Comedy Greats Stamps one-day Slogan Postmark

As mentioned earlier, this slogan which is in use on 1 April only, is in use both at ILM and iSLM Mail Centres, and so can be found in more than one format.

These examples from Cumbira Dumfrties & Galloway Mail Centre on 01.04.15 and Glasgow on 31-03-2015

 

  

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Another slogan postmark: Hampton Court is 500

Royal Mail are using another unannounced slogan postmark at mail centres around the country, this one marking the 500th anniversary of Hampton Court royal palace. (See the HCP500 website.)

Thanks to Trevor from this example from North West Midlands MC, I think dated 30.3.15

Update 1 April
.... from Royal Mail press release dated 30th March:

• Royal Mail is celebrating the 500th anniversary of Hampton Court Palace with a special postmark

• The postmark will printed on millions on items of mail delivered nationwide for six days from Monday 30 March

• The postmark includes an image of the palace alongside ‘500th anniversary Hampton Court Palace’

2015 marks 500 years since Cardinal Wolsey – Henry VIII’s trusted adviser - commissioned builders to lay the foundations of Hampton Court Palace. The palace will celebrate this historic occasion over the Easter weekend with a spectacular anniversary party.
 
Adrian sends a better example from Chester; perhaps somebody has one in the other format?

UPDATE 2.4.15
I've been told that the Hampton Court slogan is only being used at IMP* Mail Centres, and is being interrupted on 1 April only by the 'Comedy Greats Stamps' slogan. Here's an even clearer example from Preston:

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Post and Go Stamps Tariff Change News

As I mentioned a month ago, new postage rates came into effect today. Whilst the new definitive stamps were issued last week in preparation, Royal Mail Post and Go machines and Post Office Self-Service (NCR) Kiosks could only be updated after close of business yesterday in preparation for opening time in branches today.  The change in structure of the airmail rates required the introduction of Europe 100g and Worldwide 100g stamps, replacing the previous 60g stamps

Norwich had Machin definitive (MA14) and Working Sails stamps:

It is likely that other Machin versions will exist - MA13, MA12 etc.  Indeed MA13 stock was in the Royal Mail machine at Crewe Delivery Office.

But the surprise - and perhaps disappointment for collectors and dealers - was that the location identifier, introduced only with the new machines on 2 February, had been removed.  Thanks to Stuart and Alf for telling me about Crewe and Bradford North respectively.

Mike reports that Mount Pleasant, Camden, Baker Street, Great Portland Street & Trafalgar Square offices in London all have Machin stamps only. 

UPDATE 31 March
Thanks also to Stuart for pictures of Crewe (M002) and Bradford North (M003) stamps produced yesterday with no name. These are both MA13.

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Machin Security Stamps coming thick and fast in 2015!

Three new 2105 Machin printings have been reported this week, and we can show two of them here.

The 2nd class business sheet was printed on 26/01/05 - my sheet number is 0372383.  (Norvic number 2911B.5 now available in our webshop but no top panels available.)

The 1st Large retail book of 4 has also been found, coded MA15 as is normal for Large stamps.  The cylinder numbers on these are hidden by the front cover, so careful examination of packs is required to extract cylinder booklets.  (Norvic number 2937.5, a few now available in our webshop: we hope to have more supplies and whole booklets.)

Somebody remarked to me this week that some of the M15L codes on other stamps have been unclear, the '5' looking like a '3' in many cases.  I think it depends on the angle you look at, and the magnification used.  Here are two pictures of the same stamp, with the light at different angles:

The other new stamp which has been reported to us is the 2p green counter sheet.  Pictures will be here as soon as we get them. Apologies, this was a misunderstanding; what was mentioned was a new late 2014 / M14L printing of the 2p.

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BPMA Post and Go Stamps to have Penny Black 175 inscription

As part of celebrations to mark the 175th anniversary of the issue of the world's first postage stamp, the Penny Black, the BPMA will produce another new Post and Go stamp.

According to GBStamp.co.uk the stamps will include a graphic of the the Maltese Cross, the iconic postmark cancellation.

Stamps with the new inscription will be available on the 1st and 2nd class Machin Post & Go stamp designs. The inscription will read "The B.P.M.A. / Penny Black 175". The first day of issue will be 6 May 2015, and they will remain available until 7th August.
 
UPDATE 5 May:
BPMA has released this picture of the Penny Black imprinted Machin Post and Go stamp, with a reminder that the machine will be unavailable from 3.30pm 5 May till 9.30am 6 May.

 We will not be providing these stamps from the day of issue.

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Wincor-Nixdorf RIP

As expected all of the Wincor-Nixdorf Post and Go machines have been removed from Post Office branches.  Postagelabelsuk has reported that the plug was pulled at the WH Smith Swiss Cottage PO just after 4pm on Monday 23rd March 2015.

The following day the last operational kiosk – from Swiss Cottage - was removed to the BPMA store for preservation for decades to come.

I haven't received any details about any replacement machines.  From personal experience I would say that Perth (WH Smith) doesn't have room for an NCR machine, and Kidderminster does but only for one, so I don't expect either office to have them.   The final list provided by Post Office Ltd in November was:

Branch Code	Branch Name	No*	Address 2	Address 3	Post Code
003313	Chester Le Street	1	137 Front Street	Chester Le Street	DH3 3AA
004202	Boston	1 WHS	27 Strait Bargate	Boston	PE21 6EG
014613	Carmarthen	1 WHS	7/8 Guildhall Square	Carmarthen	SA31 1PN
005206	Crewe Town	1 WHS	13 Victoria Centre	Crewe	CW1 2PU
100003	Farringdon Road	4	39-41 Farringdon Road	London	EC1M 3JB
032004	Holloway	1	116-120 Seven Sisters Road	Holloway, London	N7 6AE
011306	Keighley	1 WHS	27 Cooke Lane, Airedale Centre	Keighley	BD21 3PF
008208	Kidderminster	1 WHS	19/20 Vicar Street	Kidderminster,	DY10 1DD
699010	Model office	1	148 Old Street	London	EC1V PHQ
016820	Perth	1 WHS	91-97 High St	Perth	PH1 5TJ
015427	Southport	1 WHS	22 Chapel Street	Southport	PR8 1AF
042005	Swiss Cottage	1 WHS	9/10 Harben Parade, Finchley Rd	South Hampstead, London	NW3 6JS

Technically this is the end of Post and Go in branches as the new NCR machines are designed to cover so many more transactions that simply selling stamps and are designated Post Office Self Service Kiosks.  Nonetheless Royal Mail's RM2 machines are still designated Post and Go and that is how we expect them to refer to new stamp issues for the forseeable future.

UPDATE  25 March
An update from Roy S - Phoned Carmarthen, Perth and Keighley yesterday and they are not having replacement NCR kiosks fitted.

So presume that all the WHS offices that had a Wincor kiosk will not have NCR kiosks fitted.

Chester-Le-Street, now that it is not relocating, is going to get NCR kiosks.

UPDATE 26 March

My thanks go to a mystery benefactor (who is probably wondering why I haven't mentioned this earlier in the week) who sent this Last Day Cover from Swiss Cottage on Monday (it arrived this morning, obviously treated as 2nd class!)

Nicely cancelled by Swiss Cottage PO staff (thanks also to them!) this has one of the now obsolete 2nd class labels, as well as a 1st class stamp with the datastrings showing machine number 1.  The last machine number 1 in operation, all the replacement NCR machines being numbered 67 upwards.  

If you're thinking that you really ought to have had an example of the Label in your collection, we have a few left on our shop, still at the bargain price of £1.  These are from Kidderminster.

UPDATE 24 June:
The Crown Office at Dunfermline is to relocate to a branch of WHSmith, but will remain a Crown Office, according to Dunfermline Press

General manager of their Crown branch network, Roger Gale, said: “If the move goes ahead the branch would continue to be run by Post Office Ltd with the current post office team, but from within the WH Smith store. 

“This move is part of our ongoing modernisation of the network and will allow us to maintain a Crown post office in Dunfermline while providing a new, modern branch for our customers from a bright, new environment.” 

He added: “The new branch will operate from a newly-built dedicated open plan post office area located on the lower ground floor of the WH Smith store, which can be accessed by a customer lift, or stairs.”

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New postage rate stamps 2015

New Machin & country definitive stamps 24 March.

Pictures of the actual stamps are now included in the original post here.

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Commemorative Stamp Sheet marks Anthony Trollope Birth Bicentenary.

As forecast in the Daily Mail and reported here last year, Royal Mail are commemorating the bicentenary of the birth of novelist Anthony Trollope.  But rather than a set of stamps as forecast, this is a premium-priced Commemorative Sheet.

Issued on the bicentenary of the birth of Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) he was one of the most successful and respected English novelists of the Victorian era and had a long association with the Post Office.   Anthony Trollope began his career with the Post Office in 1834 when, at the age of 19, he became a Post Office clerk at St Martin’s-le-Grand in London. Though his early career was not especially distinguished, as his responsibilities grew so did his enthusiasm for the postal service during an innovative and interesting period of its history, with the introduction of the penny post and the steady organisation of efficient delivery routes.

One of Trollope’s key achievements was his determined lobbying for the introduction of pillar boxes into Britain.  Such facilities already existed in France and so during a review of postal services in the Channel Islands, he recommended that pillar boxes be trialled in St Helier, Jersey, in 1852. The following year they were introduced to mainland Britain, in Carlisle, and in 1855 London’s first pillar box appeared.

Special postmarks have been announced for the issue of this sheet:

Ref 13381 is available from London Special Handstamp Centre, Mount Pleasant.
Ref 13386 is available from the North of England Special Handstamp Centre, South Shields.

UPDATE
Royal Mail has created a special slogan postmark to mark Trollope’s bicentenary.  This will appear on stamped mail across the UK from 24 April for one week

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2015 Machin Definitive Stamp reprints now available.

We can now show the 5 new stamps which were originally reported here.

The 1p, printed 21/01/15 - for sale in our webshop here.

The £1, printed 13/01/15 - in our webshop here.

The 2nd class counter sheet - 26/02/2015

1st class Signed For - 25/02/15

1st class Large Signed For - 24/02/15

New Tariff stamps.

These are expected in stock very soon.  If you would like date blocks of the above (we mainly have one of each) please let me know as soon as possible.  Otherwise if you wish to order the new values in addition to those shown here to be sent in one batch, please wait until the new values are added.  We have sufficient stock of the single stamps.

Known printing dates are:  
Updated 23.3.15 (thanks Brian)

£1.33         26/01/15 and 27/01/15

£1.52         15/01/15, 23/01/15 and 26/01/15

£2.25         14/01/05 and 15/01/15

£2.45         16/01/15

£3.15         19/01/15

£3.30         19/01/15 and 20/01/15

Any more dates found?

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Stamps in Spring Blooms Post and Go Bureau pack also reprinted.

We reported that the Union Flag Post and Go Bureau Pack had been found with reprinted contents, the stamp being from the RM2 machine with a revised font for all text.  The Spring Blooms Bureau Pack (16) has also been found with stamps from RM2.

The change did not affect Symbolic Flowers or later packs which were all printed on RM2 machine C002.

Click on the image for an enlargement.

Both packs are available on our webshop while stocks last.

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