got unexpected answers!

Starting with James Bond's Presentation Pack that was the cause of much consternation last month. Frankly I'm disappointed and surprised that none of our adventurous readers had already discovered this (only joking, you're not just as adventurous as I thought some of you were!)

Some years ago Royal Mail were selling through eBay, but that shop closed.  About 18 months ago they started selling on Amazon.  Amazon take more commission that Royal Mail normally allow retailers, and so decided that they couldn't sell mint stamps at face.  They sell stamp cards, framed products, and other souvenirs for fans: that's where the special presentation pack comes in.  The target market is James Bond (Star Wars etc) fans, not stamp collectors, so the stamps in products sold on Amazon are rendered unusable by either cancellation or the stamps being stuck to the card (I assume this depends on the product).

This is how they appear on Amazon today:

 

Other products currently on sale on Amazon are Harry Potter, Elton John, Star Wars, Marvel Comics and David Bowie.  I spotted among these a Harry Potter PSB 'postmarked edition'.   Like I say, I'm surprised nobody noticed it earlier.

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Penny Black 180th Anniversary

We've marked the 150th and 175th anniversary and it seems some creative people want to mark the 180th anniversary and wanted large supplies of 1d black stamps.  These stamps were issued in the 2015 miniature sheet and self-adhesive booklet, and in the 2016 Royal Mail 500 PSB.

Royal Mail already had something in mind to accompany the London 2020 International Exhibition so they killed two birds with one expensive stone and so we have the sheet of 25 stamps.

From the Stanley Gibbons catalogues point of view, the stamp has already been listed (SG3807)  so individual stamps will not be listed unless they turn out to be materially different to those already produced in the earlier products.

I don't know what SG's plans are for the sheet - it's not a composite like the 2012 A-Z of the UK (MS3308) or London 2012 Olympics (MS3204a), so it may not be listed at all - it may just get a footnote.  But other catalogues may, and album producers may well have a page for the whole sheet, which is in a unique form.

So to reiterate, this will not be supplied by RM on standing orders to collector customers or dealers. It will not be distributed to Post Offices.  This means that collectors who do want this, whether as a whole sheet or just a small block, they must be obtained by mail order or phone.  (Sheet of 25  ~~  Price £19.00  ~~  Product Code AW144).

I hadn't intended to buy this, but if there is demand for smaller blocks I will make arrangements to get some.  Be aware, though, that posting these will be dependent on movement restrictions in place at the time.  Email me for prices.

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Future stamp programme, FDCs, and mail order

I'll preface this with the caveat that all arrangements are under constant review and whatever I write today could change by the time you read this, or any time in the next few months.

Royal Mail are trying to continue to operate 'business as normal' across the board.  That includes issuing new stamps.  Although Spain and Ireland have put their new issues on hold, RM will not do that for the present.

Most stamps are printed by either Walsall in Wolverhampton or Cartor in France, and those to be issued in the next few months will have been printed already.  We know that Walsall reprinted the new tariff airmail stamps in early March after the initial printings in January - this is normal. 

Although most Post Offices are still open many are on reduced hours, and may not regard collectible stamps as 'necessities'.  Not only that, but the demographic of a large percentage of the collectors in the UK means that they also fall into the 'potentially vulnerable' category, and won't want to make the trip anyway.   So getting stamps and FDCs might be a problem.  But, remember, there is now no time limit on getting your covers and cards handstamped at the Special Handstamp Centres.


Royal Mail handling charges:  Given the difficulty in getting stamps, I asked whether RM were considering dropping the handling charges for one-off non-standing order purchases.  No decision has been taken, but it is under consideration.

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London 2020/22 update - some delayed, some not

From Royal Mail:

London2020 Stamp Products

Following the postponement of the London2020 International Stamp Show in May 2020, we can confirm the status of the following products due to be issued for / or during the show.

• London 2020 Retail Stamp Book – Issued already and will remain on sale
• London 2020 Exhibition Sheet – Issue postponed
• London 2020 Souvenir Sheet - Issue postponed
• London 2020 (Show Exclusive) Souvenir Sheet– Issue postponed

The 180th Anniversary of Penny Black Stamp Sheet will be issued as planned on the 6th May 2020. 

Whilst this was to be issued during the week of London2020 Stamp Show its dual purpose was to commemorate the 180th anniversary of the Penny Black on 6 May 2020. 

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And to give you the option of buying this or not, they include the following information:

Penny Black 180 Stamp Sheet of 25  ~~  Price £19.00  ~~  Code AW144

Note: This sheet is not covered by any Regular Order

Let's look at that again.... We dealers won't get these on our standing orders, and regular customers won't get them on their standing orders.  Well, that will avoid the inconvenience of sending them back again.

The other stamp set to be issued during the show is the End of the Second World War, and this will continue as planned, and will be issued on the new public holiday, Friday 8 May.  Details are embargoed until then, with FDC producers allowed to show their products on 24 April - so we can expect to see them in Royal Mail's shop in about a month.

UPDATE 23 MARCH
As you will see from the comments, people who try to order the 1d black sheet have been told by the RM call centre at Doxford that it is cancelled.
Once again I am trying to get a commonsense answer from Royal Mail for their customers so that I can tell you for sure, even if they can't tell their own people.

UPDATE 2 APRIL
I was sent this update in an email from a reader:

I have phoned to Tallents House to place an order and was initially told that it was not available. When I explained that the information was possibly incorrect and that the code was AW144 the assistant checked and came back to say that they would accept the order and would keep it on record and dispatch probably in May.

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London 2022 - this year's international rescheduled

The organising committee for the London 2020 International Exhibition has announced that due to the Coronavirus situation, the show has been rescheduled for 2022.

In a newsletter new dates were announced which will mean that the International will replace Spring Stampex.

19 to 26 February 2022

Clearly in the ever changing circumstances this was the only option.  As far as stamp issues are concerned, the retail booklet issued last week has been issued, and that is a fact.

But the other planned stamp issues - the stamps have probably been printed but have not yet been distributed - will surely now be postponed, unless Royal Mail decide that the 180th anniversary of the Penny Black and the 150th anniversary of the first stamped postcard are worth commemorating in their own right, so that some of their printing costs can be recovered.

I think it would be a cynical move, and a mistake to do this.

Whilst the 182nd and 152nd anniversaries should not be marked, the same stamps and products could be issued in two years' time, and surely few would suggest that the show should not be marked in some way.

Doubtless Royal Mail will tell us in due course how they are changing your plans, and we will report them here as soon as we can.

Update 20 March - see https://blog.norphil.co.uk/2020/03/london-202022-update-some-delayed-some.html

As for other issues, there is no reason not to issue them; Coronation Street is still on its 60th anniversary albeit with a reduced number of episodes per week.


See you in a couple of years!  Stay safe!

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London 2020 retail booklet issued 10 March 2020

As previously reported, Royal Mail are churning out the 1d black and similar stamps for the upcoming international exhibition in London.  We now have the booklet and can show the detail.

UPDATE: Show now in 2022

Earlier versions of the 1d black reproductions have been criticised for being poor - the overall shading for the 2015 edition has a pink tone. The latest version is closer to the original, as it has a yellowish tone - but still with the white border (unlike the Wildings in 2002/3 which had an all-over wash which imitated the off-white colour of the original stamps.)

This is a picture of a (damaged) used original 1d black:

A comparison of the 2015 (top) and latest booklet versions:

As mentioned previously the new booklet contains 1d black, 2d blue and 1d red reproductions as 1st class stamps.

The cover is normal, but of course the purpose of the booklet can be seen by the tab on the extended rear cover.

This is not regarded as a new issue - indeed all the stamps have been issued before in one form or another. The 2d blue version has not been issued in self-adhesive form before, and will therefore have its own place in the catalogues and preprinted album.

As you will see from the pictures, the current booklet is printed with Security Backing paper, unlike the booklet issued in 2015.  So for specialists this booklet produces three new stamps.

It's available on the Royal Mail website.

First Day Covers
Cover producers seem to have overlooked this as there are no sponsored handstamps for this booklet and new stamp, so little opportunity for maximum cards at this stage (there ought to be opportunities when the remainder of the exhibition stamps are issued in May.)  [Postmarks can be found on Royal Mail's website here.]

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Penny Black Plate 8 - bushfire auction ends Sunday 1 Feb, 11 am GMT.

I know that most of our readers are concerned with modern issues, but I equally know that a good number collect other stamps including older GB.

As part of the Stampboards Bushfire auction I have been sent a Plate 8 1d black by a collector who is remaining anonymous.   It's damaged (but of course repairable) but has a catalogue value of £525 in fine condition.

 

As you can see, it has margins most places, and it also has a lot of gum on the back - which could easily be cleaned off with hot water which would also improve the overall appearance.  What appears to be a thin at the middle-right (from the back) edge is actually missing gum,  When all the gum is off that will be just fine.

Price currently stands at AS120 (or just over £60).  If you wish to own this almost fine stamp, go and bid now.  The auction closes at midnight Sydney time (11 am GMT/UTC) on Sunday 1 February.

Latest PSB Machins, Queen Victoria PSB, compared with earlier.

We can never be sure from Royal Mail's pre-issue publicity images, just what the stamps will actually look like.  While the commemorative/special stamps are generally faithfully reproduced, new definitives are usually depicted using mock-ups so when they actually appear it is always likely to be a surprise.

This is true again with the Queen Victoria Bicentenary prestige stamp book definitive pane. This is the publicity picture which we showed earlier. 

The 2p is quite unlike the one included in the RAF PSB (on the left) in 2018.  This must surely have a separate listing in the catalogue.

The 50p included in the Harry Potter PSB is a different shade to the current (gravure printed) counter sheet, so this is comparison with the 2017 counter sheet (SG U2925 on the left), which likewise ought to be considered a different stamp even if it were not for the year code.:

 

And this is the comparison with the Battle of Waterloo PSB (SG U3077)

 

The 1st class reproductions of Victorian stamps may not be regarded as sufficiently different, although the 2d blue especially is considerably darker - what do you think?  The phosphor is also different if viewed in the 'hold to light' way.

1d black SG3807, 1d red SG3808, 2d blue SG3809 - top row from Royal Mail 500 PSB (2016), lower row from latest book. 

 

 At least they didn't change the corner letters (hope they aren't reading this!).

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Postal Museum Commemorative Sheet 13 September 2017

We've mentioned the Postal Museum Commemorative Sheet which was originally scheduled to be issued in firstly in March and then in April this year, but was delayed because of the delayed opening of the Museum.  The sheet's issue date of 13 September 2017 was rescheduled to coincide with Autumn Stampex, but meanwhile the Museum opened in July!

We can now show the design of this long-awaited sheet (click on the image to see a larger version).
Containing 10 labels attached to a mix of 1d black (4), 2d blue (3), and 1d red (3) self-adhesive 1st class stamps, the price is £15.95, and the Royal Mail product code is AV046.

The images on the labels seem to be not in any logical (eg chronological) order, but this is the information provided.

Column 1:
Mail coaches were introduced in 1784 to speed up the movement of mail. The coach in The Postal Museum’s collection takes pride of place in the new exhibition space.

The Postal Museum holds thousands of examples of posters and original artwork for both posters and stamps. Many were designed by the leading artists of their day.

Rowland Hill was an educational reformer, and to help improve literacy he campaigned for reform of the postal service. His efforts led to the introduction of the Penny Black in 1840.

With the coming of the railways, the postal service started using trains to move and sort the mail. This railway van was designed to collect mail without stopping.

From 1933, the General Post Office had its own film unit, which made many ground breaking films, including the highly original A Colour Box (1935), directed by Len Lye.

Column 2:
A more affordable postal service meant a rise in social mail, including this first commercially available Christmas card, designed in 1843

In 1927, an underground driverless railway opened in London to connect sorting offices with railway stations. A section of it is open to the public as part of The Postal Museum.

During the Second World War, the need for lines of communication to remain open was vital. The new exhibition tells the story of some of the individuals who helped to make this happen.

Expansion of the postal service in the mid-19th century changed how people used the post. Letter boxes in a variety of shapes and colours began appearing on British streets.

The new Postal Museum presents a mix of stories, includes hands-on exhibits and displays of original objects.

We assume that the sheet was printed by ISP-Cartor: it's a limited edition of 7500.  We won't be stocking this but can obtain it for customers if required.

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For Sale: Bowie Fan Art, Accession FDC, scarce presentation packs & FDCs

I've been having a bit of a spring clean and have found a few odds and ends of covers etc, which I am going to offer for sale here, rather than add them to our web-shop, at least initially.  Mostly there is only one of each of these, so this will give blog-readers a chance to buy before the other shop users.


Some of these were obtained for customers who changed their minds, in other cases there was a misunderstanding* about what was wanted, and in others I decided to do one more than was ordered 'just in case'.   If you would like to buy any of these, send an email at the usual address (see top right), and leave a comment to say that you have sent the email and about which item.  That way other readers will know that they are reserved.   *I'll wait a week after publication of this blog in case there was a double misunderstanding and the original customer did actually want it, before we close the deal and make arrangements for posting and sending.   These items can be combined with purchases from the shop for one postage charge and one payment, so if you buy from the shop and want to add one or more of these, please do not pay online, but choose the 'pay by cheque' option on the shop and wait for an email about the total cost. 

1.  The David Bowie Fan Sheet - price £29.50-----------sold
2.  £5 Accession Anniversary Machin first day cover - £9.50   --------sold
3.  Europhilex 2015 Penny Black Exhibition Pack - £20    --------sold
4.  Europhilex-issued new Machin Horizon Label FDC - £15
5.  World War I 2016 Presentation Pack error - £75

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1. The David Bowie Fan Sheet is one of the products produced by Royal Mail for Bowie Fans rather than for stamp collectors.  The idea is that the stamps in the fan products (such as in previous high-cost prestige stamp books) will be exactly the same as those sold in Post Offices and so you, the collectors, won't need to buy them.   Except of course in this case Royal Mail made a major and silly mistake by producing all the Fan Sheets on cheap gummed paper whilst printing the stamps for postage on self-adhesive paper.

Due to the premium price these will probably not be given a full listing in Stanley Gibbons' catalogues.  But the German catalogues are different: these are different stamps, and stamps printed by a different process normally get a MAIN number in Michel.  And that means that users of Lighthouse, Lindner, SAFE, KaBe albums will find that there is a space therein for these ordinary gummed stamps.   Only 10,000 of these were produced and I believe 2,500 were retained by Royal Mail for their special 'packages'.   But you won't want to break up the sheet for the album!  The sheet square is in a white open-top sleeve, which itself is in a black side-opening sleeve.

This sheet has been sold on eBay for at least £85, but also lower.  Our price is £27.50 plus postage: this is 240mm square so will have to be posted anywhere as a Large Letter.  Packaging will also make it heavier than a packet of stamps, but we will use collectable stamps and have them hand-cancelled at the PO counter.

2.  The £5 blue Accession Anniversary stamp was available in only a few post offices so collectors were unexpectedly unable to create their own first day covers.  We have one copy left, with the Buckingham Palace pictorial postmark at £9.50 plus p and p.

3.  The Europhilex Limited Edition Penny Black Miniature Sheet Pack
This was Royal Mail's first recent foray into postally valid exhibitions souvenirs, intended to encourage attendance at the 2015 show.  Whether or not there were any left to be destroyed at the end of the show, it was in short supply away from London and rapidly climbed in price.  We have one left, priced at just £20.

4. Still on Europhilex, we have one first day cover with the new Machin Horizon label.  This is on the webshop at £19.95 but we are offering it here at £15, subject unsold.

5.  2016 World War I Presentation Pack Error.  Embarrasingly Royal Mail didn't notice that the name of the PO Rifles Victoria Cross winner was wrong in the presentation pack, where he was named Albert Knight instead of Alfred Knight.  Packs with the error reached the lofty heights of £180+ on eBay before settling to more sensible figures, but some dealer price lists still show 'POR', and Packs and Cards list it at £120.

The pack contains the set of 6 and the miniature sheet and set of 6 stamps.  Our price is £75 for the error or £85 for both error and reprint, plus postage and packing.

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Royal Mail 500 the major event at Spring Stampex with a full range of products to buy

Royal Mail is celebrating 500 years of the establishment of the Royal Mails by Henry VIII in 1516 issuing a set of 6 stamps showing aspects of the postal service over the centuries.  These range from a Holbein portrait of Sir Brian Tuke who first established the Mails through to the new £70m Medway Mail Centre in Kent.

This stamp issue will take place during Spring Stampex and Royal Mail are wasting no opportunity to produce as many products as possible for collectors to buy, including a miniature sheet and prestige stamp book.  As 2016 is also the 175th anniversary of the introduction of the Penny Red, replacing the Penny Black, a new definitive-size 1d red stamp will be issued in the PSB (gummed) and in a retail stamp booklet similar to last year's 1d black retail booklet.  The 1d red is also being made available in the Smilers Personalisation service and for Business Customised Sheets so a generic sheet will also be issued.   The issue is split over two days, and you can see full details of all these stamps and other products on our website here.

Remember that last year the Generic Sheet sold out quickly, and the retail booklet was off-sale within months as well.

As usual coinciding with Spring Stampex there will also be new Post and Go stamps on 17 February, continuing the theme of Royal Mail Heritage with forms of transport.  These range from the 1640s Post Boy through to the 1970s Mini-Van, via packet ship, TPO and airmail - see the whole range on this webpage.

Limited information has been issued about the Post and Go arrangements at Stampex.  The Machin stamp will be available with the additional inscription

 500 Years of Royal Mail

The full set of new stamps will also be available, and the Locomotive/TPO design from the set may be available as a solo-design roll, probably digitally printed.  This will be confirmed when we have more information.  The usual pre-order form will be available for big spenders on the IAR website next week.

UPDATE 14 January
Full details of Post and Go Faststamp availability are on this new post.


ADDITIONAL PRODUCT:  Not having learned the lesson from Europhilex, and in response to a suggestion from the Philatelic Traders Society (organisers of Spring Stampex) Royal Mail will offer a limited edition pack of the miniature sheet with Spring Stampex overprint/inscription, to be sold only at the event in London's Business Design Centre.
Royal Mail stated:

To support attendance at Stamp shows a numbered limited edition pack featuring the Classic GPO Posters Minisheet with Stampex Overprint will be on sale at Spring Stampex. A small number may be available to collectors from Tallents House.

Distribution and sale arrangements have not been announced, but we expect the price to be higher than the regular miniature sheet and there to be restrictions on purchases.  There will also be a limited edition postcard of the overprinted miniature sheet.  We will not be handling these sheets. 

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This FDC of Penny Black miniature sheet is not A miscut sheet ...

It happened with the Diamond Jubilee miniature sheet in 2012 and I thought it might happen with the Penny Black (and might still happen with Long To Reign Over Us.)

This first day cover has a full set of stamps - indeed all the elements of the miniature sheet - but in the wrong order.

This cover has been cut from a Press Sheet - the person who produced it has carefully cut across the middle of two of the miniature sheet impressions and divided the stamps, providing a 'miniature sheet' which has been miscut, but it is not a miscut in the accepted sense of the words.

A miscut - as in booklets from the 1980s - results from an incorrect machine setting which divides the stamps which are in two vertical columns or horizontal rows in the centre position instead of the correct positions.  Or the Sheep Post and Go Faststamps which resulted in various different Sheep appearing at the top of the strip in presentation packs.

This is a deliberate novelty cut from a press sheet which results in spare stamps at the top and bottom of the sheet, stamps which can only sensibly be sold as individual stamps or used as postage.

I expected to see some of these on eBay as we did the Diamond Jubilee MS fdcs.  I haven't seen them on eBay but spotted this one at a local fair.  The dealer acknowledged it for what it was, and said that he hadn't produced it.

Buy one if you like it, as a novelty, but not as a print-factory-produced miscut.

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News update: slogan postmarks, Post and Go stamps, and a new machine.

Slogan Postmarks

Royal Mail's press release on the risks of identity theft and fraud did not include any mention of a nationwide slogan postmark about National Scam Awareness Month.

Thanks to Mike and Adrian for providing these examples of the slogan, from Bristol and Warrington Mail Centres, both on 20 July 2015.

Post and Go - Faststamps and Open Values

Thanks to Dominic who wrote:

I ordered a Machin Post and Go collectors pack from Tallents House last week, I was surprised to find that the Airmail stamp was printed on MA13 stock, the other two 1st class ones were undated.

Strange that the stamps should be printed from different stock, but I suppose each stamp is printed multiple times on a roll and then cut for inclusion in the pack. So each stamp could be printed on a differently-dated roll!
UPDATE 26 August:  Mike reports (19 August) a later purchase from Tallents House contained only undated stock!

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Thanks to Chris for providing images of the Union Flag and Machin stamps and receipts from the Royal Naval Submarine Museum (HMS Dolphin if I recall correctly) in Gosport.  The flags are undated, and the Machins are coded MA13.

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Thanks also to Vince who reports a fascinating software error at the BPM which sees the Airmail logo included on stamps with the Penny Black inscription!

For a short while the PandG  machine at BPMA developed a default problem, resulting in  the 'airmail' logo appearing with the Penny Black text. The fault was caused when a major software upgrade took place on the evening of Tuesday 10th July.  The error was available only on the Wednesday and Thursday morning until it was switched off.  The corrected strips with the Maltese Cross reported to be in a different position to the previous versions. Approx 30 Collector's Strips of both 1st and 2nd class were  bought.

The Penny Black imprint will cease at close of business on 7 August, according to the IAR website.

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New machine

Once again news appears on the IAR Website ahead of being confirmed authoritatively by Royal Mail.

A new (non military museum) static site has been located for a new Post and Go Kiosk A010. The site has been surveyed and will be installed towards the end of August 2015. Full details will be provided on the Royal Mail website when an installation date is confirmed.   See August update.

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Penny Black anniversary covers

A number of readers have sent pictures of covers - some of them unique - that they produced to mark the 175th anniversary of the Penny Black in May this year.

Of course with the Penny Black having previously been commemorated there was the opportunity for double-dated covers.  I didn't get the opportunity to produce one myself, but Robert sent this which has the 2015 Penny Black doubled on Venezuela's 1980 stamp marking the centenary of the death of Rowland Hill.

A dedicated group of FDC collectors like to have their covers cancelled with the counter datestamp (CDS) of an associated town or village.   I must admit the connection with Etchingham was not known to me, but these are nice covers of the miniature sheet and the booklet stamps.

And the connection, courtesy of PS, the producer of these covers:

Henry Corbould FSA, the designer of the first postage stamp, the Penny Black, died at Hurst Green, having been taken ill there while travelling back to London from the coast, and was buried in Etchingham parish church. There is a memorial tablet on the wall of the church, which for many years was believed to be the only known likeness of Corbould.

In 1990, as part of the 150th anniversary of the postage stamp, the village produced two First Day Covers to mark the Corbould connection, and held the Etchingham Stamp Festival to raise funds for church repairs.


As previously mentioned, the Penny Black slogan postmark was available and announced for the day of issue.   Thanks to JE for these pictures of ordinary covers prepared at Preston to get the slogan on the two stamps from the miniature sheet. Also shown one from Norwich which uses the other configuration.

 

Finally, this excellent combination cover from AB has the two stamps from the miniature sheet alongside the 1st class and 2nd class Post and Go stamps from the BPMA with their additional BPMA commemorative inscription, just tied with the Mount Pleasant Mail Centre Penny Black 1840-2015 slogan.

Thank you to everybody who sent in material, and I am sorry that I didn't manage to publish it earlier.

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I have been reminded of a couple of covers of the Europhilex Special Edition miniature sheet.

Firstly from AB, using the same cover as above, but the special stamps cancelled with the Europhilex Stamp Show Post Office on the first day of the show, and the Machin definitive cancelled with the Event Office Branch 3 self-inking datestamp.

The only Official First Day Cover (§) produced specifically for this sheet was from Sheridan Covers in a limited edition, and of course because of the difficulty in obtaining the sheets this cover is totally sold out.  (Thanks Mike.)

This one is also regarded as official because the cover was produced by the handstamp sponsor (AB), but the Berkhamsted handstamp was not specific to this sheet, actually running for 6 months.

§ - Association of GB FDC Collectors definition: a first day cover, bearing a set or miniature sheet, produced by the sponsor of the special posttmark.  The special postmark on the Sheridan Cover has the same design as the cover.

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