Post and Go Roadshow 2014

UPDATED 2 January 2014 in new post.  This post closed for comments.

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According to Brian on postagelabelsuk, Royal Mail announced during Autumn Stampex their intention to take the ‘Post and Go Roadshow’ to another international stamp exhibition ‘ PhilaKorea ‘ in 2014.

The international show, sponsored by Korea Post, takes place August 7th - 12th 2014. (6 Days) in the ‘COEX Hall’, Seoul.

A similar set-up to that used in Australia in 2013 is expected, along with a suitable overprint (including ’KR’ origin code).  Mirroring the 2013 Australian Stamp Expo, it is expected that ‘GB’ versions of the Post and Go stamps will be available from the Philatelic Bureau.

Well unless Tallents House make available faststamps with the KR code as well as the GB code I suspect there will be quite a shortage of the former.   Getting the Australian ones was relatively easy.  Getting them from Korea will be much more difficult.  I would suggest that collectors start finding pen/e-friends in Korea now!

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UPDATE 6 OCTOBER

Royal Mail have announced the following plan for the contents of Post and Go machines. Note that at Stampex the new stamps will now be issued on Day 1 (Wednesday) instead of Friday.  The plan is subject to change with additional shows, or changes to the contents of machines.

Stafford 8 - 9 November2013
A3 A Robin / A3 B Machin - A4 A Rivers / A4 B Robin on both days

2014
York 17 - 18 January
Reel A Flag, Reel B Machin in both A3 and A4 machines on both days

Spring Stampex 19-22 February
Machines A2 and A3 - Reel A Spring Blooms, Reel B Machin with additional inscription, 4 days
Machine A4 - Reel A Union Flag; Reel B Machin with additional inscription, 4 days
Machine B1 - Spring Blooms on both reels, all 4 days
Machine B2 - Machin with additional inscription on both reels, all 4 days

Sailsbury 14-15 March
A2 and A3 Reel A Spring Blooms, Reel B Machin (no added inscription) on both days

Perth - 85th Scottish Congress
11 - 12 April -  A2 and A3 Reel A Union Flag, Reel B Machin on both days
Added inscription on both stamps for the 85th Scottish Congress

York 18 - 19 July
A2 and A3:   Reel A Flag, Reel B Machin on both days

Philakorea Seoul 7 - 12 August
A2 and A3:   Reel A Flag, Reel B Machin on all days, with Philakorea 2014 inscription on both stamps.  GB versions of both will be available from Tallents House.

Autumn Stampex
Machines A2 and A3 - Reel A Symbolic Flowers, Reel B Flag with additional inscription ≠
Machine A4 - Reel A Flag with additional inscription ≠, Reel B Machin without.
Machine B1 - Symbolic Flowers on both reels
                All the above apply on all 4 days (but see ≠)

Machine B2 - Reel A Flag; Reel B Machin with additional inscription on day 1
Flag with additional inscription on both reels on days 2-4

≠ The information provided shows no additional inscription on day 1 on A2 reel B, A4 reel A - in other words, the Flag from A2B and from A4A will be without additional inscription.  However, as the table we have taken this data from shows the Machin with additional inscription is only available from machine B2/B on day 1, ie the Back Office machine on the Royal Mail stand and not the public-access machines, I'm not at all sure that this is accurate!

Stafford - 7 - 8 November (see comments: official issue date for Winter is 13 November)
A2 Reel A Winter Greenery, Reel B Machin on both days
A3 Reel A Symbolic Flowers, Reel B Winter Greenery on both days

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Post and Go stamps (Faststamps) news round-up

A number of people sent information and images during and immediately after Spring Stampex and the Salisbury Stamp Fair, but it seemed sensible to wrap the news into one consolidating news item rather than scatter them in daily posts.

The first Stampex report is here.  This shows the 2nd class and Machin Coronation stamps and receipts, and a photo of the Smilers sheet.

These are the Pond Life stamps from the Presentation Pack, Stampex Hytech machine, and Trafalgar Square PO's Wincor-Nixdorf. (Click on any for larger images):

The presentation pack was printed using unit C2 and retained the indented second row of text. Stampex had kiosks A2-A4 with the second row of text as normal.

The Coronation overprint exists in two forms, as did the Diamond Jubilee; oddly these are both from machine B1, the later one (on the left) showing a more balanced alignment of the commemorative lines.  Now all we need is for the standard service indicators to show some balance.  You'll note that the 'Worldwide' line seems to be inset from the weight indicators all the time.

As previously mentioned the option exists on the Exhibition Hytech machines to pay for a half-sheet of 10 Smilers stamps.  Here are some images of the screen displays, the printer and a sheet showing a Hytech screen shot.

Thanks to John McC, Malcolm B and others for new images here.

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Salisbury Stamp Fair.
Most of the detail is shown on Brian Sinott's postagelabelsuk blog but here are some of his pictures.  The Machine set-up at Salisbury, and a Smilers Sheet.  Although photographs of the customer are the norm, sometimes an alternative is a good idea.  I believe some alternative images were available on the Royal Mail iPad.

 

 

Brian also reports that some 2nd class Post & Go Faststamps sold at Stampex (identified by the coding at the foot) have appeared with a Salisbury Stamp Fair overprint, postmarked Southampton.  I have a good idea who might have produced these, but investigations are continuing.

UPDATE:
I discussed this with Allan Grant of Rushstamps earlier this afternoon but decided at the time to wait to see if anybody else had the same guess as I did ! Now that the story is also on another forum, we can tell you about it here.


Rushstamps purchased the labels at Stampex so that they could overprint them using a 100-year-old letterpress machine.  This was a deliberate decision once it was clear that the Faststamps sold at local events such as York, Midpex and Salisbury would not have overprints.

These were used on mailing out Rushstamps pricelists as promotion for the fair.  Remainders were used on ordinary mailings, which is why this piece has at least 3 or 4 examples.

No mint copies exist. Allan subsequently told the Royal Mail representative at Salisbury about the overprinting. Clearly RM Southampton revenue Protection is used to Rushstamps' mailings and didn't give them a second glance.  

No mint copies exist, and none have been available for sale.

Comment.
Although the overprinting of miniature sheet margins and 'Boots' sheetlets was accepted, these overprints are on actual stamps so it would not have been surprising if they were rejected by Royal Mail's revenue protection department as defaced stamps!

Salisbury a success!
I wasn't able to go to Salisbury but both dealers and collectors have heralded it as a huge success.  One of the organisers, Tony Hender of Arun Stamps, told me that the attendance was over 1,500 - about 1,000 on Friday and 500 on Saturday, so clearly some collectors had a day off work to be there for the early bargains.

Speaking to the Salisbury Journal, Tony said:

“There has been so much interest already shown,” he said. “Dealers came from across the country, and there is a significant need for the two-day event.

“It’s the biggest stamp show in the south of England, and based on today’s popularity we will hopefully have another show next year.”

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