Your Favourite machins

Many thanks to all that replied to the questionnaire. Your answers were varied, which did not surprised me, but one or two of you did pick out certain stamps that I guessed may be among the top 5. We also have suggestions of the ugliest or least favourite.

From various groups and emails here are the results. If I have misquoted or made a mistake please let me know.

Ian Billings (Norvic Philatelics)

For me it has to be 1st class large format, embossed self-adhesive in grey & white, printed by Walsall.

My comments

1st class in larger format printed in intaglio by Enschede of Holland, engraved by Czeslaw Slania is surly a great stamp. The detail on this printing makes this by far one of the best Machins ever.

The 1st class large format, printed in Letterpress by Harrison & Sons from the same booklet, is the ugliest Machin, but it was produced like this just to show just what leaps and bounds printers have made over the years.

James Conway email

"£1 large format Intaglio by Enschede. "

Someone in the same frame of mind as myself, so it deserves a picture.


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Doug Moss


"I like the double-headed 150th anniversary Machins".




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Charlie, Lecanto, Florida

"My favorite is the newest color variety that I acquire. I guess I am too fickle to become enamoured with one particular stamp".

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Adrian

"My favourite one is (I think) the £1 black (pre-decimal version with elaborate pound sign). Engraving is so much nicer than Slania's work of the 1990s.






More favourites
(I never can choose!): The Enschedé printings of the 1990s, such a beautiful definition of the head. And the first ATN printings of De La Rue, I love the "mottled" colours of those!

Larry Rosenblum (GB Machins)

"My favorite is actually two of them, the orange and black ones, the pre decimal 1/9 and the first decimal 9p. A close second is the engraved 10p, the color usually called cerise".

Thanks Larry, sorry I do not have a pic of the 9p.


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Jamerson
"Never really thought about having favourites before, but thinking about it.

Favourite: Large, High Value 10/- blue from 1969. Least favourite: 29p grey from 1993"

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Another report

"I was thinking about this the other day and remember when I was back home in south Africa and saw my first GB stamps and by far my favourite had to be the 9p orange and black from 71,, not sure why that’s my choice, ive recently started my gb collection and once ive finished my GB commems ill move onto the machins maybe ill change my view then ..i do have one machin which is my favourite in my collection not for its image but for its post mark - I found it in a kiloware packet,,, It has a perfect circular PM with the words "worlds greatest hobby" in the circle - it has been struck right in the center of the stamp".

Unanimous choice of the ugliest Machin with 3 votes.

Black 1st class Machin in letterpress.

Well there we have it, it seems as though the engraved Machins come out as clear winners. I have not shown any of the small high values, but surely Czeslaw Slania was truely a master at his craft.

Once again thanks to those who took out time to respond.

What about a Machin Quiz? Send in your questions by email (and the answers) to gbmachins@lineone.net If we get enough I will publish it and offer a prize for the winner.