British Design Classics II Prestige Book

Although I stated I would not be available to post here for a while I have managed to get my hands on a computer for a short time so without more of ado here is some Machin news you should know about.

On 7 January 2010 we can expect another two Prestige panes of Machin definitive stamps. Both of the panes (3 & 4) will be issued in multi value form as part of the make up of the Design Classics II Prestige booklet.

These machin panes will be conventionally gummed (PVAl) whereas the two panes of Classic Album Cover stamps in the same booklet will be self-adhesive.

The pictures above are the latest avalable at this time. They show that the Machin stamps will have values of 2 x 62p, 2 x 54p & 4 x 20p with a central lablel depicting a vinal record on pane three and 2 x 22p, 5 x 10p & 2 x 5p on pane four.

I will let you have more information when it comes to hand.

Off Line For A Few Weeks

I haste, I forgot to inform you that I will not be posting here for a few weeks, this is due to the fact I will be away on business in the UK. I am there now at this minute using my daughters computer to write this post.

I expect to be away 4 - 6 weeks and will let you know when I return. I am not moaning, but the climate is just as I remember, cold , windy and at this time it is also raining. Not what I am used to after slumming it on the Costa Blanca for the last two years or so :-)

Anyway, hopefully Larry, Allan or one of our other guest writers will(if they can find the time) add a few comments to keep you amused whilst I am away.

In the meantime, ENJOY YOUR STAMPS

...........Roy

Index posts 301 - 400

Here is the latest edition to the index Pages. This will join its counterparts number 1 -200 and 201 - 300 in the left margin.

Machin's portrait is chic in Chelsea. The image is on the left side of the Daily Mail's page. Click on the image on that page to see a larger version.

Unusual £1 Date Block. A collector reports the £1 violet with a printing date of 15-03-07

April 2009 Rate Rise. More news of stamps to be issued for the April 2009 rate rise.

Miniature Sheets

New Issues (More Information. Iimages of the new security (slit) Machins.

Machin Man or Macho Man? I found this while playing on the net ( another post with a difference) and thought id share it with you.

Machin News February 09 (updated)

Interrupted Phosphor Bars. Interrupted bands are not new, back in the early 90s we had several trial window booklets with contents that were described as inset bands and short bars.

Printing Dates & Cylinder Numbers recorded for the De La Rue security (slit) stamps to date.

Gibbons Collect British Stamps 2009. This unique colour checklist is a simple guide to all British stamps from 1840 up to the date of publication

Interrupted Phosphor Bars ( Part II )

New Security Stamps (Continued)

New First day Covers

Bits & Bobs + De La Rue Business Sheets

Postage Cost Calculator

Comments From Readers This is a message to ALL readers who take out time to visit, send e-mails and contribute to postings. Many many thanks, it makes it all worth while to know that the combined efforts to produce this blog are appreciated.

More Bits & Bobs

British Stamp Market Values. A catalogue entitled British Stamp Market Values 2009

Preview Of New Machins 31st March 09

Machin News March 2009

Some News on Great Britain 2010 issues

Removing New (slit) Self Adhesives From Paper. From all the discussions on how to remove the new security stamps from paper, it seems we now have a common answer to this poser. Also see Sticky Stuff Remover

Security Machins - Colour Singles

Tales Of Beatrix Potter

More Machin Links

The First Walsall Security Booklets Also see Walsall Booklets (Part II)
A sneaky peek at one of Tony Buckingham's forthcoming first day cover designs.

Walsall x 6 (A Blow Up)

Postal Heritage And Stamps

Posting your replies

A reply From Ian

Flowers Commemorative Booklet. This booklet is to commemorate The 50th anniversary of NAFAS which is the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies.

Walsall Booklets (Part III)

Machin Labels. These Prestige booklet pane labels would make a nice little collection on their own.

Security Machins overprint. Playing around in Photoshop.

New Values 2009. More details have emerged on the new values to be released 31th March. Adrian Adds To The Debate

Stamp Printers By Glenn H Morgan

Stock Cards From Walsall?

New Machins Printing Dates / Deegam Freebeie

Pictures of parts of the primary sheets for the new security Machins issued on 17th March.

Alcohol Does The Job /Alcohol works, but is it worth the effort?

Byfleet De La Rue Cylinders And Date Blocks

Dunstable Dates And Cylinder numbers

Cylinder Numbers / Dates DLR Security Issues

De La Rue Security Cylinder Blocks (update)

Bridge That Gap

To Buy Or Not To Buy

Hidden Codes on Security Machins. Douglas Myall published news that the non-denominated security Machins have a hidden code that identifies the format in which the stamp was issued.

Keep Smiling I suspect that the majority of collectors are far from smiling these days, not when they learn that another private sheet of themed Smilers Sheets were released in April .

Images of hidden codes on Security Machins

Noting the changes

De La Rue Business Sheets. top panels of the new De La Rue security (slit) business sheets.

Smilers for Kids

The new self adhesive security (slit) Booklet stamps

Cross Referencing DP and Gibbons Numbers

Machin Mystery: Czeslaw Slania and the Unknown Competitor

Miniature Machins

Faststamps Forgery

Last year when Royal Mail gave out details of the 2009 program, it was mentioned that no less than 4 Prestige booklets were to released

Stampers Booklets 1994

Regional Machin Symbols - Part 3

Sorting Machins

Shredded Machin

Quiz Winner Congratulations go to Dennis Wallick who had a grand total of 24.

More News on New Machins

Closed Chapters, Never Say Never !

Machin News June 2009

New, Trial Machin Label. This verification has now come our way via Ian of Norvic philatelics

Here is a drawing from Vince Patel who posts on the Machin Forum. It clearly shows the security slits used on the New Machin Horizon label.

A Letter from Norvic Philatelics

Machin's Ancestors Also see: Local web site honors Machin

More Machin News (June 2009).

Deegam Report (83) The lead story is the Horizon Machin label. Exclusive official information is on page 3

No Spitfire Stamp?

Two New Booklets. The Design Classics booklets issued this year.

Strange But True

New Security Stamps With Short Bands

Due to Arnold Machin, this exceptionally beautiful head ornament, incorporating the national emblems of England, Scotland and Ireland, is probably now the most familiar piece of Her Majesty The Queen's jewellery known to the general public. The Diadem

Writing to The Queen

Comments From Larry

Early Machin Stamp Designs


The Decimal Coinage Head

Machin Booklets With Unprinted Stamps

"R" You Ready For This? A letter "R" in the semi hidden background text. "R" YOU Ready (Updated)

Somaliland 1p Machin Somaliland 1p Overprint (Part Two)

Sir Nigel Gresley & The Mallard. Booklets that depicted railway steam engines on the covers.Sir Nigel Continued

Treasures of the Archive Prestige Stamp Book

List of Machin Values and Colours

Design Classics First Day Covers

Machins In Spain??

The Isle Man Triskelion Two More Isle Of Man Machins

More Birmingham Postmarks

The last day of sale of the Horizon Gold Machin Head label

A Great day out at Machin estate Garmelow Manor

R. J Mitchel And The Spitfire

Aircraft On Stamps (The Lancaster)

Last in the series from Larry. Regional Machin Symbols - Part 4

2009 Prestige Book Machins

Choco Machins

Reader's Digest Coils Reader's Digest coils are multivalue coils created by Royal Mail for use by several large customers

Z For Zero Background: These are described as errors by the owner who placed them on eBay for sale

Recorded Delivery Machins

It is now known that these new stamps will only be available from post office counters in normal counter self adhesive sheet formats. The first day of issue will be on 17th November.

Thanks go to Ian, who first reported these, he has now posted mock up images (reproduced here) and his report has been extended with the information below added.

He states: "We now know that these will be self-adhesive with security features. The basic stamp is 24mm square, making it 4mm wider than the ordinary definitive."

Questions, Questions !

Another Question this time from Brian B.

"Can you please write something about the different perforations on stitched booklet panes. Some stitched booklet panes with rarer perforation types are more valuable than others"


Brian, I am not an expert on booklet pane perforations, but I have found a website where you can get more information and images of the different types. The codes normally used in 99% of catalogues are copyright of the MBPC and one needs permission to publish them on the web.

One such web site which has reams of information is that of Denis Stevens. My advice pay it a visit.

Here is a direct link to one of the pages which deal with this subject. Shown above are just two of the many perforation types (type P & type AP) which are listed on his website.

Thanks go to Denis for continued permission to use images from his web site.

Litho v Gravure

I often get letters from collectors referring to my website (which you will be pleased to hear is having a revamp shortly). Most letters are from new collectors of Machins asking for advice.

I have already stated that I am no expert, but if I can give advice, I will.

This is a recent email from John Kingsland which has prompted me to write this today. Perhaps it will not only help John, but others that are confused.

"I have read your article on the Printers of Machin Material but would like a more reliable way of knowing the difference between Litho and photogravure. In many cases I am faced with determining the difference between the two and am never certain. Is there a positive way to verify the difference?"

The differences can be determined quite easily. I have always used a x 10 (or higher) magnifying glass to determine which is which . Using this method the results can be seen straight away.

As you can see by the image (left), we have two stamps together. The stamp on the left is printed by offset litho. You will see that it has straight clean lines to the edges of the stamp. This is even more evident on the value tablet.

The right stamp which is printed by Photogravure clearly shows the dots/cells to the edges of the value tablet.

I Hope this helps.

.....Roy

I have just noticed that this post is number 404, so a new index page will be needed. This will be my next job.

News Of Two More Machins In 2009

Just a short post today.

How many new Machins in total have been issued this year? I have lost count, but I can tell you its quite a few.

According to Ian Billings (Norvic Philatelics) Royal Mail will have not stopped yet. The year 2009 will certainly go down in history as an expensive year for the Machin collector.

On his blog he writes that Royal Mail have announced the issue of another two new Machin definitives. Said to be NVIs which will combine the 1st class and Recorded delivery fee (£1.14p ) and the recorded / 1st class Large letter 100gr fees (£1.46p).

17h November is given as as the first day of issue.



Recently Larry wrote about Readers Digest Strips. One in particular was the RD 25p horizontal strip without ellipsess. I can now show you a picture of this.

See below:

A New Link Added

Every GB stamp collector I know looks and hopes to find that elusive "error". Well now we have some serious help in the form of a publication dealing specifically with this subject.

Although not new to the philatelic bookshelf, Tom Pierron's Catalogue Of GB Errors is a piece of kit that every serious collector should own.

I actually own the early version of this masterpiece which includes a CD. At the time of the purchase (2005) the RRP of this book was normally £39.95 but as this book was updated and re printed (2005). I got it cheap from an eBay listing.

The 2003 publication shown was available on eBay (under the heading Philatelic Publications) at the rock bottom price of £4.99, (Buy it now). It is presumed that this was whilst stocks last.

The latest updated catalogue (2008) is priced £49.95. The electronic version is also available on the web site, very very cheap at £19.95. These also list commonwealth missing colour errors as well as all the modern GB 1952 to date.

THE CD : "Searching and sorting is faster, friendlier and more flexible. There are now options to Show individual stamps or sets; Sort by country, date of issue, date amended or most viewed; View results with images or just as text.

Quick links have been added to the right enabling you to rapidly navigate to favourite sections of the site, find particular error types, and view all entries from specific countries."

This catalogue is respected and used by both collectors and dealers around the world to identify sort and price all Queen Elizabeth II postage stamp errors. This book contains over 10,000 high quality images of all known errors. Each stamp has a brief description and a catalogue value. It includes every Machin error know to date and even shows how many of each error are know to exist! It will also give you a realistic price of all the stamps listed.

Give the website a whirl, and add it to your list of favourites.

1st Class Silver and £1 Gold

When I browse eBay, which is not very often these days, I always look for the unusual or something Machin related that I have not seen before.

Today I picked out two items to show you. The first is a solid gold replica of a £1 Machin, described as:


"The 1973 £1 Machin & Penny Black Gold Definitive Stamp Replicas. 38.05 grammes nearly 1 and1/4 ounces of 22ct gold, this is number 1734 of 3000 sets issued on the 18th of June 1973."

In 1973, Hallmark Replicas issued a number of 7p replica stamps in 22 carat gold, probably struck by the Royal Mint in London.

These medallions above are similar and reproduce the design of the £1 definitive stamps issued in 1973. I have not studied the perforations to see if they are accurate, but the Machin portrait and the £1 sign look to be a good likeness.

The second item is a silver 1st class Machin, this can be yours if you are prepared to pay over the odds.

Although it is something I have not come across before and it stands out as a genuine rare stamp, it does not appeal to me as a collectors item. Perhaps this is because it has no certificate or if I'm honest it could be the price that puts me off.

It is described as: 1st class Machin definitive silver colour trial ' SG1668. Elliptical pef. Printed by De La Rue as a trial in silver. Circa 2004. Superb and very rare.

What do you make of it? This (below) is the actual image the seller used in the listing.