Cheesiest Machin Portrait Ever

My ever-alert friend David pointed me to this portrait celebrating the Diamond Jubilee. It’s a reproduction of the Machin portrait made with 300 packs (60 kg) of British cheddar cheese.

I would say the tiara, hair, pearls and corsage (dress) are pretty well done, but the face doesn’t look much like the Queen. Still, it probably tastes great.

Also included in the article is the Post Pop Art Man’s huge display made out of thousands of real Machins. You can find out more about that portrait here. And we have featured Peter Mason’s work previously here and here.

Take a look at the rest of the portraits on The Telegraph’s site. Don’t miss Duckingham Palace (that’s not a typo!).

Now, where did I put those crackers?

--Larry

2nd Class Business Sheet (Short band Top)

I have just come across this from a Business sheet of 100 x 2nd security NVIs (top panel only) Printed in gravure by Walsall 25/04/2012. The stamps have source code B and year code M12L.

From another image (same seller) I think the security cuts are type 2 with wide gaps and a central 4.5mm phosphor bar. DG (S1)  The direction of print on this issue is inverted.

The seller describes the stamps as :

"2nd class M12L - MBIL, Very Short Phosphor at top.  The full top panel of 4 stamps from a 2nd class business sheet, printed by Walsall and dated 25/04/2012

The stamps have very short phosphor at the top, well clear of the perforations and not even onto the white border. For your information, all my single short band top stamps in my other listing are from top panels. This is because the other 96 stamps on every sheet were full phosphor band, strange?"

A second error (single) from the same seller is for a stamp short at the bottom. DG (S2)

Described as:

2nd class M12L - MBIL, Short Phosphor at bottom. A single stamp from a 2nd class Walsall business sheet, FSC C023216. The stamp has short phosphor at the bottom, clear of the perforations, see scan. Excuse the poor image, I struggled to get a good clear picture for this one. There is a good clearance between phosphor and the perforations. For information, these were from the bottom row of the business sheet (8 stamps), the other 92 stamps were full band, that is why I have no top panel (from this sheet) for sale.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2nd-BUSINESS-SHEET-TOP-PANEL-M12L-MBIL-VERY-SHORT-PHOS-AT-TOP-/300713403601?pt=UK_Stamps_BritishStamps&hash=item4603ea64d1

What Do You Do When You have No Food?

With a double dip recession, wage freezes, government cut backs and many other forced austerity measures. Prices have still gone up and they continue to rise month by month. Have Royal Mail realised that collectors are starving?

With the glut of new new issues (from Royal Mail) over the past few years there seems to be no let up from them this year. Again 2012 will be a very taxing year on the pocket. Another very expensive year for the poor souls who for their sins love this great hobby of ours.

2012 started with a bang as usual as well as special issues we had miniature sheets, part sheets, whole sheets. booklets, business and counter sheets with new year codes, including counter sheets with new rate definitives.

Added to this burden are new issues in all forms including post & go stamps;  fast stamps etc, Diamond Jubilee and Olympic Stamps. Yes my friends, this year will be one of the most expensive years ever for those collectors who have not cut back on their spending, or should I re-phrase that to read, collecting habits.

Fortunately for me, I cut back a few of years ago when self adhesives started to become the norm. I sold off all my self adhesive booklets accumulated to date. It was a case of go without food or go without new issues. I had no choice in the matter so I chose the later.

Just one issue:  The Diamond Jubilee Prestige Stamp Book: Price £12.77

Now as one of of those people who likes his grub and the occasional night out, not to mention paying my bills on time I think I made the right decision. I have not stopped collecting altogether, I still go without the odd bowel of soup and beef dinner to pick up the odd new issue if I like them, these include the overpriced Prestige Booklets, mixed custom booklets of Special Issues + Machins and  the occasional miniature sheet if they are Machin related.

I also spend my hard earned savings to pick up a few back issues mainly Machin cylinder blocks and pre -self adhesive booklets if the price is right.

What of the future? Well, Royal Mail have now made an announcement that they are making changes to a couple of issues later in the 2012 programme and a reduction in the amount of special issues that will be released in 2013 - 2014. Here is a shortened version of the press release.

"Following customer research, Royal Mail has decided to postpone its planned Dinosaur issue (which was to be issued on 16 October 2012) until late 2013. Space Science (due to be released on 30 October 2012) will now be released in its place.

Next year's stamp issues will be reduced from a planned fourteen issues to twelve and the postage values used on the stamps will also be reviewed, with the 2nd class letter rate returning to the Charles Dickens stamp due for release on 19 June 2012."

Please do not expect a massive reduction, just remember we will still have another rate rise next year and the year after. 2013 will also bring us , new booklets (reverting from Jubilee to flame coloured Machins (I am told),  new miniature sheets, new fast stamps, new Prestige Booklets, custom booklets and all the regalia that goes with every issue. A costly sum when added up.

We will still endeavour to bring you all the future news of Machin issues, but heed, if you still want to eat and be merry, decide now where you are going to cut back. You have been warned!!

Machin Q Code

Ian Billings sent me this note and attachment.

I saw this eye-catching eBay listing last week. I think they were actually listing soaked-off stamps, but I like the image they used - in the form of a Q-code.

I agree Ian, you can not really miss it can you?

Olympic Prestige Booklet

This is just a quick note to inform readers that a third Prestige booklet of the year is in the pipeline: Why are Royal Mail keeping these announcements so quiet from general collectors? It is only a few weeks away.

Anyway the word is, that on  27th July 2012 (not 27 June ) As stated. The London 2012 Olympic Games – Prestige Stamp Book will be issued.

It is thought (but not confirmed) that this will contain a definitive pane, the question being asked is will they be Machins, Regional stamps or Olympic type definitives.

The money is on Olympic definitives, but with all the hush of late we will  have to wait and see!

Wedgwood Machins

Mention the word Wedgwood to most Machin enthusiasts and thoughts of early Prestige booklets and the ½p side bar in particular come straight to mind.

Could this be another rarity of the future?

A genuine Wedgwood Machin which has just come in to the market place.

"SPECIAL DIAMOND JUBILEE OFFER

 from the BPMA :

Celebrate this year’s Diamond Jubilee with a beautiful Wedgwood Jasperware plate in Portland Blue featuring one of the most well-known portraits of Queen Elizabeth II: The ‘Machin head’ – the white cameo relief created by Arnold Machin as the definitive stamp design. The dish is available in our online shop. Priced at £9.99

The BPMA are offering a 10% discount on this  souvenir at the moment just enter the discount code JU81L33 at checkout until 6 June 2012"

68p Values ( A Reminder )

UPDATED

I was doing some work on some stamps yesterday and got myself into a right muddle, basically I had some 68p singles in a packet and had no idea what they were or where they had come from.

So I sat down with a bunch of catalogues and Deegam reports to put my mind at rest and hopefully put some sort of order into them.

 Here are my notes, reproduced as a reminder to myself.

The Machin pane from Roald Dahl prestige pane 10th January 2012 containing the 4x68p sea green,values with the hidden codes was printed by Walsall (APS perforated ) in gravure. The other special issue panes (litho) from the same booklet were printed by Cartor.

Although these stamps were issued in 2012 they were actually printed in 2011, subsequently the 68p stamps have the hidden date codes M-11-L and M-P-IL, the P indicating it is from the Prestige booklet. (Deegam 680.6.1)

The other 68p sea green counter sheet self adhesives printed by De La Rue carry both the M11L code (Deegam 680.5.1) and the M12L code (Deegam 680.5.3)

Previously the 68p was issued in sheets with the colour stone. OFNP/PVA (De La Rue) Deegam 680.1.1

Self adhesive, OFNP/PSA, (Walsall/gravure) - (Deegam 680.2.1

TR3 intermediate paper/OFNP/PVA (De La Rue/gravure) (Deegam 680.3.1)

OFNP/PVA (White gum), is the inverted print from the Tafalgar prestige pane (DP360) (Walsall/gravure) (Deegam 680.4.1)

Have I missed something? Would be grateful for a nudge in the right direction if I have!

NUDGES:

Thanks to Robert - Charlie Jenson points out on The Machin Forum   -There is a typo in the Report DGR-96. The 68p Dahl stamp should be DG 680.6.1, not "680. 4.2". The color, "Sea Green" and other details are correct. Assuming Charlie is correct I have now altered this to reflect his observations.

Brian via e-mail:  What has happened to DG 680.5.2 ? It appears to be missing. you are right Brian it is missing, does anyone know what the missing stamp is?

Thanks to Ian :This refers to the next post "Wedgwood Machins" I made a  series of spelling mistakes with the name Wedgwood, calling it Wedgewood., this has now been corrected..

To finish for today, I made an announcement way back in 2011 that it was reported De La Rue are to close their printing facility at Dunstable. The latest news is, the relocation to Gateshead in the North East is scheduled to take place late this year or early in 2013.