Recorded Delivery Machins / 2nd Prestige Booklet

On the 14th October we showed you preliminary images of the two new recorded signed for Machins that were due to be issued on 17th November. Actual pictures of these two stamps showing the security slits have now been made available to me.

Printed by De La Rue (self adhesive counter sheets only) left is the recorded delivery 1st class large £1.36p and right the basic recorded delivery 1st £1.14p.


The basic stamp (24mm square) is 4mm wider than ordinary 1st class definitives.




Details have now emerged of a second Prestige booklet which will be issued on 25th February 2010. This is entitled "The Royal Society".

The booklet will have at least one multi value Machin Pane which will consist of 8 stamps and a central label. Top row 54p + 22p + 54p, middle row 22p + L + 22p, and bottom row 54p + 22p + 54p

Other panes will house Royal Society special issue stamps. Thanks go to Ian Billings for the pics and information. Ian describes the issue on his website which you can read here.

Earlier Silver Machins

I just received the Autumn 2009 edition of Cross Post, the semi-annual publication of the Friends of the British Postal Museum & Archive. In it, Don Staddon writes about silver Machins dating from 1994.

The BPMA received a number of contributions from Royal Mail's stamp section after it moved offices (never too late to do a little house cleaning!). Included in the hoard is a booklet of 12 x 19p Machins printed in metallic silver. The cover is similar to the ones used today, except that it is
also silver in color.

Staddon says that the stamps were printed by Harrison and Sons and then mounted in covers presumably produced by Walsall. I wonder if we'll ever see issued stamps in this color.

Incidentally, this is a good opportunity for me to plug the Friends. It's an organization that supports the BPMA. The BPMA has grown considerably since its formation a few years ago, and it is now preparing to open a true postal museum in 2013. The BPMA has an excellent web site here and a blog here.

Information about the new postal museum is here. There are two online exhibits of interest to Machin collectors here and here.

If you'd like more information about joining the Friends, see here. I strongly recommend it.

--Larry

Machin News December 09

Update

A letter from Ian Rose

I read your blog entry about the Machin in printed in silver that you had seen on Ebay. These emanate from a very non-standard se-tenant pane of 9 from the "Across The Universe" prestige book. This pane is laid out as follows:-

1st E 1st
1st label 1st
1st E 1st

No, that layout is not a mistake!! It differs from the issued pane which has E NVI stamps in positions 4 and 6. In addition, all the 1st stamps are in silver. The E stamps are in a drastically darker shade and the shade of the label differs. There are said to be differences in the picture to the left of the stamps, but I have to admit that I did not study it too closely.

I have no idea why this pane was produced in this form. These appeared at around the same time as several other Machins of somewhat doubtful origin such such as the 00p machin colour standards and the unissued £5 photogravure in brown - not blue. One has to suspect that they fell off the back of a lorry belonging to a(n) (in)security printer. I was shown a complete pane by a collector at a Machin Collectors Club meeting. It was said to have been purchased from a dealer in the Strand area -- but I'd better not mention the name as I doubt he would thank me for doing so and I may have the name wrong anyway.

A number of panes appear to have escaped but most seem to have been broken up for singles. Spink auctioned a strip of 3 of the E stamps (E-label-E) some time ago. Another dealer (who may also prefer to remain anonymous) has sold at least two similar strips of E stamps, one of which may be the strip from Spink. There have been a couple of silver 1st stamps offered on Ebay and a few dealers have had them as "under the counter" items.

A modern Machin error specialist had the first that I saw and was, in his usual way, asking a truly staggering price for it. I didn't see any more until a couple of years later but have seen several since. I believe, but am by no means sure, that Doug Myall has stated that these are iriodin ink trials. This seems doubtful. Sorry, Doug, if you said no such thing!

Many thanks to Ian Rose for this detailed information, keep reading as there is also an update from R. Bostock below.

You will no doubt notice that it is not actually December yet! I am starting this post a little ealier due to the fact I am still away in the UK. I have actually bookled a flight back to Spain for the 29th November. I have been posting here when I can, but it is quite awkward using other peoples tools, anyway the point being things will get back to normal very soon.

Nore news of Olympic retail booklets.

Pete Bradley via the comments dept has left a message, he informs us that the second Olympic retail booklet (II) is planned for February 25. He gives no details of the special issues to be used in the booklet at this time. We gave you details of the first booklet here

Pete also mentions that another retail booklet, (format unknown) will be issued on 30th March 2010. Described by Pete as a advertising booklet, it is said that this will bring advance notice (advertise) to the general public details of the forth coming Festival of stamps 2010 which opens in May.

Update

Robert Bostock adds to this and informs us hat the second Olympic booklet will follow very closely the format of the first, only with a change to the special issues. These will be replaced by the Track Athletics and Basketball stamps.

The Festival of Stamps book is a 'label' book, ie the inside front cover carries an advert for the Exhibition which is also mentioned on the usually 'white strip' seen at the right when the book is closed. The covers are red and the book contains six First Class gold definitives by Walsall, if early pictures are anything to go by.

NVI Recorded delivery Signed For

Ian billings has now received supplies of the recorded delivery signed for Machin stamps. These can be found on his website. Well worth a visit as he shows up to date pictures of the actual stamps which includes a close up of the security slits. Printing dates are also shown (19 10 09 1st class ) and (21 10 09 for 1st class large). Adding to this, both cylinder block formats (x 4) are shown.

Other information; just as we thought the background security overprint is pesent but the special hidden codes are not. As with previous stamps from Post office counter sheets it is thought that they are not needed on these stamps, the reason being these stamps will only available from the one source, ie: counter sheets.

visit Ians website here

Please pop back to this page again at a later date , as I will no doubt add to this post when time permits.

....Roy

A Second Machin Cast

On Machin Mania we try to pass on Machin related news as soon as it becomes known to us. So without more of ado here is what we have learned today.

I gasped with amazement when I received this by email this morning . It is a press release sent from Cuttlestones Auctioneers.

Begin

Sometimes lightening can strike twice, as Head Auctioneer Ben Gamble discovered this week when he was presented with a large cast of the Queen's head for valuation. He recognised it instantly as the iconic profile of her Royal Highness used on over 200 billion stamps, originally crafted in 1967 by the late sculptor Arnold Machin - and the second such plaque Cuttlestones has been graced with selling.

The find is all the more remarkable given the rarity of the casts - in 2008, Cuttlestones were commissioned to sell the contents of Machin's family home, Garmelow Manor, just outside Eccleshall, Stafford. A chance discovery led to the inclusion in the sale of a similar relief mould carved by Machin in 1967, and which finally sold for over £15,000 to a London Institute.

You may remember we covered the original sale of listed items from Machins Garmelow Estate at the time, here on this blog.

Continued ;

Ben says:

“When I was presented with the plaque, I was lost for words. We were amazed that the Garmelow cast had survived, so to find another is truly amazing. For the past thirty years, it has been in the possession of a Hereford family who inherited it from a family member who lived in Stoke-on-Trent. It’s really quite remarkable – these items are highly breakable and there would have only been a few made, so we really are lucky to have come across a second in such great condition.”

The plaque, expected to generate considerable excitement among the stamp collecting fraternity and private collectors alike, is set to be included in Cuttlestones’ November 27th Fine Art Sale, the full catalogue for which will be available from Friday 20th November 2009. Commission bids, telephone bidding and live internet bidding services are also available.

Ends

Do you fancey a bid? For further details call Ben Gamble on 01785 714905.

This video was posted to Youtube by Chris Phillips (Philcovers) on 10th Octoober 2008.

According to Chris "If you look at the cost of posting a letter In 1840 it was 1d and it stayed at the same rate for 78 years."

Olympic & Paralympic Games

I am still away from my desk, but I have still managed to find a little time to devote to stamps.

The latest news from the kids on the block is "more Machin issues are planned for 2010 onwards." I have been informed "that we can get ready for another bout of mixed definitive / special issue stamp books over the coming year".

It is my guess we will see quite a few of these in the run up to the 2012 Olyimpics. The first 6 x 1st class which will retail at £2.34p will be issued on 7 Jan 2010 entitled Olympic & Paralympic Games.



It is expected that they will be printed by Walsall Security Printers and The Machins will be of the the security slit type. The hidden code in the background text (if retained) will be C, = ROYAL MCIL. According to a ealier report from Douglas Myall the background code (C ) stands for Custom.