Machin Bargain Sales resume now

Observant readers will have noticed that the sales lists which I removed in August have not yet reappeared.

The list of Machin definitives with elliptical perforations (the Gibbons Y-numbers) have not previously been listed at all.

That list is now available on Dropbox.  Quantities available are shown and I will try to update this as soon as possible as stamps are sold.

List 8 - Machin Y-numbers with elliptical peforations. 

List 10 - Smilers Sheets and singles, including Smilers for Kids, and the very rarest normal Smilers. For many of these we have only a single copy.

Other lists, mostly revised versions of previous lists, will be added shortly. 

I'll also be producing a list of Smilers FDCs for sale at attractive prices. 

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Old Smilers Sheets, still valid for postage, for sale at under face.

As part of my operation to run-down business stocks so as to be able to concentrate on my collections, I'm now offering a range of 'Hello' Smilers Sheets issued to mark Royal Mail's participation at philatelic events.

These are all valid for postage and each contains 20 x 1st class stamps, so face value £25.

For sale now at only £15 each plus postage.  They can be used with or without the labels.

Italia 2009

 Beijing Olympic Expo 2008

Washingtgon International Stamp Exhibition 2006.

Hong Kong Stamp Expo 2004.

Thaipex 2009

UPDATE: I found some more, not pictured, one of each: Pacific Explorer 2005,  Belgica 2006, Monaco 2009.

ONLY TWO NOW available, mix and match, postage will cover several sheets.

PRICE £15 each – buy six for £85.
Postage extra – these are A4 sheets so will be Large Letters in the UK and Worldwide.
Check Royal Mail price finder for your area outside UK.

PAYMENT:
UK by bank transfer or cheque.
WORLD by Paypal family and friends. (or bank transfer from UK account or UK cheque).

If the buyer only wants postage I can remove the stamps from the sheets to send just the stamps, which might reduce the cost of posting them.  Folding the sheets also allows them to be sent as ordinary letters.

First come first served.  Leave a comment to reserve, and send an email providing mailing address and confirming requirements.  Send no money until confirmed by me!

More special offers coming.

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Newsbits - October 2023

As we approach the end of the year (yes, really) and Royal Mail's stamp programme is coming to an end, this post contains a selection of disparate news items.

Post & Go Mail by Rail error 1

MC visited The Postal Museum to get the Museum stamps with the new Dressed to Deliver inscription and popped over to the Mail Rail machine just to see what was produced.  Unexpectedly it was the normal stamp, with no additional inscription apart from the Mail Rail, but he was rewarded with this spectacular strip.

He writes:

It happened because the reel printer jammed after printing the first stamp and then, after attention from a staff member, the remainder came out (all attached). The staff member just passed the strip to me as it was, so an interesting error for the files. (The second class reel came out as expected).

Mail Rail Post & Go strip with gaps caused by mechanical problems.

 

 A nice display item to add to the 'mechanical failures' category.

Post & Go error 2

It's approaching Remembrance Day so the Poppy stamps have been reintroduced (at least at some offices) and RW sent this exaample from Paignton.  

Of course the error should have occurred whatever the stock, but again it's a nice thing to get when you go in to check out the machines. 

 

Smilers Back in Time

The Business Customised Service was ended by Royal Mail in 2017, followed in 2018 by the Smilers (Personalisation) Service, but Royal Mail continue to provide a Smilers-type sheet at Christmas (although the stamps are not available for personalisation which was the whole point of Smilers Sheets).  

Some of the earliest Business Sheets were produced for Eagle Coaches 75th Anniversary in late 2001. These were catalogued at £1,000 at one time and so few come to market that no reliable value can be placed on them: it is more a case of buyer and seller agreeing and rarely is anything made public.

A reader has sent in a picture of a single which he has.  The stamp is from the top left of the sheet, and the label is damaged, but if anybody is interested in contacting the owner with a view to buying, then do please contact me by email (address at top right) and I will pass your details on.

Single stamp from rare 2001 Eagle Coaches Business Customised Sheet.

Underpayment avoided - Royal Mail being proactive.

Don't guess it, check it!

This isn't recent, as you can tell from the postage rates, but it's a nice piece of postal history, being applied to the back of a letter which came to the UK from the USA in 2002.  

Does anybody know of any other similar labels from the same or different rate periods?

UPDATE 7 November 2023: Many more of these labels exist and we have been sent some images which are on our Postal History blog.

 

USPS announces part of the 2024  stamp issue programme.

Unlike Royal Mail, the United States Postal Service believes in making people aware of forthcoming stamps well in advance.  Apart from anything else it helps FDC producers, but it also enables people and organisations which have a connection to the new stamps to arrange events around the issue, like unveiling ceremonies and firs day of issue ceremonies.  

“As always, our stamp program features a broad array of subjects and designs. Stamps are miniature works of art and often tell a story that highlights our American culture, our people or an important point in our history,” said Lisa Bobb-Semple, acting Stamp Services director for USPS. 

“Stamps also allow us to show what’s important to us as we carefully select which stamp adorns our mailpieces. The 2024 stamps were designed to offer the American public a broad array of choices for those looking to collect stamps or send a special message.” 

This is a partial list, with more to be revealed in the weeks and months ahead. All stamp designs are preliminary and subject to change.

The US tends to issue a lot more single stamps - although the way they are produced often means that it's difficult to buy just one for a collection.  Some are sold only in books of 20, some - especially a set of 4-10 different designs - only in panes of 20 or 25.  The interlocking die-cuts on sheets make it difficult to get a single mint stamp on its original backing paper without having all the surrounding eight!

Although they use a lot of NVI ('Forever') stamps, they do issue new stamps every year for the Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express services.  The first is provisionally priced at $9.65 and the latter at $28.75 (£23.50) - so they have their bad side too!

Whilst many of their stamps mark what we might describe here as cultural and historic matters, others are even more ridiculous than some of Royal Mail's.

The programme so far includes Lunar New Year, Love (another annual issue), US Flags (new ones every year - booklete & coils), Black Heritage (1), a new range of low value definitives (flowers), 1 ounce and 2 ounce Wedding stamps (another annual issue), Literary Arts (1), 250th anniversary of the arrival of the Shakers (12), Bluegrass music (1), Horses (5), Sea Turtles (6), Autumn colours (10 in a pane of 20) etc. But the one that takes the biscuit for me is a set of 10 Pinback Buttons - or badges as we call them here.

USPS 2024 Pinback Buttons - 10 circular basic letter rate self-adhesive stamps (pane of 20).

USPS 2024 Horses (2 of 5) issued as a pane of 20)

New USPS 2024 definitive values 1-10c flowers

The illustrated list with more descriptions is on the USPS website here.

RW reminds me that Hong Kong post has also published their programme, illustrated; you can see the stamps on the Commonwealth Stamps Opinion blog here.  This is useful because it means that WhiteKnight already has the images when it comes to the actual issue date!

GB Christmas - 2 November 2023

I'm told that these are now visible on Royal Mail's website: my blog post will be scheduled for the issue date, 3 November, in accordance with my contract.  You can see them now on the Commonwealth Stamps Opinion Blog.

As Royal Mail not only have all the stamps on their website but have sent the First illustrated newsletter to the subscribers I have published here.

No more news for now, so I'll end the post with this older US stamp!

 

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Lunar New Year Generic/Collector Sheet: Year of the Rabbit - 8 December 2022

It's that time of year again when, about six weeks before the event, Royal Mail issue the Lunar New Year Collector Sheet in time for the Chinese population to buy it and either use the stamps & labels or gift them to the friends. 

This year is the 12th in the series, and is announced as the final instalment in the Lunar New Year Collector Sheet series.  

The Year of the Rabbit runs from 22 January 2023 to 9 February 2024. 

The labels are designed by hat-trick design and feature paper cut-outs both on the bright red background of the sheet and the labels representing the five elements of Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth. All the labels are complemented by the Fireworks definitive-sized stamp. 

2023 is specifically the year of the 'Water Rabbit' and those born in a 'Water Rabbit' Year are thought to be gentle, amicable, able to adjust readily to different conditions, as well as having slightly a weak mindset and principles. Lucky numbers are 3, 4 and 5 and lucky colours for 'Rabbits' are red, pink, purple and blue. 

We've not been given an embargo date for this so I shan't reveal it at present.   Instead I'll show one of the previous 11 sheets.

Year of the Rooster/Cockerel Collector/Generic sheet.

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Something old and new: Transformers - another 'blockbuster' - 1 September 2022.

For the record, this blog post is based on Royal Mail's next stamp issue aimed at fans of modern culture. 

According to the information provided on the justification of this issue:

The Transformers – alien robots who can change into vehicles, machinery and weapons – first appeared in toy shops and on TV screens in 1984. Nearly 40 years on, thanks to the addition of comic books, computer games and movies, the likes of Optimus Prime and Megatron have become pop-culture titans.

And it appears they have, alongside Marvel and other more well-known franchises, although I was totally unaware of their continued popularity, despite knowing about them and seeing them when the toys and tv programme appeared in 1984.

Continuing Royal Mail's justification:

The story of the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons has been told in many different ways, but the core premise is usually the same: a deadly civil war engulfs the distant metal planet of Cybertron and eventually spreads to Earth. Key to the warring mechanoids’ success in the UK and Ireland was Marvel UK’s The Transformers comic, which told an epic seven-year story across 332 issues.

As well as launching the careers of British writers and artists, ‘TFUK’ inspired fans to follow in their footsteps, with James Roberts, Nick Roche and Jack Lawrence going on to help expand the mythos, establish the definitive origin of the Transformers, and reinvent the Robots in Disguise for the 21st century with characters and concepts that endure to this day.

The stamps feature original illustrations created by three established comic artists Andrew Wildman (pencils), Stephen Baskerville (inks) and John-Paul Bove (colours) who have all contributed to The Transformers UK comic series The stamp designs arranged in pairs depict an Autobot and Decepticon locked in a battle, featuring eight characters in retro Generation 1 style from the 1980s.

The stamps 4 x 1st class and 4 x £1.85:

1st CLASS: OPTIMUS PRIME
The strongest and wisest Autobot, it was a young and charismatic Optimus Prime who led the fightback against the Decepticons when war broke out. Deeply compassionate, with an unflinching sense of justice, he was originally known as Orion Pax but took a new name when he inherited the Matrix of Leadership.

1st CLASS: MEGATRON
Highly intelligent, terrifyingly powerful and utterly merciless, the cruel but charismatic Megatron uses a huge, arm-mounted fusion cannon to obliterate his enemies. A Cybertronian supremacist, to realise his dream of galactic conquest he plans to annihilate the Autobots and turn his home planet into a deadly cosmic dreadnought.

1st CLASS: BUMBLEBEE
Although small and physically weak, Bumblebee’s abilities as a messenger and spy – not to mention his tremendous bravery – have made him one of the most valuable Autobots. Friendly, kind-hearted and
eager to please, his misplaced self-doubt can lead to risk-taking behaviour.

1st CLASS: STARSCREAM
“A missile with a mouth” according to Soundwave, the scheming, traitorous Starscream is not content with being Decepticon Air Commander: he’s determined to usurp Megatron himself. But his arrogant, opportunistic nature does not stop him being a highly skilled, shockingly brutal warrior – especially in the skies.

£1.85: GRIMLOCK
He may be gruff, belligerent and rebellious, but Grimlock is also protective and fiercely loyal – to his fellow Dinobots, at least. In both robot and T-rex mode, his stubbornness and strength make him all but
unstoppable. He hides his intelligence behind simple speech patterns, associating eloquence with weakness.

£1.85: SHOCKWAVE
An occasional Decepticon leader, Shockwave’s every action is ruled by cold, calculating logic. A master tactician and strategist who despairs of Megatron’s rash impulsivity, this cyclopic space warrior would be considered emotionless were it not for his deep hatred of the Autobots, and the Dinobots in particular.

£1.85: ARCEE
A formidable warrior, Arcee is as deadly with swords as she is with firearms. She has put her life on the line time after time to protect Autobots and humans alike. Behind her no-nonsense attitude is a dry
sense of humour, and while she is slow to trust others, she would do anything for those closest to her.

£1.85: SOUNDWAVE
As the Decepticons’ Communications Officer and spymaster, the stoic and unknowable Soundwave uses his unique mind-reading abilities to extract enemy information and blackmail his rivals. Megatron’s most trusted lieutenant, he shares a special bond with Laserbeak and the other ‘cassette spies’ that he carries in his chest.

The stamps are printed with UV ink which reveals each character’s Autoboot or Decepticon motif and their name coded in the Cybertronian alphabet when shone under UV light.

Each of the eight stamps has a unique Augmented Reality animation which brings the stamp to life and includes a clip from the original Transformers TV series. This can be activated by downloading the Royal Mail App and scanning the stamp with a smartphone or tablet.

UPDATE 19 August: The UV ink reacts to Longwave light rather than short wave. Whilst the symbols are readily visible, the names of the characters are only visible on the right-hand stamp of each pair, and then not very clear.

The AR worked, sort of, on my iPhone but the app shows that the iPad does not support AR.  It takes quite a lot of effort to get it to play; the clip from the tv show is no more than a few seconds, followed by the drawing and colourisation of the stamp, ending with the logo - and there is backing music, so sound up (or off depending on your circumstances).

 

The miniature sheet, 2nd class, 3 x 1st class, £1.85:

Transformers miniature sheet featuring the five Dinobots; Grimlock, Snarl,
Slug, Sludge and Swoop.

The original illustrations have been created exclusively for Royal Mail by established comic artists Andrew Wildman (pencils), Stephen Baskerville (inks) and John-Paul Bove (colours) who worked on The Transformers UK comic books.

Technical details and acknowledgements

The stamps and miniature sheet are designed by The Chase with design and illustrations by Andrew Wildman (pencils), Stephen Baskerville (inks) and John-Paul Bove (colours).  The 50 x 30 mm stamps are printed in litho by Cartor Security Printers in gummed sheets of 60, perforated 14.

In the 190 x 67 mm miniature sheet, the Swoop (2nd) and Sludge (1st) stamps are 27 x 37 mm (perf 14). The Slug (1st) and Snark (£1.85) stamps are 35 mm square (perf 14½); the Grimlock stamp (1st) is 35 x 37 mm (14½ x 14).  The self-adhesive sheets are printed by Cartor Security Printers in litho.

Acknowledgements TRANSFORMERS and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and
are used with permission. © 2022 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Licensed by Hasbro.

Prestige stamp book

Click on the images to enlarge.

Panes 3-5 are self-adhesive, panes 1 & 2 are gummed.  The innovation - or perhaps I should say 'correction' is that the Machin definitives' iridescent printing now has the codes M22L MPIL.  So these stamps are not the same as those in the previous PSB, issued for Women of World War II. 

Digitally enhanced phone picture of the £1 stamp from the Transformers PSB showing the source code MPIL.

 

Incidentally Royal Mail's publicity pictures of the PSB pane and its first day cover both show the labels with a printed perforation, as on the stamps.  I suspect this is because each image is actually composed with several layers in a software application such as Photoshop, and the perforations are there on all six positions (you will recall that there were five stamps on the earlier PSB).  This is a scan of the actual pane:

Scan of actual PSB definitive pane.  No printed perforations on the labels.

Products available from Royal Mail

Set of 8 stamps, miniature sheet, presentation pack, postcards, prestige stamp book (PSB), 3 x FDCs, Collector sheet (£12.40), 2 x Fan sheets (£7 each), limited edition PSB (£50), medal covers, silver-plated ingots (£25), framed products etc.

Collector Sheet

Transformers Collectors Sheet containing one of each of the sheet stamps, with attached label.

The Collectors Sheet is self-adhesive so the stamps are different to those in sheets. However as they are only available in this sheet they will not get individual numbers in the main catalogues, but there will be space in some preprinted albums.

Fan sheets

Bumblebee Fan Sheet

Optimus Prime Fan Sheet

 

UPDATE:  Several people have pointed out that there is a third Fan Sheet for Megatron.  This is not listed on the order form, nor is it illustrated in the news bulletin, nor is it in the collector bulletin First.   So for completeness I have lifted this from the Royal Mail shop.  Thanks everybody!

 

Megatron Fan Sheet

Further update 18 August:
I queried this with my account manager and was told: "this sheet is an online exclusive so not available to order via the normal Channels.  Apologies in advance for any inconvenience caused."

I find this incredible.  On several previous occasions special covers have been sold at Conventions with 'postmarks' not available for collectors or dealers.  But I don't ever recall a single one of three similar products being produced and ONLY sold online.  If it had been sold only at a post-issue event it would have been wrong, but this is very odd.

Further update 23 August:  From Royal Mail: Megatron sheet is not really online only for ordering purposes, the reference to online only [is that it] will be promoted online only, any customer can order it.

Press Sheet

Miniature sheet, press sheet of 12.

Reaction to these on social media has been mixed.   

While again some people have affirmed that enough is enough and that they will not be buying them, some Transformers fans who don't normally collect stamps have reacted positively and will buy them. 

Will they buy other stamps? Unlikely: they are buying Transformers merchandise; the fact that these are stamps is coincidental and of no consequence.

Samples of reaction on Twitter:

 

 

As usual, we will not be stocking these, they can all be obtained from Royal Mail's website and some can be bought at some post offices.

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Transformers - More than meets the eye! - 1 September 2022

As is now well known, the 'TBA' issue for September is entitled Transformers, and anyone who had youngsters (mainly boys) in the 1980s will remember the 'Robots in Disguise'.

The Transformers began with the 1980s Japanese toy lines Micro Change and Diaclone. They presented robots able to transform into everyday vehicles, electronic items or weapons. (Wikipedia).  

Optimus Prime instruction diagram: Hiroyuki Obara., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Optimus is the leader of the Autobots, a faction of Transformers who are rivals of the Decepticons, another faction. He is defined by his strong moral character and is almost always portrayed as the primary hero of the story, opposing the evil Decepticon leader Megatron.

And there, or thereabouts, it ended for may as boys grew up and children became men. 

But Hasbro bought into the toys, and hired Marvel Comics to create the backstory, a tv series was started and in 1986 the first film.  And of course there were the comics.  You can read more about it all on Wikipedia.  

As with much of what Marvel have been involved in, merchandise was important, as were fan clubs and conventions.  Which brings me to the big unknown - when will you see the stamps?

TFNation 2022 will be taking place from 12th-14th August 2022, at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel, yes, the one in England at the NEC.  And Royal Mail will reveal the stamp images "live on stage" - on Saturday 13th August.  Expect to see some images on the TFNation blog either the same day or the following day, or on social media streams. 

The stamps and numerous other products for die-hard fans will be available to pre-order on Royal Mail's shop on the morning of 13 August.  But images will be embargoed to the national press until Monday 15th August (which date also applies to us).

I can't give any more details now, but you will be able to predict the output given that you have seen Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel Comics, so think 'comic book'-style and remember the special effects department, who are well to the fore with this issue.

UPDATE 30 July:

The final Royal Mail Philatelic Bulletin lists the following products for Transformers:  4 x 1st, 4 x £1.85; miniature sheet 1 x 2nd class, 3 x 1st class, 1 x £1.85±; presentation pack, fdcs, prestige stamp book with 4 x 1st/4 x £1.85/1 x 2nd & 1 x 1st/2 x 1st & 2 x £1.85; Definitive pane 2 each 50p & £1 Machins; press sheet; collectors sheet; postcards (14), and various other items aimed at the Transformer Fanbase.

± Thanks to Chris for pointing out the omission; there are also 'fan sheets', but I count these in my wrap-up at the end.  All will be revealed in due course as there really is more than meets the eye.

Edit: I missed this earlier.  There will be a second chance for RM to sell merchandise, and possibly another special handstamp(?), because the first ever TFN: Mini-Con® will be held in Manchester, UK, on 25th March 2023!

Only 'possibly' a handstamp because at one of the events for a previous issue they sold stamps on cards cancelled with a 'postmark' which was not available anywhere else, so not to us.

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PRIDE - 1 July 2022, eight stamps and a collector sheet (and other stuff!)

A very colourful set of eight stamps will be issued by Royal Mail on Friday 1 July 2022 marking the the 50th anniversary of the first Pride rally in London in 1972.

But it is not just about the rally it is acknowledgement by Royal Mail, some time after many other countries, of the significant proportion of the population who identify as one of the LGBTQ+ community.

Royal Mail celebrates the march that took place from Trafalgar Square to Hyde Park, and of which was the first to bear the name ‘Gay Pride Rally’. The march was inspired by events in the USA, where the first Pride events had taken place to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall riots.

The stamps have been illustrated by the British artist, Sofie Birkin. Using her work to promote the gay agenda wherever possible, her illustrations have featured in campaigns for brands such as Nike and Apple.

Beginning in 1972, the stamps tell a story of Pride over time; beginning with the first ‘Gay Pride rally’, where participants shouted slogans such as ‘Glad to be gay’, to the more recent update on the traditional rainbow flag; its design encompassing the flags of trans and intersex people, while also referencing the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people of colour.

Pair of 1st class PRIDE stamps issued 1 July 2022.

Pair of 1st class PRIDE stamps issued 1 July 2022.

Pair of £1.85 class PRIDE stamps issued 1 July 2022.

Pair of £1.85 class PRIDE stamps issued 1 July 2022

Technical details

Designed by NB Studio (Sofie Birkin) © Royal Mail Group Ltd 2022 the 50 x 30 mm stamps are printed in se-tenant pairs in sheets of 60 by Cartor Security Printers using lithography.  Perforations are 14 x 14 and they have conventional gum.

Collector sheet

The collector sheet has the eight stamps alongside 8 stickers celebrating different flags of the Pride community:
Lesbian Pride, Transgender Pride, Bisexual Pride, Pansexual Pride, Non-binary Pride, Intersex Pride, Asexual Pride and Intersex Progress Pride

No technical details are available at the time of writing, but I suspect this may be self-adhesive, thus making 8 more stamps for collectors.  

UPDATE: Confirmed by Royal Mail that the sheet is

Sheet size: 297mm x 210mm

Gum type: Self-adhesive

The price is £12.40, £1.20 more than the face value of the stamps.  The sheet will be in Stanley Gibbons catalogue but not the individual stamps, although there is likely to be space for these in some preprinted albums.

Other products

First day cover, presentation pack, stamp cards, framed set, framed enlargement of the first 1st class (Kiss) stamp, coin cover and extra long first day cover (click on images for larger, but not necessarily life-size, view).

PRIDE set coin cover, with 50p coin

The 50p coin embodies both the Pride rainbow and Progress flags, alongside the core Pride in London values of unity, equality and visibility. The word protest was included by the artist, Dom Holmes, to reflect the ethos and drive for change that is behind the movement. Dom Holmes, a London-based artist and prominent activist for the LGBTQ+ community, designed the reverse of the coin.  (Three coin versions available.)

A special-edition stamp souvenir celebrating the Pride Progress flag; an update on the traditional rainbow flag of Pride, which was introduced in 2021. Its existence represents the story of Pride over the past five decades: the movement has continuously adapted to make space for an evergrowing community, embracing the multiplicity of identities that fall under the LGBTQ+ banner.
• Comes with an information card which gives a brief overview of the Pride movement
• Includes all 8 stamps aligned to create one, unified image, symbolic of Pride’s core values and
cancelled with the alternative First Day of Issue London postmark.
• This extra long souvenir envelope is 430mm.
• Edition limit of 1,000 only - Price £15.99 order code AW219

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Having been caught unawares by Royal Mail's early release of information about the Cats issue I was tempted to prepare a blog post for publication last week while I was on holiday.  But I have been caught by delayed publicity campaigns in the past so decided against it.  My thanks to those who commented on other blog posts about the issue.

The press comment so far has been very positive. 

They're a long way from the plain old Penny Black issued more than 180 years ago.  These latest vibrant designs show the Royal Mail has changed a lot since 1840 – with what may be its most inclusive stamps ever.  (Daily Mail)

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

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

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

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

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

Indeed on his Commonwealth Stamps Opinion blog, WhiteKnight writes 

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

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

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

DC Collection

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

Key Product Range Information:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Technical details

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

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

Other products

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

Batman and Robin retail booklet 17 September 2021

Wonderwoman retail booklet 17 September 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other products

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

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

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

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

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

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

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