Great Britain's First two London 2012 Olympic Gold Medal stamps

Those who are waiting for Britain's gold medal stamps can go to the post office tomorrow as we celebrate the first women's rowing gold medal ever, as well as the first gold medal of the London 2012 Olympic Games. Helen Glover and Heather Stanning in the coxless pair.

In answer to a question, this copied from an earlier blogpost:

The Royal Mail press release said that stamps would be available singly, but we await confirmation that postmasters will be expected to separate stamps from the MS.
Further update:  We understand that postmasters will be told that single stamps may be sold.  This probably means the use of scissors!

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1st Gold Medal

The stamp, the miniature sheet, and the FDC

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For the second Gold Medal of the day: Bradley Wiggins claimed a British record seventh Olympic medal with a sensational gold in the men's time trial.

New book on 1948 London Olympics stamps

 Also still available:

New dates for Machin definitive stamps

We have some new date blocks for Machin definitives.  Just a few, and no time to put them online in our shop.   

If you are interested, please, get in touch by email (ian@norphil.co.uk)

2p          - 10/04/12
5p          - 10/04/12
76p        - 30/03/12
87p        - 10/05/12
2nd        - 22/03/12  (M12L code of course)
2nd Lge - 20/04/12 (MA12 code)

Other recent dates which can be obtained:

87p    - 30/03/12
£1      - 15/03/12
£1.90 - 09/02/12 and 04/04/12
Olympic 1st - 05/04/12 and 14/05/12

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Stamp Programme for 2013 to include Dr Who anniversary issue?

Not for the first time a stamp issue associated with a third-party organisation has been leaked before Royal Mail have made a formal announcement.

According to the Dr Who News website, next year marks the 50th anniversary of the BBC television service and there will be a stamp issue to mark that anniversary:

The Royal Mail is to release a set of stamps to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who next year, with the first day cover reportedly due on 8th January 2013.

It won't be the first time that Doctor Who has been officially recognised in such a prestigious way. A Dalek was chosen by Royal Mail to represent television in The Entertainers' Tale issue that was released on 1st June 1999. 

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Gold postbox finder

We're unashamedly still on the Olympic theme!  If you create your own Gold Medal first day covers, why not illustrate them with a picture of the postbox painted gold in honour of the winner?

Use Royal Mail's interactive Gold Medal Postbox finder, and tell us on twitter (@Ian_norvic) where they are - send a picture through twitpic or to ian@norphil.co.uk

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Royal Mail Gold Medal Postmarks - details

Royal Mail have announced the design and reference numbers for collectors wishing to send Gold Medal stamped covers for cancellation. Note that all covers go to Tallents House Edinburgh from where they will be distributed to Special Handstamp Centres in rotation.

"First Day Covers - Royal Mail will accept customer FDCs until 28 September.  Covers for postmarking should be sent to Royal Mail Tallents House, 21 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh EH12 9PB    

Dates and Postmark Reference numbers

29 July - 12653
30 July - 12654
31 July - 12655
1 August - 12656
2 August - 12657
3 August - 12658
4 August - 12659
5 August - 12660
6 August - 12661
7 August - 12662
8 August - 12663
9 August - 12664
10 August - 12665
11 August - 12666
12 August - 12667
13 August - 12668

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London 2012 Olympic Games Gold Medal stamps production process.

Royal Mail have produced this video which shows the production process for the Gold Medal stamps.   Thank goodness they are not selling press sheets of 4 x A4 sheets as well as A4 sheets of 4 miniature sheets of 6 stamps!

A milestone missed! Thanks to all our readers, and contributors!

Last Sunday while I wasn't looking, page views on this blog passed 400,000.  

As the 300,000 milestone was passed on 19 March, that's another 25,000 per month since then, or something in the order of 800 per day.

It is most gratifying to know that we have so many readers, looking not only at the (almost) daily news postings, but commenting, reading and answering others comments, and contributing news that we might otherwise miss.  The finds that you report from around the country are very useful to other collectors, and dealers, and we thank you, very much!  Thanks also to a couple of 'proof-readers': I'm doing my best to make you redundant (and just caught another typo!).

Keep watching, and onwards to half-a-million!

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New Smilers Sheets at Olympic Village - Royal Mail ignore collectors.

As reported earlier, there will be a Smilers Booth at the Olympic Games Village in Stratford.

Graham Howard has now provided further information on this, and it represents another missed opportunity Royal Mail.

They are available in two denominations 1st class Olympic/Paralympic NVI's and Worldwide NVI.
The 20 x 1st class sheet bears a passing resemblance to the recent Olympic and Paralympic Games generic sheet but is on a green background not red. The Worldwide stamps are available in half sheets of 10 on a  sheet of similar design but in yellow instead of red.
The 20 x 1st class sheet has the legend: Hello from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  The graphics are the same as the red generic sheet but in a different order and there is no legend down the centre of the sheet - this is replaced by London Eye and Nelson's Column graphics
The 10 x WW NVI sheet has the same legend and the style is repeated on both halves of the sheet, one graphic top right - Houses of Parliament and the bottom three graphics are of St. Paul's, Battersea Power Station and The Tower of London.
The sheets retail price is as follows:

• 20 x 1st class (green background) personalised sheet - £18.25 
• 10 x WW NVI (yellow background) personalised sheet - £18.50

Whilst the WW NVI sheets are marketed as a 10 stamp, A5 sheet they are in effect half of 20 stamp A4 sheet separated in the middle. As collectors items they are best collected in sheets of 20 stamps which would increase the price to £37 a sheet.

That said, here comes the bad news!
The sheets are not being made available to the general public - only athletes, volunteers and visitors with an accreditation pass or an accompanied day guest invite within the Olympic Village Plaza!!  If you can gain entry to the Olympic Village then you can buy these sheets. Conversely, if you can't gain access then you won't be able to buy these sheets.

Graham has managed to acquire some sheets - we'll publish pictures as soon as we can after he does!

Royal Mail will probably argue that the Generic sheet will satisfy collectors. For most Smilers, the personalised sheets have different borders to the generic sheets, so the yellow and green backgrounds are no surprise - but normally collectors who want these variants can buy them through the Smilers service.  Not this time.  It would have been money for old rope, but it seems that they don't want the bother of handling these other than through their agent, Yink, with the booth at the Olympics.

Here's the rubber stamp that is applied to the inside of the Folder containing the Smilers sheets:

 

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2012 Machins nearly complete - 2nd Large booklet of 4.

The 2nd class Large letter stamps from booklets of 4 with MA12 year code has been spotted on eBay.  

This shouldn't be scarce as so many stamps were purchased in April before postage rates increased and stocks were seriously depleted.

Thanks to our reader for the tip-off.  We'll let customers know when this is in stock.

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