More Castles, set and miniature sheet - 21 May 2026

The latest Royal Mail celebration of the United Kingdom's Castles introduces some that we haven't seen before, except perhaps on the Castles series of Smilers Sheets.

Information supplied:

Across the extent of the British Isles, our landscape is studded with castles, great and small. Some survive as houses or visitor attractions, others as ruins, earthworks or just shadows traced in the lines and names of streets in 21st-century cities and towns. Today, castles are objects of curiosity, but for centuries these buildings were great monuments at the heart of political, social and economic life. 

This stamp set features photography of eight castles, from all four nations of the UK, dating from the Norman period onwards. The Miniature Sheet of four stamps celebrates four ‘Royal’ castles. These designs feature newly commissioned artworks by the British artist, Rob Ball. 

Castles Stamps details

The Castles. Scotland: Uruquhart and Stirling; England: Warwick and Bamburgh; Wales: Raglan and Pembroke; Northern Ireland: Dunluce and Dundrum.

Technical details

Designed by Stand Up the 50 x 30 mm gummed stamps have been printed by Cartor Security Printers by lithography in four sheets of 60 (30 se-tenant pairs), perforated 14.

Dunluce Castle, photograph© Adam Burton/Alamy Stock Photo, featured with kind permission of the Historic Environment Division, Department for Communities, Northern Ireland and Randal McDonnell, Earl of Antrim;
Dundrum Castle, photograph© scenicireland.com/Christopher Hill Photographic/Alamy Stock Photo, featured with kind permission of the Historic Environment Division, Department for Communities, Northern Ireland;
Raglan Castle, photograph© Maciej Olszewski/Alamy Stock Photo, featured with kind permission of Cadw;
Pembroke Castle, photograph© Sebastian Wasek/Alamy Stock Photo, featured with kind permission of Pembroke Castle/Pembroke Castle Trust;
Urquhart Castle, photograph by Karol Kozlowski© robertharding/Alamy Stock Photo, featured with kind permission of Historic Environment Scotland;
Stirling Castle, photograph © John Carroll Photography/Alamy Stock Photo, featured with kind pennission of Historic Environment Scotland;
Warwick Castle, photograph by John Lamb/Getty Images, featured with kind permission of Merlin Entertainments;
Bamburgh Castle, photograph© SuxxesPhoto/Alamy Stock Photo, featured with kind permission of Mr Francis Watson-Annstrong 

Miniature Sheet  

Miniature Sheet of four 1st class stamps showing Royal Castles - Caernarfon, WIndsor, Balmoreal and Dover.

Technical details

Designed by Stand Up the 192 x 74 mm sheet printed by Cartor Security Printers by lithography contains four 60 x 30 mm gummed stamps using newly commissioned artwork by Rob Bell.

Collectors Sheet

A collectors sheet contains all 8 stamps from the set with accompanying labels which could of themselves have been the stamp designs.  In fact the views of Raglan and Stirling used for the stamps are probably not as attractive as the labels.  The collectors sheet is self-adhesive.

Self-adhesive Castles Collectors Sheet of 8 stamps and relevant labels.

Products available

Set of 8 stamps, miniature sheet, presentation pack, first day covers (2), stamp cards, press sheet of 10 miniature sheets, and framed set, miniature sheet, and collectors sheet (£39.99 each).

First day cover filler card

Click on any image to see a larger version.

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Random Offers - quirky and unusual - Week 47.

It was a busy weekend, partly dealing with customer orders for discount postage so this is the first offer for this week.  Update: second offer added (E)

Items offered have now been consolidated to one place, which is a linked page, rather than a blogpost.   

D. Ephemera mixed bag, pick and choose - Free to blog followers!

D1 - Machin black postcard from the National Postal Museum 1981, printed by the House of Questa, issued to mark Ten Years of Decimal Machins.  [One available].

D2. - Machin blackprint by Harrison & Sons 15 February 1971 [One available].

D3. - British Postal Order Gift Card (undated).  Designed to hold a standard postal order of the time in the same way as Book Tokens and Store Gift Cards, for sending through the post.  [Two available.]

 

D4. - Telephone Stamp Card issued by Post Office Telecommunications in 1979, before British Telecom - and I thought Busby was a BT mascot.  Inside there's room for up to 20 Telephone stamps and this too could be used as a gift card to a friend or relative. Telephone Stamps could only be used to pay for telephone charges which, at the time, you could pay in cash at the PO counter.  [only 1 now available]

D5. Lastly a proper postal item - a parcel tag for the Royal Mail Parcels Direct Bag Service for mailings to Charities.  When this was used mailbags would be delivered to the charity intact, which made handling easier for Royal Mail and for the charity.  This may have been for the children's TV programme Blue Peter in 1994.  Just one of these available.

 

Pick and Choose: if you are interested in any or all of these, leave a comment which I shall publish as soon as I can, and say which ones you would like.  Then send me an email with your name and address and blog follower ID.

I'll mark the blog as soon as I can as individual items cease to be available.  

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E. It's what's inside that counts - Kent Air display 1935 - £10 including postage

When you buy mixed lots of covers you get some good, some ordinary, and some in quite poor condition.  Certainly this isn't a cover that would make it into a collection or display.

1935 cover posted locally at Margate with 1½d Jubilee stamp.

There isn't even anything on the even grubbier reverse to indicate where it cam from: without the contents it is nothing.  The letter, however, reveals that the addressee is a lucky prize-winner in the Isle of Thanet Gazette contest to win a free flight in an air display by Sir Alan Cobham.  

After service in WWI in the Royal Flying Corps and then the RAF he joined De Haviland as a test pilot. He flew around Europe, to Cape Town, and then to Australia leaving from the River Medway in Kent.

In 1932 he started the National Aviation Day displays – a combination of barnstorming and joyriding. This consisted of a team of up to fourteen aircraft, ranging from single-seaters to modern airliners, and many skilled pilots. It toured the country, calling at hundreds of sites, some of them regular airfields and some just fields cleared for the occasion. Generally known as "Cobham's Flying Circus", it was hugely popular, giving thousands of people their first experience of flying, and bringing "air-mindedness" to the population.  From 1933-35 there were two simultaneous tours throughout the season but these stopped after a fatal mid-air collision over Blackpool.

Letter from Gazette to lucky winner (divided scan - letter complete)

National Aviation Displays Ltd Display Flight Ticket.

Just one available, so if you would like this leave a comment which I shall publish as soon as I can.  Then send me an email with your name and address and blog follower ID.  I'll provide payment details as soon as I can.

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F. Welsh local? No, Argentine Cinderella!   -  SOLD.

This might appeal to collectors in Wales, or of Welsh material - especially if they live in Argentina - buenas tardes!

In 1865, a group of Welsh people grew tired of the English domination of their land and peoples. Led by the Reverend Michael Jones, this group took their ship, the Mimosa, and sailed to what became Port Madryn in Argentina. The group of about 150 people wished to find vacant land to occupy where they could preserve their culture and avoid the economic oppression they felt in Wales. 

In September 1965 the Argentine Government issued an 8 pesos stamp to commemorate the centenary of the Welsh colonisation of Patagonia. The stamp design shows the tea clipper Mimosa, which was specially converted into a passenger vessel for this voyage, against a map of the Province of Chubut, where the Welshmen made their settlement. They landed at Puerto Madryn, Patagonia on July 28, 1865, sailing from Liverpool on May 25. [Ships Stamps website]  

8 pesos Argentina stamp marking the centenary of the Welsh colonisation of Patagonia, depicting the Mimosa.

The early settlers livied in caves or pits dug into the ground, but they persevered until the building of the Patagonian Railway in 1886, which precipitated the expansion of the settlement. In 1965, their descendants issued a commemorative label to honor the centennial of the colony's founding.

Since the inscription "Post Cymru" (Welsh Post) occurs at both the right and left sides of the stamp, it is easily mistaken for a regional postal issue. Done in green with black, the stamps were issued in rouletted sheets of 50.

"Cwladfa Patagonia" (Colony of Patagonia) appears at the top right above a vignette of a black sailing ship approaching green cliffs. At the bottom, in black, is the inscription "Mimosa, Porth Madryn, 28 VII '65", indicating the date in July, 1865, that the colonists arrived. [Cinderellas Riga Stamps website]

"Cwladfa Patagonia" (Colony of Patagonia) commemorative label to honor the centennial of the colony's founding.

Again just one available - free of charge - so if you would like this leave a comment which I shall publish as soon as I can.  Then send me an email with your name and address and blog follower ID. 

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More to follow as I delve deeper into the boxes.  If you are looking for something unusual, drop me an email about it and if I have any, I'll let you know.

All offers are now in a separate page - see link on right under 'LINKS'   ➡︎➡︎➡︎➡︎➡︎➤

This will be expanded with more offers, and a brief post will be added in the blog for each week. 

Thanks for looking!

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New Wales Country definitives 14 November 2024, but airmail stamps to end

As well as the 2024 Christmas stamps Royal Mail have also put on their website for pre-order two new Wales Country definitives with the profile of King Charles III.

Queen Elizabeth II Wales 2nd class definitive

As standing order customers will know from their advance notice, the Wales Definitive has been billed at a value of £2.50, leading some to think that it is erroneously an airmail stamp at the pre-October 7th rate.  But of course the sum of the 2nd class and 1st class is now £2.50, and it is these two values which are being issued on 14 November, the King's birthday.

The stamps can be seen here.

In accordance with Royal Mail’s environmental policy, all existing stock of definitive and country definitive stamps featuring the portrait of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II are being issued to exhaustion, and new Definitive stamps with the King Charles III portrait will be issued according to supply and demand.

The Welsh 1st and 2nd Class Definitive stamps will be available for the first time featuring the King’s silhouette. 

The stamp designs featuring Welsh national symbols have been retained from previous country definitive designs. The Welsh Dragon has been forged from Welsh steel, whilst the Leek has been carved from Welsh sycamore. 

Country Definitives will now be limited to 1st and 2nd Class NVIs and no longer include international values.

The 39 x 30 mm self-adhesive stamps are printed in sheets of 25 by Cartor Security Printers in lithography.

When they will be available generally in Post Office branches is anyone's guess!  Please send your reports.

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More new King Charles definitive booklets, and sheet printings.

We reported 2024 reprints of the Counter Sheet definitive stamps in February when the 1st and 2nd class sheets were found in Post Offices.  Other sheet printings have been announced by Royal Mail, and booklets have been found locally.

The 1st class was reprinted on 170/1/2024 and the 2nd class on 18/01/24.  Not previously mentioned here were reprints of the 1st class Large on 01/03/24 and the 2nd class Large on 04/03/2024.  There were further reprints of the 1st class on 12/03/2024 and the 2nd class on 13/03/24.

The 2nd class booklet of 8 stamps was reported in May of this year and we have just received the 1st class M24L booklet of 8, both with source code MEIL.

2nd class King Charles III definitive booklet reprint 2024 - MEIL M24L

2nd class King Charles III definitive booklet reprint 2024 single - MEIL M24L

1st class King Charles III definitive booklet single 2024 reprint - MEIL M24L

1st class King Charles III definitive booklet single 2024 reprint showing cylinder number C1.

Country Definitives

Several collectors have reported (mainly in the new tariff post) that Royal Mail Philatelic will be charging them for new Welsh Country Definitives on 14 November.  Of course I know about these but because of Royal Mail's stupid embargo system, I am not supposed to be writing about them or showing the images until the end of this month.

Well, imagine the current 2nd and 1st class Wales stamps with the head of King Charles instead of Queen Elizabeth.  There, that's not difficult.   

There will be no airmail rate stamp.  The new pair of stamps have a value of £2.50 - unfortunately the cost to send an airmail letter will be £2.80.

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Small stock of Regional Machins found - were we sold out when you ordered?

In a stockbook which I though had all used stamps in,  I found a very small stock of later Regional Machin definitives.

All at our usual low prices, there are no more than two of each.  If you ordered before and I told you we were sold out, email again and remind me when you placed the original order. Those people will get priority, but if anyone else needs these, please email very soon. 

I'm listing the SG numbers only, you all have a version of the Concise catalogue don't you?  😁

Northern Ireland: 

39 - 40 - 44 - 47 - 49 - 51 - 55 - 56  - 57 - 58 - 61 - 63 - 65 - 66 - 67 - 68

Scotland:

54 - 55 - 56 - 58 - 60 - 62 - 64 - 66 - 67 - 69 - 70 - 73 - 75 - 77 - 78 - 79 - 80

Wales:

40 - 41 - 45 - 48 - 50 - 52 - 56 - 57 - 58 - 59 - 62 - 64 - 66 - 67 - 68 - 69 - 70 - 73 - 76 - 77

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December 2023 slogan postmarks and other interesting postal markings.

Slogan postmarks used in December will be shown here; please check for latest updates before spending your time scanning, but if you have something new or another format, then please do send it in for publication. 

Our first stamped post of the month shows a continuation of the British Heart Foundation default postmark, and as it's a square envelope we have a good example of the slogan layout reversed - and the wavy lines go squarely across the barcode due to the position of the stamp.  

Gatwick Mail Centre 02/12/2023 reversed layout.

British Heart Foundation slogan postmark Gatwick 02/12/2023.

UPDATE 19 December. I'm sorry these have been building up and I did not attribute them in my file name, so apologies if I get the attribution wrong.

This one is easy, as it is addressed to us!  We don't often see examples from Home Counties North Mail Centre 17-12-2023. The stamp is in the right corner, but the envelope was processed turned 90º clockwise, and the postmark missed the stamp entirely!

Square envelope causing problems at Home Counties North on 17-12-2023

 The other layout from North & West Yorkshire 11/12/2023

British Heart Foundation slogan postmark North & West Yorkshire 11/12/2023.

JG shows two examples of the BHF slogan from Peterborough Mail Centre on 4 & 5 December in different sizes.  The reason for this was explained once but I've forgotten it.

British Heart Foundation slogan postmark Peterborough Mail Centre 04 & 05-12-2023 in differemt sizes.

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Post Early for Christmas?  Last Posting Dates?

When did we last not have a 'Post early' or similar slogan?  UK readers will know of the delivery problems that Royal Mail has simply because it has driven so many of its employees to leave the service rather than put up with the stress of extra long hours and heavy loads.  So this year they didn't bother to ask us to post early or have a slogan with the last posting dates.

Meanwhile, here are some they did earlier...

Last Posting Dates 2017 Norwich Mail Centre

Remember to Post Early, Exeter Mail Centre 2017

Remember to Post Early, Norwich Mail Centre 2018

Last posting dates, Exeter Mail Centre 2018

Last posting dates, Peterborough Mail Centre 2019

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Other postmarks, postal markings etc,

It's Christmas and so as is usual at this time of year - despite fewer cards being posted every year - old Universal machines are coming out of retirement.

First out of the trap this year is Stromness, Orkney on 4 December, with the Snowman slogan.  JE writes, "Stromness' machine has not had a year slug for several years - but the stamp and the Inverness inkjet confirm that it is from 2023. This is one of the few Universal SCMs still in regular use by RoyalMail - presumably year slugs are no longer supplied.  The Snowman slogan die dates from 1994. (The Inverness British Heart Foundation slogan applied later the same day.)

Stromness, Orkney, Universal postmark dated 4 December (2023) with Snowman slogan.

Overlabelled!

My thanks to AB for sending this image,  Packaging from Amazon was reused - very commendable - and the Post Office stuck the Horizon label over the yellow Amazon label.  Remember that these QR-type codes are tracked internally through Royal Mail's system (and may also provide proof of delivery on the website).  

Evidently scanning at the Midlands Parcel Hub was hampered by 'show-through' from the Amazon label, and so they provided a new QR-coded label with the same pattern and same number.  I've never heard of this operational need before, probably because most of the time the packaging is discarded when the goods are removed.  One to watch out for - more modern postal history!

Overlabelled at Midlands Hub - to provide a more readable QR-type code.

Update 22 December. This is one I should have shown last month; it is also on the Postal History blog because of the new surcharge rate of £2.50 effective from 30 October, but we don't get many Northern Ireland postmarks, so this one from CRAIGAVON DELIVERY OFFICE helps to redress that

£2.50 'Stamp no longer valid', surcharge 1 November 2023 at new rate effective 30 October, with Cragavon Delivery Office postmark

CARDIFF REVENUE PROTECTION

My thanks to Mel Holley for this image from Cardiff Mechanised Letter Office.  The packet (which must have weighed between 101-250g) was correctly prepaid at the 2nd class rate of £2.40, but was set aside for checking, maybe because it was a spot check on the weight?

Whatever the reason, no surcharge was applied and the letter was duly delivered.

DIOGELWCH REFINIW
POST WEDI'N DALU
M.L.O. CAERDYDD
REVENUE PROTECTION
POSTAGE PAID
CARDIFF M.L.O.

To the left of the text is the figure 1 for First Class, although this is a 2nd class Large Letter.

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If you have any other interesting postal markings, please send them to one of the email addresses in the top right of this blog.  Thank you.

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Remember, any other slogans appearing in December will be added to this post, so check here before you spend time scanning and emailing.  I'll add new ones as quickly as possible.

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No airmail country definitives in the near future.

Royal Mail have confirmed that they have no immediate plans to issue £2.20 country definitives to cater for the new Worldwide airmail rate which took effect in the spring.

So this stamp, and similar from the other three countries of the UK will not be printed.

Mock-up of £2.20 England country definitive (QE2 head) which will not be issued.

A spokesman said:

"Our decisions are primarily based on sustainability so we will introduce new stamps on a schedule driven by forecast use and anticipated replacement. There will be a time they need to be replaced but having launched them in 2022, just 5 months before the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it will be into 2024 before we consider the full range. We will then take a view at that point as to the value requirements beyond NVIs. The only decsion taken at this time is nothing was required for 2023."

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Wales variety - covers awaited.

For customers who have been expecting cancelled first day covers for the Wales 1st class error I am still waiting for them to be returned by the Handstamp Centre in Cardiff.

Unfortunately after I sent them, there was an announcement in the September Postmark Bulletin that Cardiff's SHC had closed and all covers were now being processed in Edinburgh - which leaves just that one and Mount Pleasant still operating.

Sorry for the delays - outside my control.  (I received a letter from a customer in London today - it was posted on 1 September.)

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Something old and borrowed from Wales - amazing error!

Our journey started the day before the datamatrix country definitives were issued, but - apart from not being able to find any in the branches in Wales that I visited - that provided the first news, which came from Ian in County Durham.

This is a 'spot the difference' question:

Wales datamatrix country definitives mint (top) and on Royal Mail fdc (below).

I'm not setting this as a quiz, the news is too startling not to reveal.  You might spot the difference if you click on the image above, but to save you the trouble, here is an enlargement.

As most collectors of modern definitives know, there is usually a special coil printing of self-adhesive stamps for use on Royal Mail fdcs.  The direction of print on these is sideways (horizontal) rather than vertical.  I'm not good enough to see that and I don't know how long it would have taken me to see this, even if I did have the first day cover.  

As you will see, the denomination in the sheet stamp is in the new (2017, that is) font but on the FDC stamp the AF is in the original font.   This can only apply on the Wales stamps, and the 2nd class is fine, with AIL/ND all being in the 2017 serifed font.

This isn't the first time that this value has been featured in these columns.  Back in July 2019 we reported that Cartor, having switched to the new font in 2017, did a reprint in January 2019 in the original font.  So they have form!  But this is the first instance of mixed fonts as far as I know.

If anybody is interested in acquiring this FDC please contact me by email. - Sorry, all gone now.

Royal Mail have been approached for comment - the point has been passed to the Production department.

UPDATE 24 AUGUST.

Several people (thank you) have pointed out that there is another difference common to all the stamps on official first day covers.   To quote from one of my correspondents:

All 4 of the 2nd Class Stamps have a 4.5mm wide Phosphor Band on the Sheet issue stamps & 5.5mm wide Phosphor Band on the Coil stamps (FDC).

 

All other values are Vignetted Phosphor Bands on Sheet versions & Solid Phosphor Bands on Coil (FDC's).

This may be the first instance that the Coil Stamps used by RM for FDC's are identifiable different (apart from print direction) to those issued over the counter or available from Tallents House.  

Doubtless readers who have studied the on-FDC stamps more closely will be able to tell me of other instances if there have been any.

UPDATE 12 September:  My thanks to Rob, who has pointed out (see comments) that the AF on the new stamps is not even the same as the original. The new one is like this:  AF whereas the original is much narrower:  AF  .    That these will now be the last with the head of Queen Elizabeth makes this even more interesting.

Original sans-serif font for Wales 1st class stamp.

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Country definitive stamps with datamatrix codes - 12 new stamps 11 August 2022.

I now have these new stamps to hand so I am adding images here, but the discussion about them on the original post is extensive, so I have made this a no-comment post, with discussion continuing on the other one.

The stamps are self-adhesive as we have come to expect; there are no security cuts and no iridescent printing so Royal Mail are relying on the datamatrix code and nothing else for these.  It will be interesting to see how much - if at all - they are pushed at the countries' post offices now that they are self-adhesive. One would expect that the Scots and the Welsh, at least, might like to use these in preference to the Machins.

Scotland 2nd class definitive with datamatrix code, block of 10 showing cylinder numbers, colour dots, and printing date.

Scotland 1st, 2nd & £1.85 single stamps with datamatrix code.

England 1st, 2nd & £1.85 single stamps with datamatrix code.

Wales 1st, 2nd & £1.85 single stamps with datamatrix code.

Northern Ireland 1st, 2nd & £1.85 single stamps with datamatrix codes.

These are the first datamatrix-coded British stamps printed by litho in 4-colour process, and they demonstrate that the datamatrix code is printed by a separate unit, not in litho, in a single colour.

So whereas the code on the gravure-printed Machins matches (more or less) the ink colour of the stamps, these show only an approximation of (one of) the colours on the stamp.  

Thus the brown on the England 1st class stamp is probably the same as the brown on the Wales 2nd class.  Similarly the grey on the England 2nd class stamp is very like the colour on the Northern Ireland £1.85.

The plate grid indicates that each of the 12 stamps was printed on a separate plate of 4 panes, rather than any combination on a larger plate.  Whilst this doesn't give any information about the quantities printed, it does mean that a different quantity could have been printed of each of the 12 stamps based on expected demand - fewer for the airmail stamp, fewer for Northern Ireland, etc.

The England stamps show suggested printing printing dates of 25/04/22, the Scotland on 26/04/22, the Wales on 27/04/22, and the Northern Ireland on 28/04/22.  

The interpreted datamatrix code has what appears to be a date, in that the last four digits are 0422.  But the 'dates' are different for each stamp as follows:

120422 - England 1st
130422 - England 2nd
140422 - England £1.85
190422 - Scotland 1st
200422 - Scotland 2nd
210422 - Scotland £1.85
220422 - Wales 1st
250422 - Wales 2nd
260422 - Wales £1.85
270422 - N Ireland 1st
280422 - N Ireland 2nd
290422 - N Ireland £1.85 (if a date, it's after the indicated printing date.)

23 and 24 April were weekend dates.

For those collectors interested in the backing paper direction it is the same on all stamps except the Wales 2nd class.

As usual I will be interested in reports of any other printing or datamatrix code 'dates' and in availability.  As no comments are allowed on this post, please email details to ian-at-norphil.co.uk

Reports on availability are also welcome and will be added to the original post.

UPDATE 28 October

My thanks to MM for taking time on his holiday in Scotland to send this set from the Isle of Mull.

Set of 3 Scotland barcoded stamps used October 2022.

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