Machin News October 2008

As reported previously Wincor-Nixdorf Propostal machines have now been sucessfully put into operation.

Issue date October 8th 2008, there are now five new Machins available to collect.

1st class Large up to 100gr,
1st class up to 100gr
Europe up to 20gr
Worldwide up to10gr,
Worldwide up to 20gr

For an insight and pictures of these and other postage labels visit houghtonregis.net/wordpress/

More new Machins due in January 2009

The Internet is a great medium for receiving information regarding new Issues also news of Machins. This is the latest news buzzing around from online forums

If you look at eBay (any day of the week) you will see several sellers offering stamps for sale/ no gum, these seem to sell very well as they are deemed to be uncancelled and it is thought that they are re used by eBayers as discount postage.

Royal Mail has now cottoned on and from JANUARY 2009 all self-adhesive Machin definitives printed after this date will be perforated with cuts in them to prevent fraudulent re-use.

"Four (4 ) x u-shaped cuts, two inverted and two upright, will be introduced to the perforations, these are said to " act in the same way as retail price stickers, causing a stamp to rip if you try to pull it off an envelope. "

This will mean that we will have several new Machins to collect in several formats. However if this information is correct (it has been verified that an announcement by RM is due shortly) and we collect used stamps we need to ask ourselves some questions.

Will this affect the quality of future used stamps saved by collectors? What will the LONG TERM outcome of this mean?

Will it eventually be applied to all self adhesives including special issues? It is possible that eventually all self adhesives will be manufactured in this way.

Will the layer of PVA gum under the acrylic gum also be removed to prevent people from soaking them off envelopes?

And lastly but not least if we can still soak them off, what sort of condition will the stamps be in? Will they be in a collectable condition?

Self-adhesive Machins (1st and 2nd class), are at present sold from booklets, coils and business sheets.

Lets have your views on this latest development