A few months back we discussed professor John Hedgecoe and his involvement in the Machin design. Larry also wrote something as a follow up to this initial story.

Today I have been sent a photo from Dave Feeney which he insists is the Hedgecoe portrait, but he has been informed by another that it was taken by Lord Snowdon.

In order to get to the bottom of this I have been surfing the web in order to find some more evidence and have come across a silhouette which is accredited to Hedgecoe.

I have studied both and they seem to be one of the same so I have come to a conclusion that Dave's photo is the actual Hedgecoe genuine article.

Do you have an opinion, if so reply to this post or email me at gbmachins@lineone.net

Here is a link to the page that shows the silhouette.

www.topfoto.co.uk/gallery/JohnHedgecoePortraits/ppages/ppage22.htm

The Old and the New

Sorry you have had a few days wait for this next post, but I have been quite busy of late, its a hard life living the dream!

Anyway, As the clocks went back one hour I have managed to find a small gap in my busy schedule to put something together that is quite topical at the moment.

Recapping on my my last post.

Yesterday I had another look at the Postman Pat Millennium Machin Pane and decided the colour looked very similar to the new Machin displayed on the labels dispensed from the Wincor-Nixdorf Propostal machines

What do you think?

Below is another Millennium booklet pane produced by Walsall for comparison.

Machin Collectors Interacting

The Machin Forum, hosted by Dave Arthur has gone a little quiet of late (as have replies to these posts on Machin Mania) Perhaps collectors do not want Machin discussions and just want to read information? Well can I remind you that without discussion we have no Machin Forums and eventually they will die a death like so many forums before them..

Many of the posts on Dave's site are (were) cross referenced to this site ( until the data was lost) We need to re post this lost data or add new content.

This and Daves are great sites with lots of potential, and we need to get the ball rolling again, so please join in with your ideas and comments on both sites. OK?

Visit the Machin fun, at http://stamp-collector.co.uk/MachinForum today then add the site to your list of favourites and visit often.

Postman Pat & Jess

Royal Mail bring back Postie Pat

I guess we all remember the children's television programmes and stamp booklets that gave rise to Postman Pat back in the year 2000. The booklets had a page of 4 x Millennium Machins attached to a label showing Postie Pat, his cat Jess and his trusty Mail van.

It seems that there may be a chance here for Royal Mail to bring him back in an attempt to temp new budding collectors from the junior ranks. (not at their prices I hear myself saying)

Anyway, the story from the Daily Telegraph tells us that over the years "generations of children have enjoyed stories of Postman Pat trundling around the Lake District in his van with his cat, Jess. "

"Now there is sadness in the Cumbrian countryside as the creators of Britain's favourite postman change the storyline: Pat has been promoted to a high-tech sorting office. "

It continues "The move to update Postman Pat for the 21st century, equipping him with a personal digital aide, helicopter and even a stunt bike is seen as a step too far — especially when dozens of village post offices are facing closure."

A nice bit of trivia for you.

"In the latest BBC television series Postman Pat Special Delivery Service, the postman begins a daily commute from Greendale to the ultra-modern office in Pencaster.

The character was created by John Cunliffe when he lived in Kendal. The setting was based on the houses, lanes and fell walks around Longsleddle valley and the village of Grasmere. The post office on which it is based was a depiction of Greenside post office in Kendal, which closed years ago."

Wanted Used GB Commemoratives

Many of you will have heard the name Micheal Dodd of CDDStamps Australia. He is well known in philatelic circles for his genorosity and runs a children's corner from his website.

He actually donates stamps to all up and coming young collectors FREE OF CHARGE. Millions of stamps have been donated by him in the last 5 years or so, helping these kids get involved in our hobby.

I have in the past, as it was for charity given him stamps to distribute on my behalf.

He recently wrote to me asking if I had any more for donation, used GB commemoratives on or off paper are urgently required to help build up some kids bundles as he he running very very low on stock.

As I am now located in Spain I do not get that much post so not to many used stamps come my way. I have informed him that if and when I go back to the UK for a visit I will obtain a couple of kilos for him but I do not know when this will be.

Can you help?

If so, Michael whould be very greatfull for anything that you may have surpluss to requirements. Even just a handfull from all who read this blog whould help him in his quest.

EVERYBODY, please see what you can do.

Due to the nature of his work , Michael is currently located in South Korea, so he is operating from there. Please send your donations to this address .

Michael Dodd
Apart 119- 1401
Ujangsan1 park
1159 Hwagok- dong
Gangseo -Gu
Seoul 157- 015
South Korea

Many thanks from Michael and us at MachinMania Blogspot in advance.

Roy, Adrian, Allan and Larry

More Machin News

If you follow this blog you will remember that a few weeks ago Larry informed us of a certain auction to be held by Cuttlestones.


The contents of the family home Garmelow Manor have now been been sold.

In the sale (October 1st) it listed several items that belonged to Arnold Machin, included in the list was an original Plaster cast of the Machin Bust.

Just to keep you up to speed I now have the realisation bids for these 8 items.

Lot 73 Machin Plaster Cast Bust fetched £15,700. It is not known at this time who the successful bidders are.



Lot 74 (left ) original framed sketch for the 2d stamp done in 1967, £1,200.

Lot 77 fetched £270, Lot 78 fetched £540, Lot 80 £160, Lot 81 £160, Lot 82 £200, Lot 83 £210.




Here is a link to the items which went under the hammer, www.cuttlestones.co.uk/catalogues/garmalow_sale2/index.html

This is a link to a list of all the realisation bids www.cuttlestones.co.uk/docs/GarmelowSaleResults1stOctober.pdf

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

Ironbridge and Machins

My last posting was received favourably by several readers so I thought I might continue it with another bit of historical fact mixed with a Machin theme.

Designed by the great Scottish engineer Thomas Telford the Iron Bridge at Coalbrookdale Shropshire England(shown left) was built in 1779, it is the world’s first cast iron bridge. It was erected at Coalbrookdale, spanning the River Severn - beautifully constructed, totally innovative - and still today it stands as a permanent reminder of our industrial past.


Ironbridge is regarded as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sitting alongside The Taj Mahal, The Pyramids and The Grand Canyon. The Iron Bridge, a magnificent and innovative design when it was first constructed, now stands as a testament to the marvels of the British Industrial Revolution.

It was at Ironbridge, Shropshire, that the large-scale production of cast iron was first developed using a process pioneered by Abraham Darby. Items made in Ironbridge were shipped all over the world.
Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron brings to life the revolutionary techniques that resulted in the Coalbrookdale Company becoming the largest company in the world. It includes the area where Abraham Darby I perfected the secret of smelting iron with coke.

Machins & Ironbridge

Shown left containing 6 x 2p Machins. This pane is from the second Prestige Booklet which cost £3.00 at the time of issue, The Prestige booklet told A story of Wedgewood.

Of interest to me is the fact that this relates to my subject above. The stub of the pane of informs the public of counter stamp books featuring different cover designs that are available from vending Machines and Post office counters. The one displayed is a stamp booklet showing number one in the series Industrial Archaeology.



The booklet it describes is shown left, it is a £1.00 post Office booklet first issued 3rd October 1979. It was Printed by Harrison & Sons Ltd and contained 10 x 10p Machins in Gravure PPP(H)/DEX paper.

As with the Wedgewood pane the cover shows The Ironbridge in Shropshire spanning the majestic River Severn . A spot where I have been fishing for Barbel on many occasions, that's another story for another time if I can relate it to Machins that is :-)

The stamps panes it contained were collectable either in a pane with right margin or left margin, both cylinder (B5) and plain booklets exist.

Cylinder numbers were from the left marginal panes only. Plain panes were available from both left and right marginal panes. If one wanted to delve further and specialise the cylinder B5 can be found with a dot or no dot. Panes can be found with several different perforation types extending into the margins.


If you are interested in specialised booklets More information can be obtained from the Modern British Philatelic Circle (MBPC)


Back to Ironbridge

There are nine Ironbridge Gorge Museums which tell momentous story and offer people a chance to step back to a time when the pounding of steam hammers and clatter of horses’ hooves on cobbles were commonplace. If you wish to read more here are the links.

www.virtual-shropshire.co.uk/ironbridge-gorge-museum/

www.virtual-shropshire.co.uk/vs-gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=34469

More links

The Iron Bridge & Toll House, Ironbridge Blists Hill Victorian Town Telford Enginuity, Telford Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron, Telford Museum of the Gorge, Telford Tar Tunnel, Telford Broseley Pipeworks, Ironbridge Gorge Museums.

Making The Most Out of Machins

Updated 10/10/08, changed and added text ( the link now works )


I have often been asked asked "what are my hobbies"? Replying "Philately" I get different reactions from different walks of life. In the past people have often said of me "you must lead a boring life". I differ to disagree with them as my stamp collecting hobby is not just about saving pretty bits of sticky paper.

Back in the UK when I was a schoolboy I once did field trip to Wicken Fen. later in life I converted this trip into a short paper which I later showed to my local comprehensive . This was just an attempt to try and explain to the kids and teachers that there was more to philately than just collecting stamps. It can involve history, geography and much much more.

Lodes, ditches and drains


Lodes are ancient navigable waterways that carry the drainage water from the drains and ditches that criss-cross Wicken Fen.

Wicken Fen is an internationally important wetland in the UK, run by the National Trust, it is home to thousands of animal and plant species, and it has been said that it "offers a unique window onto a lost landscape".

The National Trust was only 3 months old when, in 1895, it was approached by Mr Herbert Goss with a request.

The entomologist asked "if they would consider saving Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire." Four years later they purchased 2 acres of the fen from Goss’s colleague, JC Moberley for £10.

Fifty six further separate conveyances of portions of land and today they care for 653ha (1612 acres) of one of the most important surviving areas of wetland in Western Europe.

The National trust have an ambitious plan to continue the expansion of Wicken Fen to create a 10,000 acre reserve of wetland.

What has this to do with stamps or philately people ask?

Introducing you to Decimal Folded Machine Booklets. Starting with The £1 Mills Series, illustrated by artist Jeremy Sancha. Number one in this series is "Wicken Fen "Ely".



On 2 Oct 1989 Royal Mail issued a booklet of stamps that struck me as being very nice at the time. These had an illustration of Wicken Fen on the cover.

Gibbons catalogue number FH18, printed on a matt card, the booklet contained 5 x 20p Machins and a label requesting users to please use the postcode . The stamps were printed by Harrison and Sons Ltd in Gravure on ACP(H)/DEX paper.

Some four months later this booklet cover was re-released printed on a glossy card, the date, 30 Jan 1990 . This time it was Printed by Walsall Security Printers Ltd in Lithography (also sold at £1). Gibbons catalogue number is FH19. It is written that "This was an experimental printing to test a new cover material, this appears glossy when compared to FH18. " Interestingly the next printing number 2 in the series FH20 Click Mill, Dounby, Orkney reverted back to the matt card.

The stamps also changed with FH19 and FH20 from Machins to that of 5 x 20p double headed stamps designed by Jefery Mathews for the 150th anniversary of the penny black ,these were printed in litho on ACP(C)/PVAl paper.



More of the History of Wicken Fen can be found here.


It has been stated "it is one of Britain’s oldest nature reserves, and England’s first.

Centuries of management by sedge-cutting and peat-digging have endowed it with a unique fenland habitat rich in rare wildlife. Insects are particularly abundant, with thousands of species of moth, butterfly and beetle, almost 2,000 different species of fly and 20 of dragonfly. Twenty nine species of mammals and over 200 bird species have been recorded on the fen"


I feel more could be taught through our educational system particularly through stamp collecting, this could also possibly get kids involved more with the hobby.

I hope you have enjoyed this post with a difference. Here ends the lesson for today.

Prestige Errors

Last year Ian Billings gave us some information regarding Prestige Booklets that were abnormal in their make up. After his first reports several more turned up over the following weeks.

It seems as though this may be a regular thing, as Dave Arthur has now reported that one of his customers has been in contact with another such report. This one is a copy of the 50th Anniversary of Regional Machins Prestige Book delivered from the Philatelic Bureau just a couple of days ago.
The panes in the booklet appears to be completely reversed. Jump on a link to Dave's Machin Forum for the full story.

UPDATE


It sometimes now pays to visit this site twice a day just for updates, as I now have news of a second Prestige Booklet error from the same issue. Again Ian Billings was first with the news of this particular error.

www.norphil.co.uk/articles/regional_psb-error.htm A lucky collector from the Chester area bought Prestige Stamp Books (shame is was not you Dave :-) at a local post office. One of the purchases has two sheets of Pane 1, in the same booklet as shown on Ian's website above.

More on fine used

I'm one of those who collect mint but I have been known to dabble with the thought to opt for used. With lots of Machins coming from products rather than post offices, this would mean a collection on a much smaller scale! I'll leave it to you to judge whether that is a good or bad thing.

One pro of used stamps is that you can concentrate on proper stamps, that have been used for the reason they were created for: to send mail. But when you love stamps, and love their designs, determining what constitutes "fine used" can result in headaches and despair!

Leaving aside decisions on condition, here's a few used examples to peruse.

Is this fine used? The cancellation is light and clean, which is a pro and the stamp design is still to be admired. But you can't see the date and you can't see where the stamp was cancelled, so maybe we should opt for something like this?

You get more of the cancel on the stamp, which is great, but you lose the pleasure of admiring the stamp. So if we're not going for full cancels on the stamp, why not try this then?

It still is used, it still has a part of those nice circular cancellations, but the design is still intact. Looks good, but if you're aiming for as little cancellation on the stamp as possible, would this be okay as well, then?

Mmmhh... You see, that's why I opt for mint! And to be honest, I'm not too keen on pages of used stamps, it somehow looks not right and very untidy.

:-)

Now one thing which might, in my humble opinion, be more interesting than collecting used stamps, is collecting Machins on cover. And I don't mean the first day kind, but proper, postally run covers. You can still try and get as fine a cancellation as possible, with the added bonus that you can show for which rate the stamp was actually issued (that is, if you go for single franking covers).

Now there's a thought...........!

Adrian

Lets talk about fine used stamps.

One only has to read my last post to see that fine used stamps today are a good bet for the future. Some of the more difficult values seem to be holding their value very well.

At one time most people collected used, but as time passed, for whatever reasons in the 1960s & 70s (my self included) they turned their attentions to collecting mint unhinged.

My reason for turning my attentions and collecting mint is the fact that I could not obtain the material I wanted in the condition I sought. Far fewer stamps were being used on domestic mail, the ones that were used seemed to be obliterated by postmarks and had many other faults.

Ok, we could have collected stamps soaked from first day covers, these seem to generally acceptable to some, but I feel that they are not exactly postally used and get a nagging thought that they resemble something like cancelled to order. Perhaps its just me being to fussy? But I am not alone, several of my friends feel the same.

Before we start what do we categorise as modern fine used?

I think the most important things to consider is the centering, perforation condition and a postally used light ( round if possible) cancellation. If a stamp has all these factors above then I would consider it to be very fine used or even superb used. If one or any of the factors mentioned above were absent I would perhaps categorise these as just fine or average used. If several of the factors mentioned were missing I would just call them poor, or another word for them would be space fillers.

With the Internet and WW Web tons of used stamps are being offered on online auctions, it is sometimes possible to find the used stamps we require in very fine condition, but as Michael of CCD Stamps has pointed out they are few and far between. This is perhaps the reason that these days quality used have such a good resale, market or catalogue value.

Sadly the majority of used stamps for sale on auction sites are of very poor quality, so if you want them for investment pick the best available to you, I think if you can find them it is worth paying just that little bit more for quality.

Michael Dodd who replied to my last post is a member of the Internet Philatelic Dealers Association and describes all of these used stamp conditions to a T on his website. If you want more detailed information its well worth a visit.

Machin Market Mania

What with the credit crunch and the financial markets in such a mess I thought I might have a look at the stamp market for Autumn 2008.

It is not a new thing on my part as every now and again I go through certain dealers latest lists just to give me an idea of the market value of certain stamps.

Here are my latest findings for certain Machins and Decimal Wildings (mint and fine used) that are now valued over and above £1.00 by one dealer.

Please note: I have only included stamps from 1990 onwards and where possible have given Gibbons catalogue numbers. The mint price is on the left and fine used price on the right.

Y1672 7p grey 2B............................................... £2.20 £2.20
Y1676a 10p dull orange perf. 14 ..................... £1.10 £1.20
Y1691 34p yellow-olive 2B............................... £1.80 £1.90
Y1693 35p yellow PCP.......................................£5.00 £5.00
Y1701a 38p ultramarine 2B. perf. 14 ..............£2.60 £2.70
Y1707 41p drab PCP......................................... £5.00 £5.00

Y1711 43p sepia 2B.............................................£2.40 £2.50
Y1711a43p sepia 2B. perf. 14 ............................£1.10 £1.20
Y1713 44p grey-brown 2B.................................£2.80 £2.90
2258Ea .Decimal Wilding Wmk diagonal ........ £1.50 £1.60
2378 47p bistre-brown .......................................£1.50 £1.60
2379 68p grey-blue ........................................... £1.70 £1.80
2380 £1 Coronation (2B) ...................................£21.00 £21.00
2380a £1 (ex MS2147)....................................... £5.50 £5.50
SELF-ADHESIVES
1976 2nd CB Horizontal Coil ............................. £1.10 £1.20
1977 1st 2B Horizontal Coil ............................... £1.10 £1.20

2039b/2040b Pair of 14½ x 14 "Dagger Perfs"...£220.00 £220.00

2077 1stWhite Embossed .................................. £1.10 £1.20
2296 E (ex Booklet) ........................................... £1.40 £0.50
2297 42p (ex Booklet)........................................ £2.95 £3.00
2298 68p (ex Booklet)........................................ £2.95 £3.00
2359 (Worldwide - £1.22) .................................£1.70 £1.70
Y1720 63p light emerald 2B............................. £1.10 £1.20
Y1721 64p turquoise-green 2B........................ £1.25 £1.35
Y1722 65p green-blue 2B................................. £1.30 £1.40
Y1723 68p grey-brown 2B............................... £1.40 £1.50
Y1724 72p rosine .............................................. £1.30 £1.40
Y1724a 78p emerald 2B ................................... £1.20 £1.25
Y1724b 81p sea green...................................... £1.20 £1.25
Y1725 £1 bluish violet 2B ............................... £1.95 £0.70
Y1725b £1 magenta 2B.................................... £1.75 £1.80

LITHO

Y1748 6p yellow-olive 2B .............................. £5.50 £6.00
Y1749 10p dull orange 2B.............................. £1.95 £2.05
Y1750Ea 19p bistre RB.................................. £1.00 £1.10
Y1751 20p bright yellow-green CB.............. £1.40 £1.50
Y1754 30p olive-grey 2B............................... £2.20 £2.30
Y1755 35p yellow 2B Questa ........................£1.30 £1.40
Y1756 37p bright mauve............................... £1.20 £1.30
Y1757Ea 41p grey-brown Questa ................£1.90 £2.00
Y1759 63p light emerald 2B.......................... £2.00 £2.20
2033 37p (WILDING) light purple ............. £1.50 £1.60

1445
2nd CB Top & Right (H) ............................... £5.00 £5.00
2nd CB Bot & Right (H) ................................ £5.00 £5.00
1446 2nd RB Norm perfs (H)....................... £1.30 £1.50
1451a 2nd RB Norm Perfs (Q) .................... £1.10 £1.20
1447 1st ACP Top & Right (H).................... £8.00 £8.00
- 1st ACP Bot & Right (H) ........................... £8.00 £8.00
1448 1st 2B Norm Perfs (H) ....................... £1.30 £1.50
1450 1st 2B Top (W) ................................... £1.10 £1.50
- 1st 2B Bottom (W) .................................... £1.10 £1.50
- 1st 2B Top & Right (W) ............................ £1.20 £1.50
- 1st 2B Bot & Right (W) ............................. £1.20 £1.50

1513 2nd CB Norm perfs (Q)...................... £1.10 £1.20
1516c 1st ACP do. Perf 13 error (W) Top..£1.50 £1.50
1516c 1st ACP do. Perf 13 error (W) Bot.. £1.50 £1.50
1468 15p Left Band (H) Perfs All Round ..£1.65 £1.70
1468ea 15p Right Band (H) ...................... .£1.30 £1.40
1476 20p ACP imperf left (W)................... £3.00 £3.00
1472 29p 2 bands (H) Perfs All Round. .. £3.90 £4.00

Well there we have it! I know Machins are not everyone's cup of tea and the pound sterling is not all its cracked up to be at this time, but if you have this little lot tucked away in your albums, it shows that used stamps can be as collectable as mint. It also indicates you are still worth a "NICE FEW BOB"