Vote for Machins!

Since time immemorial, or so it seems, the British Philatelic Bulletin has held a poll for readers to vote for their favorite stamps and sets of the year. This year, however, is the first time that Machins have been included, if I recall correctly.

The poll was offered in a separate pamphlet included with the December issue. All the stamps were pictured in chronological order, so the Machins issued January 3 are shown first, as you can see above. They are given the somewhat odd collective name, "Definitive Colour Palette." The tariff-change values issued on March 27 are not included in the poll.

As a reminder, the stamps issued on January 3 were the five low values with iridescent security overprint added (but the same colors as before), the 50p slate grey, the £1 wood-brown, and the first-class Royal Mail Red regular and large stamps. You can see many of these on Ian's blog here.

The poll closes on January 24, so you have plenty of time to vote. You can download the form just below, print it, fill it in, and either mail it or scan it and send by email. According to the form, you can also simply fill out a postcard and send it.

So if you are not fond of Doctor Who, football heroes, dinosaurs, or any of the other subjects shown on the excessive special issues for the year, vote for Machins!

--Larry