KEEP SMILING! 10th Anniversary sheet has two unique stamps

Royal Mail's booklets of definitive sized Greetings Stamps started with conventional perforations on the first [SG QA1&2] using old designs (SG 2567-72)

- and the second [QA3] which used 6 new designs (2672-77).  The associated generic Smilers sheets were also with conventional perforations.

The third booklet [QA4] contained 'the most popular of the first 12' but this time with elliptical perforations, bringing 6 collectably new stamps (2819-24).

The two Love booklets [SA1 & SA2] also brought new stamps (2693).

The Smilers for Kids marketing exercise (which thankfully hasn't been repeated in 2010) included the 'New Baby' stamp with elliptical perforations, but as this is only available in the premium-priced sheets it doesn't achieve a separate catalogue listing.   The other three designs in the S4K series (Flower, Hello & Balloons) had all been in QA4 so do have separate listing.

Now, to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Smilers there's a sheet which contains an odd mix in odd quantities -
4 each of the new Birthday Cake and Present stamps,
2 each of the 20gr airmail stamps,
3 Union Flag, and
1 each of the Robin, Love, Thank You, Fireworks, and Balloons stamps.

All these are litho with elliptical perforations, so the Robin, Fireworks and Thank You are new, not having been included in the 'most popular' QA4 booklet.  But these shouldn't be getting a separate catalogue listing either, so make sure you get yours now from this high face value sheet.  If you don't get them now, they will be even more expensive when the preprinted albums are published in May 2011 and these are no longer available.

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More changes to the 2010 GB stamp programme

More news from the '2010 programme changes' department:

10 August 2010 - Commemorative Sheet: 10th Anniversary of the London Eye

19 August 2010 - Retail booklets with printer's name removed 12 x 2nd class and 6 x 1st class*

* These are counted as 'Visible change' items and Royal Mail standing order customers should get them automatically, unlike the booklets containing new stamps with a visible year code which, are not regarded by Royal Mail as a visible change, because they concern the Security features - as if that makes them any less visible!

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Machin MA10 - 1st class counter sheet appears

A correspondent reports the 1st class gold counter sheet (no source code) has now appeared with security code MA10, and a printing date of 10/03/10.  It appears that these have been in stock for 2weeks.

As BM has pointed out "The security slits on this new printing now have nicks in the top and the bottom of the slit. This brings them into line with Walsall booklet printings."

But look around now for the 2nd class!

Now on Sale
We have a limited supply of these and other stamps with security features now listed on our e-commerce site.

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Litho ring flaw on London 2010 Festival of Stamps Souvenir Sheet

Two different ring flaws have been found on the 1p stamp in this sheet. 

From the position they could have the same origin - or they may be from two different parts of the press sheet.  We have seen several of each in our stocks - also on FDCs, now available on our e-commerce site.

Send us your finds!

Golden Machin Horizon labels nationwide - update.

I still haven't received an example of the Gold Label from Wales, but the rest of the United Kingdom is catching up fast.

Label from London, the London 2010 Festvial of Stamps on the first day of use, 8 May 2010:

Label from Lower Castlereagh, Belfast on 1 May 2010:

Label from Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow 12 May 2010

Label used from Bassett Avenue sub-PO Bicester.  With no phosphor bands it was not machineable in the normal sense but still received a poor 'Thames Valley MC' machine postmark on 11 May 2010, and a census-diamond - all examples seen are like this to some extent.

Packet Label from Senghenydd, Wales, image kindly supplied by Kevin B.

London 2010 - more covers

This is one of the actual gold horizon labels I posted to myself from the London Festival of Stamps post office.

It is not possible to produce Horizon labels for normal letter postage (less than 100gr, ie 41p 1st & 32p 2nd class), so the £0.81 label shown above is the minimum solo use.  However, you can use Horizon labels to make up the postage on letters also bearing stamps.  So I produced this novelty item using a Faststamp from the Post & Go machine for the basic 41p, with the balance of 56p on the Horizon label to make the 1st class Large Letter rate.  Note that, in accordance with the rules, the Fastamp is handstamped at the counter (in this case the PO service at the show was provided by the postmaster from Leytonstone, so these have the branch CDS).   Normally mail posted with Horizon labels would not get a machine postmark as most are non-machineable but this went through the Mount Pleasant machine on the first operational day after the mail was collected from the show at 5.30pm on Saturday 8 May.

Set of 5 Faststamps from London 2010 Post & Go machine (branch code 002010) cancelled with special show handstamp.

And a set of 3 Post & Go labels from London 2010 Post & Go machine (branch code 002010) cancelled with special show handstamp.  These would not normally be cancelled in normal postal operations, but an exception was made for items posted at the show.

Machin Security Coils 2010

Thanks to Richard P we now have good pictures of the 1st & 2nd class stamps from the new coils.

These are not self-adhesive and have no security slits, but they have the MRIL code at top right and MA10 code to the left of the head like the others with this code.  Stamps from the coils of 500 and of 1000 appear to be the same.

We'll be interested to know if any of these turn up in vending machines in or outside post offices, and if any are found on mail - other from dealers and other collectors, of course!

Now on Sale
We have a limited supply of these and other stamps with security features now listed on our e-commerce site.

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Machin MPIL variations - accidental or deliberate?

The George V prestige stamp book predictably contains a Machin pane which, predictably brought us some new stamps.  This is a scan of the actual pane, containing 2nd & 1st class stamps, and a 50p, the first self-adhesive PSB pane with small Machin definitives.

Of course these have security features, so the source code, at top right is MPIL and the year code, to the left of the eye, is MA10.  So far so good.

Collectors of Smilers Sheets - especially collectors who have used these stamps on FDCs, know that at an early stage either the printers or Royal Mail's production department recognised that there was a chance that in use the labels could become detatched from the stamp, thus destroying the link and purpose of the personalised stamps.  So these sheets included 'hangers' - interrupted die-cut perforations which were designed to keep the label and stamp together.  This is an enlarged image from the 2003 Christmas Robins sheet.

It was no suprise, then, that the same features exist in this PSB pane - after all, Royal Mail standard PSB FDCs always use the definitive pane, and they couldn't have their machinery gummed up with stamps which should be on the covers.

The first panes we received had a single hanger in the perforation hole immediately above the elliptical (long) perforation hole.   These panes also had the security slits in two types - at the bottom the divided 'paperclip' and at the top, a continuous paper clip.

The panes in the books - and later loose panes - are completely different.  Both 'paperclips' are divided, but more significant are the three additional hangers (see type B to the right of the illustration).  An additional hanger is in the 5th hole from the top on the long sides of the stamp, and two more are on both the short sides, five holes in from either corner, making 8 hangers in all.  These differences apply to all three stamps, so if you are a specialist collector for this sort of detail there are 6 new stamps, not 3.

So -  a deliberate change because either the printer had problems preparing the books or Royal Mail had problems with the handling & FDCs for this pane, or just a minor variation.  Or is it, perhaps, something that Royal Mail's production department have introduced to make Machin collectors even more interested, something to get you keenly examining every copy of every new stamp to find out whether there are unannounced differences ? 

I'd be interested in any further variations to this pane either in the hangers or the paperclips.

Now on Sale
We have a limited supply of these and other stamps with security features now listed on our e-commerce site.

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Another change to the 2010 GB stamp programme

Announcement from Royal Mail:

Due to circumstances beyond Royal Mail’s control, the issue dates for some stamp issues later this year will be interchanged and a stamp issue planned for 2011 will now be issued this year. 

2010 and 2011 changes
The Musicals * issue originally scheduled for 19 August will now be issued on 22 February 2011.
The Great British Railways stamp issue originally scheduled for 16 September will now be issued on 19 August 2010.
The Medical Breakthroughs issue that was planned for February 2011 will now be issued on 16 September 2010. This stamp issue does not feature an anniversary.

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* As advised in the preview briefing in February, this is to feature publicity posters of current West End musicals.
This is the latest change to the programme, in a year which has seen unprecedented variations to the original published programme, the first of which delayed distribution of the usual annual booklet from January until March!
The Britain Alone set just issued last week was originally slated for September (Battle of Britain time) and the Railways issue was originally listed for issue during London 2010.
The House of Stuart issue was originally listed for 12 October but was moved to 15 June, switching with the Children's Books Europa issue.

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More New Security Machins on sale at London 2010 - update

FOYAL becomes MFIL !

We can't spot everything - most of you know that I am not so much a Machin specialist, but more  conduit for all the news that we and others find!   The Large Letter stamps with MA10 code have the point of origin code changed - see the now edited original post and comments.