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Now I do not know how true this is, but I have read a couple of reports that The French Government have printed certain GB stamps.
The report in question concerns the Windsor Castles Recess pane from the Centenary of Aerial Post prestige booklet which was issued on 9th September 2011. This pane was reportedly subcontracted out to the French Government Printer who operate under the Phil@Poste title (previously ITVF)
It seems that Cartor have entered into a relationship with the French Government Printer to fulfil their intaglio/recess requirements. If this information is as I say correct then this is the first time the French Government Printer has printed postage stamps for Royal Mail.
Looking forward to all your replies.
5 comments:
It is perhaps slightly abusive to refer to the 'French government' as printing the Castles pane. Like Royal Mail, La Poste, the French post office, is no longer a government department and although it has inherited the stamp printing factory, this is not owned by the government. The French state printing works is the 'Imprimerie nationale', dating back to Richelieu.
While Robert may be technically correct, I don't see that from the wikipedia entry:
Au sein du ministère français chargé des Postes, le Service national des timbres-poste et de la philatélie (SNTP) est un service chargé depuis 1989 « de l'ingénierie, de la fabrication, de la vente et de la promotion des timbres-poste, des produits philatéliques et des valeurs fiduciaires.
Le SNTP est sous l'autorité du directeur général de La Poste. Il prépare et organise l'ordre du jour de la Commission des programmes philatéliques qui a pour mission de proposer au ministre des Postes les thèmes des timbres-poste à émettre.
Le SNTP a ensuite pour mission d'assurer l'émission du programme philatélique en choisissant les artistes et les moyens d'impression à mettre en œuvre par l'Imprimerie des timbres-poste et valeurs fiduciaires (ITVF) de Périgueux.
Within the French Ministry of Post, the National postage stamps and philately (SNTP) is a unit since 1989 "engineering, manufacturing, sales and promotion of postage stamps , philatelic products and values trustees.
SNTP is under the authority of the Director General of La Poste. It prepares and organizes the agenda of the Commission philatelic programs whose mission is to offer the Postmaster themes of stamps to be issued.
The SNTP then responsible for ensuring the issue of stamp program by selecting the artists and how to implement printing by the Printing of postage stamps and values trust (ITVF) of Périgueux .
Nonetheless, interesting and typical of globalisation in that we never know exactly who is doing what.
(When Germany increased their postcode from 4 digits to 5, a wallposter map was printed. The contract was won by HMSO the UK government printer, but the job was printed in Italy on paper imported from Norway.)
I think the main point is was this pane contracted out.
If it was we need to alter catalogues and add another printer to the list of Printers of British stamps.
The intaglio portion of the PSB 50p Castles pane was indeed sub-contracted by Cartor to phil@poste for printing under a partnership agreement, as Cartor does not have intaglio capability. Cartor printed the litho portion of the pane and undertook all other aspects of production of the Aerial Post PSB.
The die used for the Castles stamps was an entirely new engraving undertaken at Perigueux by hand and the linework is more delicately done than at Enschede last year.
At the risk of playing with words, this is not the first time that the (predecessor of the) Perigueuex factory has printed stamps for GB, as the French state printing works undertook total production of the Jersey 1943 Views issue, under very different circumstances.
I agree with Robert about the French Government involvement in the new Castles pane. There simply was none.
It is interesting that Enschede was not involved this time. Perhaps Royal Mail found it easier to give the whole contract to Walsall/Cartor, rather than dealing with two independent printers.
--Larry
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