Festival Of Stamps Booklet

Release date March 30th The retail stamp book for London 2010 - six 1st class Machins, inside cover advertising the exhibition.
Not everyone is pleased at the way Royal Mail are exploiting stamp collectors and Simon Heffer from the Telegraph does not hold back his views when he informs his readers of reasons why.

"The Royal Mail's tawdry issues and designs are making philately, once a hobby fit for a king, into a slightly seedy investment business."

He argues that the rot of exploitation actually goes back to the Philatelist King and set in during the reign Of George V, with the invention in 1924 of the commemorative stamp, to mark the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley.

The Universal Postal Union Congress set of 1929 included a £1 stamp – "its face value equivalent to a week's wages at the time for an under-housemaid – which is probably the most beautiful stamp ever issued in this country"

A used example of this stamp (left) can be purchased for approx £400 - £500, just a days expenses if you are a British MP :-) Interesting Reading and comments, "The 2010 stamp programme contains 16 commemorative issues, the same number as issued between 1924 and 1960."

These comments interested me in particular:

"Classic British stamp design died with the introduction of the "Machin" heads , if I remember correctly around 1964-65. Then the Commonwealth went the same way. All design to the present day I consider to be tat."

Someone sticks up for the Machin

" You are very knowledgeable about your subject Mr Heffer. Perhaps you are a collector or former collector yourself. However, if I may take issue with one of your points, I believe the current definitive series by Arnold Machin introduced in 1967 is still very popular, including with the subject herself."

Take a look and lets see your comments here.