Noting the changes

We are only three and a half months into 2009 and these new Machins are driving a lot of collectors (including myself) potty. With all the new stamps and changes to date there is so much to comprehend. Take your mind of the subject for five minutes and another new fact comes to light. I am now talking about the latest revelation discovered by Douglas Myall regarding the different alphabetical background text.

Larry has now observed more details with large and small wavy text. Add to this the fact that Ian has reported different sized gaps in the security slits giving us three different types of slits to date, by the way Ian suggests this (the wider gap) should be catalogued type 2a.

I do not know about your self, but I am still trying to get to grips with other formalities. Another of which is the new rate values from sheet printings with (conventional gum).



OK so we have now done away with the dot and no dot cylinder blocks, but still have a left and right pane. The left pane resembling the old style no dot pane which still retains a coloured vertical line from top to bottom and the right pane (replacement dot pane) which still retains a narrower margin without the vertical line. Both now have have the new type box grid which indicates either left or right. The D1 cylinder number despite Royal Mails publicity material showing otherwise is still adjacent to row 18. (See pics above). It is possible that this will (could)change to being opposite row 19 on future printings.

I have still not seen the cylinder block from the reprint of the 54p value (Rust) D1 D1, printing date 22/01/09. I have been told "It is just that, a reprint in the old style format. One difference is the sheet now has a bar code printed in ink-jet."

Can anyone tell me do the cylinder block numbers still portray the dot in the right pane?


....Roy