Latest stamps added to our webshop.

The weekend trip to the York Stamp and Coin Fair was successful and uneventful, and I obtained supplies of the two new 2nd class Machin stamps, the 2015 coil and the business sheet with printed backing paper.

Also in this shop update we have added some VFU and fine used definitives, which we know some customers, especially outside the UK, find hard to obtain at reasonable prices.

There are also some Christmas high-values very fine used.  As usual you can find these by clicking on the 'Recent Additions' link.  (Remember, they are shown chronologically according to when they were added to the shop.)

All the used self-adhesive stamps are on white paper.  Many collectors believe that - despite the extra bulk of part of the envelope - the stamps are better presented this way, and will have not suffered any damage during the removal from the envelope by whatever chemical means.

Coming soon: the five airmail NVI stamps in various forms, and the booklets in which they were issued. These are three of them.

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Heritage Transport not the first new Post and Go Faststamps of 2016

Press Release 18 January 2016

Post and Go to change following The Postal Museum brand launch

On Monday 1 February 2015, the British Postal Museum and Archive (BPMA) will launch its new brand to the public and officially change its name to The Postal Museum.

As part of this rebrand, the overprint on the BPMA’s Post and Go will change to reflect the new name, featuring the new logo and the words ‘The Postal Museum’. This will also take place on 1 February and appear on the Machin, Union Flag and Heraldic Lion designs. Products featuring the new overprint will be available from the online shop reflecting this important development in the organisation’s history.

The first special issue of Post and Go stamps to feature the new branding will be the Postal Heritage Vehicles issue from 17 February.

Stamps are available from the foyer at Freeling House during standard opening hours. Please check postalheritage.org.uk for more information.

UPDATE 24 January 2016 

As a result of the rebranding the Museum's permanent special postmark will also change.  The BPMA handstamp will be available until 31 January 2016.  The Postal Museum handstamp will be in use from 1 February 2016.   Both are obtainable from the London Special Handstamp Centre, Mount Pleasant (just around the corner from the Museum).  The reference number will be unchanged at 9568

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Royal Mail's second slogan postmark for 2016: Armed Forces Covenant

The Royal Mail 500 postmark seems to have lasted only a week, though it will doubtless make return appearances through the year, and definitely around 17 February when the new stamps are issued.

Several readers have reported a new slogan for the Armed Forces Covenant, with the design used on the IMP machine quite different from that used on iSLM machines.

The armed forces covenant is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly. Government is working with businesses, local authorities, charities and community organisations to support the forces through services, policy and projects.

 From Plymouth and Cornwall MC and Glasgow MC 13 January 2016

Press release (July 2015) about Royal Mail and the Armed Forces Covenant.

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Printing on backing paper makes an appearance at last on 2nd class stamps.

Innovation takes time! Back in June 2014 I wrote:

According to Stamp Magazine:

1. Self-adhesive stamps are to be printed with a security inscription on the entire backing paper from next year to deter forgers.  This will include special stamps as well as definitives in counter sheets, booklets, business sheets and coils.

'Next year' of course means 2015 and sure enough we now know that printing of the 2nd class Business Sheet on 1 December (01/12/15 - and of course there may have been earlier printings) has the new backing paper, which we are referring to as SBP - Security Backing Paper.

Now, the question is how to collect these - if indeed you want to add them to your collection.  The stamps themselves are not different, they are coded M15L MBIL just the same as those already in circulation.

The inter-stamp gaps on Business Sheets are not very large, so you may want to collect in pairs, or a strip of 3 with one stamp removed.   With Booklets of 6 or 12, the spacing shows more backing paper on the 1st and 3rd (and 4th and 6th) columns, but the 2nd and 5th columns are as close as the Business Sheets, so again, maybe strips of 3.  For Counter Sheets pairs, or marginal singles (especially top and bottom) will show more of the backing paper than single stamps.

So, what do you think, how will you want to collect - let me know, as dealers shouldn't dictate by limiting what is available.  And do you think this will be any deterrent to forgery? 

As with the new coil, we now have these in stock.

UPDATE: Very interesting comment by stamp printing expert Glenn Morgan in the comments, which I urge all readers to read in it's entirety.

This feature is not there for Joe Public to spot, but it is an essential part of security when bringing a case to court by the very investigators that you write about, who have Royal Mail support by its introduction of such features. 

See the Tullis Russell website for a picture of the Canadian stamp with printing on the reverse.  Again, impossible to see on a stamp which is being used, but for major stocks of suspected forged stamps, then the absence of printing on the reverse is evidence.

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Mint copies Latest Bulk Mailing 2nd class coil stamp now seen.

The latest 2nd class coil - produced for bulk postings by the Direct Mail industry - has now been seen, and we have been sent this picture.

We don't have any stock yet, but hope to be able to supply customers via our webshop after the trip to the York Stamp and Coin fair at the weekend.   More details, including pricing, as soon as possible.

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Royal Mail Transport Post and Go at Spring Stampex 2016

Somewhat earlier than in previous years Royal Mail have announced the Post and Go availability for Spring Stampex, to be held at Islington's Business Design Centre from 17-20 February 2016.  

As announced earlier here and in more detail on our website the Royal Mail issue ties in with their

celebration of 500 years of the Royal Mail.  In addition to the set of six transport-themed Faststamps, a single-design roll depicting the steam locomotive will also be available. As with the Hong Kong sea front stamp, this will be digitally printed so quite different to the gravure-printed set of 6 available at Post Office branches. There has been no announcement as to whether any of the new stamps will be available at Royal Mail enquiry offices.

It seems more than likely that this will also make an appearance at the Steam GWR Museum in Swindon which is celebrating the 175th anniversary of the GWR works at Swindon in November.

The Stampex machine line-up will be
UPDATED: see this wholesale revision 22.1.16

	Reel A	Reel B
A011	RM Heritage	Machin*
A012	RM Heritage	Machin*
A013	RM Heritage	Locomotive
JE01	Jersey Crest	Jersey Flag**
GG01	Bailiwick Life	Guernsey Flag**
GI01	TBC	TBC

*Additional inscription: ‘500 Years of Royal Mail’  
** Additional inscription: ‘500 Years of Postal History’

Jersey Post is taking the opportunity to issue a new design showing the Jersey Crest in various colours, and Guernsey Post is issuing a new 6-design set entitled Guernsey Life, which is wild animals.  Click on the country name to see the press releases on the IAR website.  One thing which is odd about the Guernsey statement is that each of the designs is allocated a 'value', eg the Blond Hedgehog is identified as being on the UK Large Letter stamp, but I would have expected it to be possible on the island and maybe at Stampex to produce any stamp with any denomination. 

The Royal Mail stamps from machine B001 are all available to pre-order via the IAR website although the Stampex event page doesn't yet have any details of the stamps available.

To avoid carrying excess stocks in a declining market, I am not planning to carry any stocks of Post and Go stamps from the public-access machines.  We will have limited supplies of single 1st class Machins and 1st class Locomotives from the B001 machine.

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Take another look at the holiday mail - surprises abound!

If, like me, you don't get round to sorting the Christmas card envelopes that you receive yourself, and from family and friends' hordes until some time in January you should look out for one that is not all it seems.

We all get a lot of red envelopes at Christmas, addressed in a variety of styles.  This one looks like any other unless you really look at it.  The two rows of numbers are the clue, and if you look closely at the apparently 'written' address it is printed with an ink-jet or laser printer in 'joined-up' script.  Look closer at the stamp and you will see that it is the 2015 coil, this time sent courtesy of the Holiday Property Bond.

For me, tearing the stamp off without looking at it was a silly mistake, espcially as JG had emailed me on 5 January with this picture of the stamp on the HPB letter sent to his wife over Christmas :-(

The other thing that you may see on your Christmas post - if it is postmarked at all - are examples of the old Universal-style postmarks.  These ought to be a better clue as to where the item was posted than the 'area' ink-jet postmarks.  (I was told that some mail from North Norfolk was sent to Chelmsford's South East Anglia MC) instead of being processed in Norwich, or even Peterborough as is often the case.

Here's an example of the Chelmsford Universal machine with the Please Post Early 'Snowman' slogan used on 17 December - along with the normal South East Anglia MC 'Last Posting Dates' slogan.   Over on the Stampboards forum some members are recording their finds - but they are few and far between.   So if you have any contribute please pop over - or, if forums are not your thing, send me your image and I'll add it to the records there and for the British Postmark Society.

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Royal Mail 500 the major event at Spring Stampex with a full range of products to buy

Royal Mail is celebrating 500 years of the establishment of the Royal Mails by Henry VIII in 1516 issuing a set of 6 stamps showing aspects of the postal service over the centuries.  These range from a Holbein portrait of Sir Brian Tuke who first established the Mails through to the new £70m Medway Mail Centre in Kent.

This stamp issue will take place during Spring Stampex and Royal Mail are wasting no opportunity to produce as many products as possible for collectors to buy, including a miniature sheet and prestige stamp book.  As 2016 is also the 175th anniversary of the introduction of the Penny Red, replacing the Penny Black, a new definitive-size 1d red stamp will be issued in the PSB (gummed) and in a retail stamp booklet similar to last year's 1d black retail booklet.  The 1d red is also being made available in the Smilers Personalisation service and for Business Customised Sheets so a generic sheet will also be issued.   The issue is split over two days, and you can see full details of all these stamps and other products on our website here.

Remember that last year the Generic Sheet sold out quickly, and the retail booklet was off-sale within months as well.

As usual coinciding with Spring Stampex there will also be new Post and Go stamps on 17 February, continuing the theme of Royal Mail Heritage with forms of transport.  These range from the 1640s Post Boy through to the 1970s Mini-Van, via packet ship, TPO and airmail - see the whole range on this webpage.

Limited information has been issued about the Post and Go arrangements at Stampex.  The Machin stamp will be available with the additional inscription

 500 Years of Royal Mail

The full set of new stamps will also be available, and the Locomotive/TPO design from the set may be available as a solo-design roll, probably digitally printed.  This will be confirmed when we have more information.  The usual pre-order form will be available for big spenders on the IAR website next week.

UPDATE 14 January
Full details of Post and Go Faststamp availability are on this new post.


ADDITIONAL PRODUCT:  Not having learned the lesson from Europhilex, and in response to a suggestion from the Philatelic Traders Society (organisers of Spring Stampex) Royal Mail will offer a limited edition pack of the miniature sheet with Spring Stampex overprint/inscription, to be sold only at the event in London's Business Design Centre.
Royal Mail stated:

To support attendance at Stamp shows a numbered limited edition pack featuring the Classic GPO Posters Minisheet with Stampex Overprint will be on sale at Spring Stampex. A small number may be available to collectors from Tallents House.

Distribution and sale arrangements have not been announced, but we expect the price to be higher than the regular miniature sheet and there to be restrictions on purchases.  There will also be a limited edition postcard of the overprinted miniature sheet.  We will not be handling these sheets. 

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New Year starts with new slogan postmark for Royal Mail 500

As readers will have seen from the 2016 programme, Royal Mail is celebrating 500 years of the establishment of the Royal Mails by Henry VIII in 1516.  Using material from the BPMA a huge mini-site has been set up linked from the homepage of Royal Mail's website, including a wealth of information and a large gallery of images.

Operationally a new slogan postmark has been in use since 4 January; thanks to Bob for these pictures of examples from Bristol and Swindon Mail Centres.  Also shown the specimen from Royal Mail's press release.

This specimen shows more detail than could ever be seen on the ink-jet postmarks!

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Missing pane in Star Wars Prestige Stamp Book.

It's a while since we had any major PSB errors, but Matthew has sent this picture of his book which has only one of the Miniature Sheet panes, the left-pane being omitted.

I'm assured that it is not a case of the missing pane breaking along the heavy roulettes - it really is missing.  So, sold short by Tallents House, but I advised him its a keeper for now.  Anybody interested in this please let me know and I'll pass on your details.

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