Byfleet De La Rue Cylinders And Date Blocks

RMS Paper known as (Royal Mail Standard ) or (Specification) This is the paper currently used at Dunstable for all current printings , Known in certain circles as ATN (c) This has a cream PVA gum and is dull in appearance, developed and designed by order of The Royal Mail to get near to that of HS2 used previously by Harrison's at the High Wycome plant.

TR3: This is the main term for paper used by Royal Mail for the Byfleet printings, there are 3 types found to date with variations of OBA (Optical Brightening Agent) in the coating. These are listed and known to specialist collectors as Dull, Intermediate and Bright papers listings are given secondary codes by collectors as - d, - i, and - b.

TR3-d = DULL
TR3i = INTERMEDIATE
TR3-b = BRIGHT

(It is believed by some that this paper was also used for a very short period at dunstable, but others disagree) These above can be sub categorised into (with) different 2 gums ATN (1) - Layflat gum ATN (t) - Tinted Gum

HSC is another paper used at Byfleet, a single paned dull paper with Layflat gum (imported from Jon Enschede of Holland). Due to the fact only single panes could be used on the ATN press, only no dot cylinder blocks were available from this printing.

These are all of the dates recorded on site to date, it is quite possible that some dates exist and have not been recorded. The dates appear in order of Value / colour of stamp, Cyl and Phos numbers, Paper and gum. All are cylinder D1 D1 unless stated.

No Dot and Dot cylinder blocks were available on most printings (x) denotes that the dot block does not exist.

Previous on site listings of this same information will eventually be deleted so that we can now have this information to hand and update it on one single page. A permanent link will be added to this post at the top left of the blog.

Please note Dunstable printings RMS paper (from 22.04/05) and Self adhesive security (slit) stamps will be recorded on separate pages. A link to the pages will be added here in due course. I will not be recording Country Pictorial definitive dates at this time, but may do in the near future.

Thanks go to the MCC catalogue, the Bookmark Journal, Ian Billings and Richard Parsons for their listings and also their help and advice.

1p Crimson: D1 D1
Bright paper - tinted gum 19/-03/03
Intermediate paper - tinted gum 16/05/03 - 19/05/03 - 18/09/03 - 02/ 03/04 - 08/03/04 - 08/04/04 - 13/04/04 - 19/04/04 - 03/09/04

2p Deep green D1 D1
Bright paper - tinted gum 25/03/03
Intermediate paper - tinted gum 01/05/03 - 08/04/04 - 15/05/03 - 05/11/03 - 15/03/04 - 19/04/04 - 24/08/04 -

4p New blue D1 D1
Dull paper - tinted gum 01/04/03
Bright paper - tinted gum 01/04/03
Intermediate paper - tinted gum 18/09/03

5p Claret D1 D1
Dull paper - tinted gum 02/04/03
Bright paper - tinted gum 03/04/03
Intermediate paper - tinted gum 29/04/03 - 16/05/03 - 17/09/03 - 03/11/03 - 04/11/03 - 22/03/04 - 16/04/04 - 18/04/04 - 23/08/04

7p Magenta D1 D1
Intermediate paper - tinted gum 10/02/04 - 01/03/04 - 22/03/04 - 02/09/04 - 03/09/04

8p Deep yellow D1 D1
Bright paper - tinted gum 31/03/03
Intermediate paper - tinted gum 04/11/03

9p Bright Orange D1 D1
Intermediate Paper tinted gum 12/11/04 - 15/11/04 - 31/03/05 - 01/04/05 DLR logo -

10p Deep orange D1 D1
Bright paper - tinted gum 20/03/03
Intermediate paper - tinted gum 30/04/03 - 18/09/03 - 03/11/03 - 24/03/04 - 13/04/04 - 19/04/04 - 25/08/04
Intermediate paper - tinted gum (dark shade) -16/05/03
Dull paper -08/04/05

20p Bright green D1 D1
Dull paper - PVA layflat gum - 04/03/03
Bright paper - tinted gum ( pale shade) 25/03/03
Bright paper - tinted gum (dark shade) 04/03/03
layflat gum (dark shade) 04/03/03
(layflat gum (phosphor wash) 04/03/03
D3 D3 Bright paper- tinted gum (dark shade) 15/04/04
D2 D1 Dull paper - PVA layflat gum (normal shade) (no dot only)
12/02/04
D3 D1 Dull paper -11/04/05 - 12/04/05 - 15/04/05
D3 D3 Intermediate paper - tinted gum 02/03/04 - 15/03/04
D3 D3 Dull paper 26/08/04

33p Slate grey D1 D1
Dull paper - PVA layflat gum 04/03/03
Bright paper - tinted gum 25/03/03

34p Lime green D1 D1
Bright paper - tinted gum 04/03/03
Intermediate paper - tinted gum 28/04/03 - 17/09/03
Dull paper - tinted gum 28/03/03

35p Sepia-brown D1 D1
Dull paper - tinted gum ( no dot only) 11/02/04
D2 D2 Intermediate paper - tinted gum 03/03/04 - 04/03/04 - 12/03/04 - 07/04/04 - 23/08/04

This next issue was a stop gap short order (emergency printing) ordered by The Royal Mail from Jon Enschede of Holland. What was also interesting with this particular stamp is, it was printed with just one centre phosphor band. The Enschede 35p value only remained on sale for a short time until the De La Rue factory was operational, then a further reprint was issued (again with one CB) with the De La Rue logo.

Enschede 35p CB Lime Green E1 (centre band) 21 /12/04

35p Lime Green D2 D1(Centre band)
Intermediate paper tinted gum 05/04/05 - 06/04/05

37p Grey-black D1 D1
Intermediate paper - tinted gum 04/06/03

39p Light greyD1 D1
Dull paper - layflat gum (no dot only) 12/02/04
D2 D2 Intermediate paper - tinted gum 04/03/04 - 23/08/04

40p Greenish-blue D1 D1
Dull paper - layflat gum 6.00 (no dot only) 12/02/04

D2 D2 Intermediate paper - tinted gum 03/03/04 - 31/08 /04 - 04/04/05 - 05/04/05

41p Red D1 D1
Bright paper - tinted gum -04/03/03 -25/03/03

42p Sage green D1 D1
Bright paper - tinted gum 24/03/03 - 25/03/03
Intermediate paper - tinted gum 01/05/03 - 13/05/03 - 15/05/03 - 17/09/03 - 13/05/04 - 31/08/04 - 01/09/04 - 02/09/04 - 14/04/05

43p Pale Emerald D1 D1
Dull paper - layflat gum (no dot only) 11/02/04
D2 D2 Intermediate paper - tinted gum - 02/03/04 - 14/03/04 - 08/04/04

46p Old Gold D1 D1
Intermediate paper- tinted gum 15/11/04 - 16/11/04 - 01/04/05 - 04/04/05

47p sea-green D1 D1
Dull paper - tinted gum 29/03/03
Intermediate paper - tinted gum 15/05/03 - 24/08/04 - 12/04/05

50p Sand D1 D1
Bright paper - tinted gum 31/01/03 - 24/08/04
Intermediate paper - tinted -30/04/03 - 16/09/03 - 04/11/03 - 15/04/04

68p Stone D1 D1
Intermediate paper - tinted gum 03/06/03

£1 Bluish-Violet D1 D1
Intermediate paper - tinted gum 26/03/03 - 19/04/04 - 26/08/04 - 29/04/03 - 19/05/03 - 20/05/03 - 16/09/03 - 05/11/03 - 06/11/03 - 23/03/04 - 26/08/04 - 07/04/05

£1.50 Rust-Red D1 D1 D1
Intermediate paper - layflat gum 11/04/03 - 13/04/05

£2.00 Indigo D1 D1 D1
Intermediate paper - tinted gum (missing £ sign) 27/03/03
Bright paper - tinted gum 27/03/03

D2 D1 D1 Bright paper - tinted gum 13/04/05
Intermediate Paper 13/04/05

£3 Purple D1 D1
Bright Paper 28/03/03 - 14/04/05
Intermediate 28/03/03

£5 Sepia D1 D1
Intermediate paper - tinted gum 30/04/03 - 15/05/05
Dull paper -tinted gum 15/04/05

Continue to Dunstable printings on dull RMS paper

Distinguishing ATN papers

In my previous post about ATN Machins, I noted that collectors divide the papers into three categories - dull, intermediate and bright. This refers to the brightness under long-wave ultraviolet light.

(The first-class gold Machin is in a group by itself. It has always been issued on a very dull paper that became known as RMS, as I noted in the previous post.)

When I started working with the ATN Machins, I developed a pretty good way to determine the brightness of any stamp. Here I am going to tell you how I did it.

There are three different scenarios that you may find yourself in with regards to this identification:
1. You have a single stamp with no margin (or selvage/selvedge) attached.
2. You have a single stamp with some margin attached.
3. You have a multiple of stamps with a margin on which the printing date has been inscribed.

I'll take these in the reverse order.

Some years ago, printers started putting the printing date in the margin of each sheet of stamps, as shown on the block above. This is the actual printing date, not the first day of issue. These are generally collected as blocks of eight.

With one or two exceptions, De La Rue only used one type of paper each day, so the printing date identifies the paper. That is, it does so if you have a listing of all the printing dates and the paper used on that date.

Such a list can be found in the Machin Collectors Club's QEII Specialized Definitves Stamp Catalogue. There is also a list on the Modern British Philatelic Circle's web site, but you must be a member of the circle to access it. (If you collect Machins, you should be a member anyway!) And many dealers publish their own list disguised as a price list.

(Douglas Myall's Complete Deegam Machin Handbook identifies all the different papers that were used for each denomination, but it does not include all the printing dates.)

Date blocks are an easy way to identify the paper (no UV lamp needed!), but it is also an expensive way. You are more likely to be in one of the other two situations.

Considering that Machins have a very small area that is not covered by colored ink, and much of that white area is covered by phosphor bands on the vast majority of Machins, life is much easier - if you define your life by the ease with which you can identify Machin paper varieties - when you have a stamp with a piece of margin attached.

At least until you get the hang of it, shining your UV light on a single stamp may not be too helpful. What you really have to do is compare the paper with some known examples.



I gathered three marginal copies of the 4p Machin, one on dull paper, one intermediate and one bright. There was nothing special about the 4p - any denomination, or a mix of denominations, would do.

When I want to identify a stamp that has a margin attached, I put it and the three known copies in an arrangement so that all the margins are near one another, as I've shown here. The unknown is the 5p stamp.

I then shine the UV lamp on this group of four, and I can then tell which 4p paper matches the 5p.

Under UV light, the bright paper appears very light gray, almost white. The intermediate and dull papers are pale purple, with the dull paper being darker, and more purple, and the intermediate paper.

In my opinion, it's always easy to tell a bright paper, but it is sometimes hard to differentiate between intermediate and dull. The brightness is determined by the amount of optical brightening agent (OBA) added to the paper, and since this amount varies, the paper brightness varies over a range. It's hard to know exactly when dull becomes intermediate. (This is nothing new - identifying Machin papers has always been an inexact science.)



If you have a stamp without a margin, the comparison has to be done using the white border on the top or bottom of the stamp that is between the phosphor bands. Here I've shown how I arrange three stamps. The unknown stamp is in the middle, and stamps with known brightness are above and below. I cover the sides of the stamps so that the phosphor bands are completely hidden, because otherwise the fluorescence of the bands is so bright that I can't see the brightness of the paper.

Shining the UV light on the middle stamp allows me to compare it to the two known ones. I use bright and dull for my first examination. If the unknown stamp matches the bright one, I'm done. If it is closer to the dull one, then I replace the bright stamp with the intermediate stamp and then compare the unknown against intermediate and dull to see which is closer.

One important note. The comparison I've done above is with the papers that were used until spring of 2005. At that time, as I noted in the previous post, a new paper known as RMS was introduced. It is even duller than the pre-2005 dull papers. You'll probably need a reference copy of this paper as well, and you may have to modify the methods I've shown above accordingly.

I should note that my identifications were done with mint stamps. I don't know if the soaking process to remove a used stamp from paper will affect the brightness.

--Larry

A Brief History of ATN Machins

For those of us in love with Machin Minutiae™, the years 2003 to 2005 were very exciting. During that period, De La Rue produced Machins with six varieties of paper and three types of gum, a veritable treasure trove of challenges for those of us who like to exercise our ultraviolet lamps.

These were the first ATN Machins, so-called because they were printed by De La Rue on the ATN press. (ATN is the abbreviation for Applications Tecnologies Nouveaux, the name of the company that makes the press.) The varieties weren't directly related to the press; they stemmed from the various papers fed into it. Roy described these Machins here, here and here, so I won't repeat those details. However, the history of the ATN Machins - why and how they came about - hasn't been told here.

The story starts with Harrison & Sons, the venerable (founded in the 16th century) printer that had been printing British stamps since, well, a long time ago. Harrison & Sons printed all low-value Machins from their introduction in 1967 until 1979 and produced most of them in the years since then except for a period in the mid-1990s.

In 1997, Harrison & Sons was acquired by Thomas De La Rue and Company, a larger company but a relative newcomer to the printing business (founded in 1813). At that time, Machins were undergoing conversion to the new, computerized printing process known as electromechanical engraving, or EME. However, the purchase of Harrison & Sons by De La Rue didn't have any direct effect on Machins.

Five years later, De La Rue went on the prowl again and came home with The House of Questa, a mere child (founded in 1966) in the printing business. Questa had been printing Machins since 1980, first by lithography and then, starting in 1998, by gravure.

Under the guidance of De La Rue, the youthful Questa put the aged Harrisons out of business and took over the Machin printing duties. Machin production was moved from Harrison's plant in Hy Wycombe to Questa's location in Byfleet and was carried out on Questa's ATN press. These stamps had a number of differences from their predecessors (that's a topic for another day), so collectors started referring to them as the Byfleet Machins.

However, De La Rue consolidated its facilities and soon moved the ATN press to a different plant at Dunstable. Having been burned by the short-sighted nature of their nickname, collectors started referring to these stamps as the ATN Machins, a name that doesn't depend on the physical location of the printing press.

But we still haven't gotten to the cause of the many paper and gum varieties, so here it is. It was Harrison's practice to buy unfinished paper from its supplier, Tullis Russell Ltd. (formerly named Coated Papers Ltd.). Harrison then added a coating to one side (on which the stamp was printed) and gum to the other side. This practice didn't change when De La Rue first took over.

When De La Rue combined the Harrison and Questa businesses, they decided to stop finishing the paper themselves. They told their supplier, Tullis Russell, to provide finished paper to them.

TR (as I will call them, with only a slight nod to the most famous TR on my side of the Atlantic, Teddy Roosevelt) apparently didn't have any experience in producing finished paper. And even though Harrison transferred their technology and some employees to TR, TR's production of finished paper was, shall we say, erratic.

There were three types of gums - shiny gum with a blue tint, dull gum with a pale yellow, or cream, color and a colorless, matt gum known as layflat gum (because it didn't curl the way some other gums did). However, I won't bother with gums here because if you have a mint stamp, it's pretty easy to identify the gum. If you have a used stamp, you don't care.

The real fun was with the paper, and specifically with the brightness of the paper under long-wave ultraviolet light. The unfinished paper used for stamps is dull under UV light. At times, printers have added an optical brightening agent (OBA) to the coating. The OBA makes the paper look whiter under normal light - making the stamp more attractive.

The amount of OBA added to the coating can vary. This variation isn't readily visible under ordinary light, but the brightness under UV light varies with the amount of OBA. Paper with a lot of OBA looks bright white under UV. Paper with a lower amount of OBA looks gray, sometimes with a faint purple color.

As I said before, there were six different papers used for the initial ATN printings. However, collectors break them into three categories - dull (very little or no OBA), intermediate (some OBA) and bright (lots and lots of OBA). There is only one intermediate and one bright paper. It is the dull category that has four different papers, some of which can be inferred by identifying the gum, but that's beyond the scope of this already long post. Roy's previous posts, linked above, have some additional information.

In 2005, Royal Mail gave De La Rue a single specification for the paper to be used for all Machins. This is generally known as RMS (for Royal Mail Specification). This paper was actually first used by Harrison and Sons in 1997 for the metallic gold-colored Machin issued to mark the Queen's Golden Wedding Anniversary. This paper is smooth on both sides, shiny, and thicker than other papers. Its coating has no brightener, so it is considered a dull paper. (It is one of the four dull papers mentioned above, but in the 2003 to early 2005 period, it was only used for the metallic gold first-class non-denominated Machin.)

Starting in the spring of 2005, De La Rue standardized on this paper. Some Machins that had previously been printed on other papers were printed on RMS when new supplies were needed. All newly-issued Machins were printed on RMS, so the fun and games ended. Well, almost.

There was one more tweak to the ATN Machins. After several Machins were printed on RMS paper, Royal Mail's quality assurance division decided that the colors were not quite right. Most noticeably the head was too pale. They decided that a new set of cylinders was needed, with the depth of etch varying for each color. Douglas Myall calls these "colour-tied" cylinders.


Pictured here are the first 2p on RMS paper (cylinder D1, printing date 22 April 2005) and the colour-tied 2p (cylinder D2, printing date 16 March 2006). The difference in the Queen's head is easily visible. On this value, the background color is also darker, but that's not noticeable on all denominations.

Several denominations were reissued with a colour-tied cylinder. All new Machins since the beginning of 2006 were, of course, printed with colour-tied cylinders.

That's where the ATN Machins rest as this is written. We'll see what other surprises Royal Mail and De La Rue have in store for us in the future.

--Larry

Volume 4 Continued (add to the debate)

Ian Rose has replied to this post below with his comments. (Click on comments at the end of the post to view) Many thanks Ian for adding to this debate. Douglas Mayall has also responded.

James Skinner as you say does not list them, and I appreciate non marginal singles could pose problems for dealers. However, when the stamps were first printed due to the phosphor layout so close to the perforations and the different papers it was advised to collect these as marginal pairs or singles in order to aid identification. This is how dealers should supply them.

As all date blocks and cylinder blocks consist of margins attached they (intermediate paper)should for completeness (in my view) be listed and priced in both Gibbons Vol 4 and Connoisseur.

The MCC catalogue has a lot of faults, but it is a good reference book, it does list and price these and short / inset bands too. Some time back Larry explained the way to identify these stamps, this is worth another read I think.

Douglas Myall (Thanks Douglas) informs us

"The best way of distinguishing Byfleet TR3 papers is to have identified samples of all of them (marginal date strips are ideal) and stick them onto a piece of black card, one below the other. Lay an unknown sample across these strips at right-angles so that they can all be seen together under the lamp. Because daylight contains some UV
these benchmark strips should not be exposed to it or they will become
unreliable"

The Adobe version, to be published in April, has a new appendix with publishing dates. These are linked to the catalogue lists at level 3.

My Original Post

I was also shocked to learn that (according to the Gibbons specialised vol 4) they do not recognise intermediate paper (TR3). After all the work put in by specialists to study and record details, they have now decided just to do away with them and class all TR3 intermediate papers as bright.

As I say I was shocked. This is the first I have heard of this. Has anyone else heard of another Machin specialist catalogue that has scrapped intermediate papers from its lists?

HOW I FOUND OUT.

I was intrigued to learn that the 9p Machin (Orange & yellow) was staying with us (for the time being). So I got my collection out of cold storage to cross check that my my date blocks were current against the 9p values listed in vol 4. I was so confused, half of the dates I have were not covered by Gibbons. I read up on the notes to find out why!

This means that the intermediate cylinder block cat by MCC @ £15.00 is now only worth £3.00. My inset left cylinder block (intermediate) does not exist!! How crazy is that?

At least I can possibly add to my collection of 9p (dull) date blocks and cylinder blocks, even if the intermediate blocks I have been collecting for 6 years are now bright :-)

Now you are as confused as me.

To recap on papers before someone at Gibbons decided to alter things.

TR3: This is the main term for paper that was used by Royal Mail for the Byfleet printings, there are (were) 3 types to be found to date with variations of the amount of OBA (Optical Brightening Agent) in the coating.

They (as far as I know) were listed and known to specialist collectors as Dull, Intermediate and Bright papers. Listings are given secondary codes by collectors as - d, - i, and - b.

TR3-d = DULL
TR3-i = INTERMEDIATE (no longer exists) but you can call it bright.
TR3-b = BRIGHT

RMS Paper is known as (Royal Mail Standard ) or (Specification) This is the paper currently used at Dunstable for all current printings , Known in certain circles as ATN (c) This has a cream PVA gum and is dull in appearance, developed and designed by order of The Royal Mail to get near to that of HS2 used previously by Harrison's at the High Wycome plant.

Byfleet & Dunstable Printings

I have recently had a lot of mail asking about the different papers/ gums originating from De La Rue Machin printings from Byfleet and Dunstable.

Hopefully this will help.
----------------------
RMS Paper known as (Royal Mail Standard ) or (Specification)
This is the paper currently used at Dunstable for all current printings , Known in certain circles as ATN (c) This has a cream PVA gum and is dull in appearance, developed and designed by order of The Royal Mail to get near to that of HS2 used previously by Harrison's at the High Wycome plant.

TR3: This is the main term for paper used by Royal Mail for the Byfleet printings, there are 3 types found to date with variations of OBA (Optical Brightening Agent) in the coating.

These are listed and known to specialist collectors as Dull, Intermediate and Bright papers

these are given secondry codes by collectors as - d, - i, and - b.

TR3-d = DULL
TR3-i = INTERMEDIATE
TR3-b = BRIGHT (it is believed by some that this paper was also used for a very short period at dunstable, but others disagree)

These above can be sub categorised into (with) different 2 gums
ATN (1) - Layflat gum
ATN (t) - Tinted Gum

HSC is another paper used at Byfleet, a single paned dull paper with Layflat gum (imported from Jon Enschede of Holland). Due to the fact only single panes could be used on the ATN press, only no dot cylinder blocks were available from this printing.

A list of all Byfleet printings, cylinder numbers, paper types and gums will be given shortly. A List of Dunstable printings will follow when more information is available.


Roy Simpson
Machins Made Easy
http://gbmachins.co.uk

Dunstable Dates And Cylinder numbers

Machins and information on the move to Dunstable.

By March 2005 after a long delay due to several problems, De La Rue had moved all plant from Byfleet and operations began on the ATN press at the new Dunstable plant. It has been said that "the first printings were the same ( indistinguishable) as those printed at the Byfleet plant" so early printings, unless you collect date blocks will have been catalogued under Byfleet listings.

Later printings, however are different in the fact that a duller flour incorporated into the paper, and they have a glossier appearance, it has also been reported that the last printing known on the brighter papers was 18/04/05. This being the £1.50 value.RMS Paper known as (Royal Mail Standard ) or (Specification). This is the paper currently used at Dunstable for all printings , this is also known in certain circles as ATN (c) Paper.This has a cream PVA gum (previous gum had a blue tint) and is dull in appearance, it is said that it was developed and designed by order of The Royal Mail to get near to that of HS2 used previously by Harrison's at the High Wycome plant.

The fist value on the new specification paper came to light ( 2p ) from a printing dated 22nd April 05. It is intended that all printings will be on this type of paper in the future.
Below is a basic list of Dunstable printings know to date. Some dates my be missing or overlooked. If you have any information or updates please email to my self or Larry (thanks in advance).

These are in order of value / colour of stamp, Cyl and Phos numbers and the date printed. All have a cream gum printed on RMS paper with no fluorescence in the surface coating.

1p Crimson D1 D1
20/05/05 - 22/07/05 - 23/07/05 - 09/01/06 - 10/01/06 - 20/01/07 - 21/01/07 - 21/03/07- 23/05/07

D2 D1 - 17/03/06 - 18/03/06 - 04/10/06 - 05/10/06 - 20/01/07 - 21 /01/07 - 21/03/07 - 23/05/07 - 27/02/08 - 28/02/08

2p Deep Green D1 D1
22/04/05 - 29/09/05 - 10/11/05 - 11/11/05 - 10/01/06
D2 D1 - 16/03/06 - 06/07/06 - 02/11/06 - 20/01/07 - 29/03/07 - 30/03/07 - 03/08/08

D2 D2 06 - 16/03/09

5p Claret D1 D1
23/05/05 - 23/07/05 - 09/11/05 - 12/01/06 - 17/03/06 -
D2 D1 - 23/08/06 - 24/08/06 - 03/011/06 - 16/03/07 - 19/03/07
D2 D2 - 17/04/07 - 04/03/08

9p Orange D1 D1
20/07/05 - 10/01/08 - 11/01/08 - 19/03/08

10p Deep Orange D1 D1
31/05/05 - 01/06/05 - 09/11/05
D2 D1 - 23/03/06 - 24/03/06 - 03/11/06 - 04/11/06 - 16/01/07 - 17/01/07 - 14/03/07 - 02/04/07 - 04/03/08 - 05/03/08 - 06/11/08

12p Turquoise D1 D1
27/04/07

14p Salmon Pink D1 D1
26/04/06 - 27/04/06 - 06/11/06 - 26/03/07

15p Shocking Pink D1 D1
08/01/08 - 19/03/08

16p Bright Pink D1 D1
05/01/07 - 02/04/07

17p Olive Green D1D1
23/01/09 - 24/01/09

20p Bright Green D1 D1
11/03/08

D3 D3
01/06/05

D4 D1
24/03/06 - 03/10/06 - 04/10/06 - 04/04/07 - 06/09/07 - 07/09/07 - 29/01/08 - 07/03/08 - 11/03/08

22p Stone D1 D1
22/01/09 - 23/01/09

35p Lime Green (centre band) D1 D1
24/07/05

37p Olive Green D2 D1
30/01/06 - 31/01/06 -30/03/06 - 31/03/06

42p Sage Green D1 D1
20/07/05

44p Ultramarine D1 D1
31/01/06 - 30/03/06 - 31/03/06 - 06/11/06 - 07/11/06

46p Old Gold D1 D1
06 06/05 - 04/01/07 - 12/09/07

47p Sea Green D1 D1
24/07/05 - 11/11/05 - 12/01/06

48p Rhododendron D1 D1
11/01/07 - 12/01/07

D1 D2 - 08/05/07

49p Rust D1 D1
01/02/06 - 0-3/04/06

50p Sand D1 D1
25/05/05 - 20/07/05 - 07/11/05 - 08/11/05 - 10/01/06 - 11/01/06

D2 D1 - 15/03 /06 - 07/07/06 - 05/10/06

50p Light Grey D2 D1
09/01/07 - 03/04/07 - 04/04/07 - 23/05/07 - 24/05/07 - 05/03/08 - 06/03/08

54p Rust D1 D1
08/01/07 - 09/01/07 - 03/04/07 - 04/04/07 - 13/09/07 - 22/01/09 - 2201/09 - 29/01/09

56p Lime Green D1 D1
18/03/08 - 20/11/09

60p Emerald 1D1D
21/01/10 - 22/0 1/10

62p Red D1 D1
24/01/09

67p Rhododendron D1D1
22/01/10 - 23/01 10

72p Red D1 D1
02/02/06

78p Emerald D1 D1
10/01/07 - 14/09/07

81p Sea Green D1 D1
09/01/08 - 10/01/08 - 18/03/08

88p Shocking Pink D1D1
23/01/10 - 25/01/10

90p Ultramarine D1 D1
25/01/09 - 25/01/10

£1.00 Bluish Violet D1 D1 D1

01/07/05 - 08/11/05/- 11/01/06 -

D2 D2 D1 22/03/ 06 - 23/03/06 - 10 /07 06 - 07 /11/06 - 08 /11/06 - 22/01/07 - 23/01/07 - 15 /03/07

£1.00 Ruby D1 D1
30/01/07 - 31/01/07 - 21/03/07 - 14/05/07 - 22/03/07 - 17/09/07 - 14/09/07 - 18/03/08

£1.46 Dark Turquoise D1D1

26/01/10

2nd Class Blue D3 D1
27/03/07 - 28/03/07

2nd class PiP Blue D1 D1
28/04/06 - 15/09/06 - 15/01/07 - 16/01/07

2nd class Large Blue ( 2 bands) D1 D1
15/05/06 - 16/05/06 - 06/09/06 - 07/09/06 - 12/09/06 - 11/11/06 - 05/12/06 - 13/03/07 - 27/02/08

1st Class Gold D1 D1 *
20/04/04 - 10/11/05 - 18/08/05 - 10/11/05 - 21/03/06 - 23/03/06

* Also known on this paper from previous printings at Byfleet - 02/04/03 - 20/05/03 - 18/09/03 - 25/03/04 - 20/04/04

D2 D1
29/03/07

1st class PiP Gold D1 D1
02/05/06 - 15/09/06 - 16/09/06 - 21 01/07 - 22/01/07

1st PiP Gold Large D1 D1
11/05/06 - 12/05/06 - 07/09/06 - 08/09/06 - 12/09/06 - 31/10/06 - 01/11/06 - 04/12/06 - 05/12/06 - 08/03/07 - 09/03/07 - 12/03/07 - 16/04/07 - 20/09/07 - 21/09/07 - 12/11/07 - 25/02/08 - 26 /02/08 -

Notes* Conventional Sheets PiP Printed by De La Rue issue date 01/08/06 Large 2nd class PVA cyl DI pD1. Unusually this has two bands, it is said " It is an aid so it can be used as first class if used on a standard letter or to make up with conventional values to the value for a 1st class large letter."

Next: De La Rue Self Adhesive Security Issues

Machin News August 2011

Deegam report number 94 has now been published online. The content which is always of interest to Machin collectors ranges from his occasional series of questions and answers to iridescent overprint shifts.

It also gives some new information on the latest Machin 1st class forgery, first brought to our attention by Ian Billings. This new forgery is printed on bright paper, with no phosphor and appears to be printed in Litho. It also appears to have varnished 'phosphor bands'.

The new Arnold Machin miniature sheet is also mentioned.The sheet will be printed by Walsall using Gravure. Douglas also mentions the new booklets which we disclosed to you a few weeks ago.

To receive online Deegam Reports,you must purchase the Deegam Handbook on CD. Full details are available on Douglas,s website. The next Deegam Report is due for publication on 20th October 2011

The 1st class MA10 coil code MRIL is now available on eBay, A report by Ian Billings informs us that he has limited numbers of these for sale to regular customers.




Adrian Bradbury has produced A first day cover commemorating the centenary of Arnold Machin . This cover will be issued on 14.09.2011 and will have a Centenary Special Hand stamp and will be printed on textured linen paper. It will then be hand made into envelopes. A limited edition of just 150 numbered copies will be made available Worldwide.

It has been reported that De La Rue have printed more of the gummed 20p bright green stamps. These are from a new D5 cylinder, printed before the self-adhesive versions and have a date code of 16/09/10. Ian Rose also reports a date block dated 15/09/10.

High Values Types and Values

Bradbury and Wilkinson were the printers of the first Machin high values in 1969, these were the recess printed pre decimal stamps. The set consisted of 4 values , 2/6d , 5/- , 10/- , and £1. None of the stamps had phosphor bands. the pre decimal issues are shown below.

The decimal series followed in 1970 (in fact issued 3 or 4 months before decimalisation).

Similar in design but but with 10p, 20p, 50, and £1 values.

The 10p was printed on phosphor Coated Paper, so were some of the 50p values.

These were also printed on two types of paper, one dull, one bright.

Due to shortages of the original papers the printers used their own paper, this is termed in catalogues contractors paper, the original refered to as post office paper.

The layout of the sheets also changed, on the decimal issues this gave rise to a variant of the one pound value. The first printings of the £1 value had thick horizontal lines of shading, and the reprint had vertical lines, known to specialists as cross hatch of the printing design, the difference in the printing layout and finish can only be seen with a good magnifying glass.


This variant should be checked on the pre decimal script £1 value as there are two distinct types.

In 1972 the value tablet on the £1 value was also changed from a script type to a more modern
block type (see picture left to compare) which gives a 3rd variant.

During 1977 things started to get exciting in the stamp world, a brand new set of high value stamps were introduced, printed in photogravure. These were of a large vertical format similar to the commemoratives of the day. They were also available in gutter pairs, which was also a first for stamps of high value. There are several values to collect from this series ranging from £1 to £5.

High values then reverted to the castles stamps for a short time (these were not Machins).

Small format :

After the castles issues of which there were several printings, high values reverted back to the Machin design, to that of the small format of today, the reason for the change , quote "the post office needed to bring in some sort of uniformity in the size". Enschede of the Ntherlands were the chosen printers.

This issue of high value Machins then changed again dramatically they were still in the small format but were re-engraved and more security features were added. These were as stated were printed by Enschede, but then the contract reverted to De la Rue. These are the current HV stamps on sale at this time.


The cut off point for high value stamps changed in 2003 to that of £1.50p. All stamps below this value are now classed as a normal low value, which makes for confusion to the layman as this includes the previous £1.00 issued before hand.

A new £1 Ruby Machin is to be issued in June 2007 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Machin design. This will not be classed as a high value.

It Is Official - No AB3 Notation

During the later months of 2015 the phosphor used on Machin defininative stamps had a minor change due to the fact Royal Mail sourced a new supplier.

It is now known through extensive inquiries carried out by Douglas Mayall and others that the basic composition of the compound still remains the same. As this has not changed there will not be a new AB3 notation as reported in June.

There is a slight difference as is not as bright under the UV lamp as that used previously. Eagle eyed collectors first noticed that the change over was made in September  2015.

For completeness some collectors and dealers have now started to prepare lists of 2015 Machins with both bright and dull phosphors. Please note that all  printings with 2016 year codes have the newer duller phosphor. Below Bright and dull phosphors.

                                              

                 

This is a list to date of the stamps (known) with 2015 year codes that exist with both bright and dull phosphor.  It should also be noted that all newer 2015 dated  counter sheets printings after these dates shown will be of the duller type. 

Stamps from Counter Sheets

1p             05/11/15
2p             28/09/15
5p             06/11/15
10p           30/09/15
20p           01/10/15

50p           06/11/15
£1             12/11/15

1st purple     18/09/15
1st Large      01/10/15
2nd class      29/09/15
2nd Large     03/09/15
1st Signed    13/11/15             

It is sure that certain booklet stamps and business sheets with both bright and dull phosphor exist. Further studies are taking place, the information will be forth coming sometime in the future.

Known stamps from Business Sheets with and without Security Backing Paper 

BS  2nd class    2015?

BS  2nd Large  2015?

BS 1st class       2015?

BS  1st Large    2015?

More Machin News (June 2009)

( Updated) Some time ago Larry posted the Stanley Gibbons numbers for the new self adhesive Security Slit stamps on the Machin Forum. I have reproduced this post here just in case it is of interest to anyone.

"The Gibbons numbers are in! The Catalogue Supplement in the June issue lists the following numbers:"

Specialist Catalogues will no doubt break these down even further to incorporate the background security wording and oval cut variations.

Sheet Stamps De La Rue

U2911 - 2nd bright blue
U2912 - 1st gold
U2913 - 2nd large bright blue
U2914 - 1st large gold
U2915 - 50p grey
U2916 - £1 magenta
U2917 - £1.50 brown-red
U2918 - £2 deep blue-green
U2919 - £3 deep mauve
U2920 - £5 azure

Booklet Stamps
Walsall Security Printers

U2931 - 2nd bright blue
U2932 - 1st gold
U2933 - 2nd large bright blue
U2934 - 1st large gold


Concorde Booklets (Updated)

I now have assured conformation from a reliable source that informs me the third Design Classics themed retail booklet to be issued in August will contain 4 x 1st NVI gold and 2 x 1st NVI Concorde special issue stamps.

Sorry for any confusion, I was informed (as above) that these would contain 2 x Concorde special issues, however I think this was a typo, the image below clearly shows 1 x 1st class x Spitfire and 1 x 1st class Concorde stamps. I am assuming that this will be the norm.

Hidden Code Letters

Again for this booklet, the Machin 1st NVI stamps will exhibit a hidden Code Letter in the wavy line iridescent 'Royal Mail' text. The 'A' of the word 'MAIL' is replaced by 'C' in just one instance - above the central cross.

Thus the word will appear as 'MCIL'

Using Douglas Myalls information, the hidden code in the background text C = ROYAL MCIL, C stands for Custom.

The booklets will be produced by Walsall and printed in Gravure on self adhesive paper.

For more information which includes security slits and hidden codes go to our previous posting

Detecting Phosphors & UV Lamps

Pete Raymond recently wrote to me and asked about UV Lamps. Thanks Pete, I will see if I can answer your questions in plain English as this is a difficult subject to write about.

What is a UV lamp?

What is the best type to purchase ?

Where can I obtain one?

Ultra Violet Lamps are an essential piece of equipment for serious philatelists, especially if you are serious about collecting Machins. Two of the main functions are to identify phosphor bands (both fluorescence, colour, phosphor type ) including degrees of phosphor application and after glow.

These are also an aid to deducing short and inset bands.

A secondary use is determining the paper types, : OCP, FCP, PCP, ACP etc, ( essential on later De la Rue Byfleet & Dunstable printings which through changes in paper suppliers during the earlier printings have various degrees of OBA in the paper makeup. (bright, intermediate and dull).

There are many types of UV on the market, manufactured by different makers and they come in an array of price bands.

The Machin collector will need at least two, a short wave and a long wave. Most specialists including my self have Four.

Two desk lamps, which I use in my home or office ( one short one long wave) run from mains electricty. These are ideal for home use as one can use them hands free enabling the user to combine a magnifier or microscope.

below is a desk lamp with a magnifier incorporated into the hood.


I have two portable battery hand held lamps, again one short wave and one long wave. I pop these into my bag when visiting shows, stamp shops and post offices. I have found many a bargain purchased at face value at the post office, and one or two at shows which have paid for these portable lamps ten fold.

Long wave, is for detection of fluorescence of stamps and phosphors which ranges over a Broad spectrum of long waves giving Peak efficiency at 366 nm and a reliable detection of luminescence.

Below is a image of a portable lamp.

They ( long wave ) are suitable for use on most areas with A or C phosphor. i.e. Canada, Mexico, Norway, France, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China, Russia and Machin definitives of Great Britain after 1992.

Short wave: Ultra Violet (UV) lamps are used for the detection of phosphorescence on earlier stamps with B phosphor pre 1993 .

Short wave UV light gives Peak radiation efficiency at 254 nmFor assured phosphorescence detection of stamps from Great Britain, USA, Israel, Finland and older issues from Canada and Mexico.

It should be noted when using short wave lamps the user should not look directly into the light. To do so over a prolonged period so can be detrimental to ones eye sight.

Prices for hand battery held Long wave are usually in the range of £7 - £12 and for short wave £20 - £30.

Tip: place a peice of clear glass over your stamp to convert long wave light into short wave

Desk lamps are available from £10 - £25 for long wave and £ 30 - £45 for short wave.

These are available from most stamp dealers or you can pick them up direct from wholesalers(prinz or lighthouse) via the Internet.

If you have problems aquiring one let me know I can send you a scan of the product and price. ( postage & packing will apply) gbmachins@lineone.net

Building A Web Site

A letter from Mike Gardner

Dear Roy,

I have visited your Machins Made Easy website and would like to congratulate you on the simplistic manner in which you put your message across, I have found it an invaluable source of information.

I have tried in the past to build my own site with AWYSIWYG program. I would like to ask if you have any web building tips that I can use?

Mike there is no easy way to build a website, but I can reproduce an article I wrote for the IPDA news page which may give you some information.

e-Business Made Easy

For a start let me just say , I am no expert in web design, but have built a few and learned from my mistakes as I have gone along.
Everyone I know wants their web site to look its best, it no matter if it is a simple personal home page or a massive online shop selling all and sundry.

Part one of this (our) simple guide will help you avoid the pitfalls of disaster and hopefully allow you to build a successful web site. Its a dilemma for most just to know how or where to start with web site design. Most just chuck a package full of things on to a page and hope for the best. This throw it together approach can work with a bit of luck, but 9 times from 10 it ends in tears.

Anyone who knows the basics of computers can put a site together, however there are plenty of handy tips you can use to avoid 90% of the pitfalls.

Rule 1/ Where to start

The main thing to consider when planning a home page is "what do I want my site to do"? If you have an idea of what you want your visitors to see, then this is half the battle.
Try to resist just adding content to your pages just co,s you can. In my experience people do not want to wade through tons of gimmicks or irrelevant information when they land on your page.
If you have thought of a theme for your site then you have already jumped the first fence, once you have the concept all you have to do is spice up the page to interest them. We can captivate them, later.

Some images and a bit of text set out in a tidy manner works wanders. Nothing has to be complicated to be a success. Besides, why make things harder for your self?.
In terms of complexity, there are tons of ideas you can experiment with, but wait until you have actually put a page together. Remember we can always add at a later date.

The knack of adding Frames, image maps, sound and animation are all within most peoples grasp once they have mastered the basics. Just keep it nice and simple to start. Trying the old adage running before you can walk will result in a hit counter that stays static.

My philosophy has always been "Less is More". I have noticed that the best sites are those that are not overloaded with to much content. A simple design idea and pages that are easy to navigate are the sort of things that persuade people to return.

It is to easy to pack pages with with lots of tricks and whistles, but minimization has always been found to be the most successful when it comes to web design.

If you contemplate having a busy site with lots of information, you must consider breaking it down in to digestible chunks, the only way to do this is by adding more pages. The same applies,do not Overcrowd your pages, some of the worst sites are those that seem so chaotic they make the Freeway in rush hour seem a more tranquil choice of venue.

I must stress this, avoid the temptation to overcrowd your pages. Visitors only skim read anyway, so its pointless writing reams of text, they will not be bothered to read it. This is most important on your index page (home page) as this is the first port of call for your visitors. Ease them in gradually. Subtle will grab them, a one word one quote and a couple of pictures leave a more lasting impression. It also wants them to investigate further.

Rule 2/ What’s the Plan?


Before you even start to play around with programs, do not be afraid to sit down with a pencil and paper, draw a rough sketch of your ideas. This will pay you in the long run , the reason is, it enables one to decide on a workable format. Draw your plan and spread the consent over a few pages, when you add the content to the site it will automatically be less cluttered than if you jumped straight into computer design mode. You will find the separate pages linked together will allow your visitors easier access and make the site simple to navigate.

So I'm talking rubbish! Let me convince you with a simple argument. If you are having a house built from scratch, you would not let the person constructing it, build, or even lay a brick if he did not have some sort of plan. Do not add anything until you have a firm idea of where your rooms are going to be and what they are going to hold, you must also have an hallway (or link way) so people can get from one room to another.

This forward planning stage is more important on web sites that will have lots of pages, but even a site with 2 or 3 pages needs a plan, you will be surprised on how much time you save if you have a plan, so rule two is , get it down on paper first.

Rule 3/ Optimize your Graphics

Before you load pictures to your site, play around with them in your image editor until you feel they are the right size for the page, not to big, not to small. If you are not sure write down the size that you think will suit. E-commerce sites contain a lot of images so it will pay to get the sizes right from the off, compress them as much as you can, but do not over do it.

Adding massive pics will mean your visitors will have to wait an age for your web site to load, remember not everyone at this time has broadband. If you have a gallery of pictures turn them into thumbnails, which when clicked take the visitor to a bigger version. This may seem like a lot of work, but it will be worth it in the end just to grab that quicker download time. Rule three size does matter.

Rule 4/ Pick your Text

OK, it (your site) is only a guide to the boy scouts dinner party, but you need to pick your text to make sure everything is explained concisely. You do not need to use plain English, but by adding short lines of plain understandable text, your pages will take on a little more appeal. The scouts will also get their dinner.

See I told you it pays to plan! Using your bit of paper at this stage you have already worked out how much text to add to the page.

As I have already stated do not overcrowd the page with to many lines of text, visitors will just hit the back button. No one likes going to a home page to find they have to scroll down through a mountain of text. Point them in the direction of page 2. In other words rule 4 in laymen’s terms is spread your content.

Rule 5/Colours

There is nothing wrong with using a background colour on your page or an image come to that, but if you do make sure its low key. Bright yellow with purple text is not the way forward, choose a subtler tone and you will notice the immediate change, you and your visitors will also find the text is easier to read. Its more of a case of not using anything that will give your visitors eye strain. Back to our house designer. My God, the builder has painted the house neon purple, now I have no hallway, a toilet in my living room and the decor has given you a headache to boot.

When deciding on a colour scheme, avoid anything to bright , or to dark. The bulk of web designers stick to a old fashioned tried and tested method of black on white. The old saying again . "Less is More".

Rule 6/ What’s Hot?

The easiest method of seeing what’s hot is to browse the web, see what the others are doing. Look at a cross section of sites from humble home pages through to corporate holdings. Make notes of anything that you like. If you see a natty drop down menu and think "Oh id like some of that", open up the source code. This will reveal how it was done.
Java script used to be considered the "dogs what-sits". unfortunately this type of script has lost its appeal of late. Designers have come to realise that adding lots of clever dick code was pointless. A currency converter that helps your customers is a different kettle of fish. We can add these later.

So there we have it- simple handy tips to building a better site, do not consider this as a definitive guide though, web site design is a subjective thing and you may have your own ideas that you may want to experiment with. Just remember to enjoy the experience.
If you sit in front of your screen for weeks and end up with your head in your hands each night, then you are trying to hard. Have a rest, and try something a bit simpler.

Do not be put off by design snobbery, there are plenty of people who will tear your work to shreds, if you give them the chance. If they do , don’t let this deter you, learn from mistakes....OK this is where I end the lesson, but before I do finish , repeat this 3 times......LESS IS MORE.....LESS IS MORE......LESS IS MORE.

Sticky Stuff Remover

Sticky Stuff Remover available from Betterware was mentioned in Ian Billings reply to my post " Removing Self Adhesives from Paper"

I tried soaking another 1st class Large today in saucer of cold water, with this I put it in the microwave on high for a few seconds. The stamp came away from the backing paper (fine) using a pair of tweezers, but again it left a gum residue. This I removed with neat alcohol and a cotton bud. This like Ians experiment left traces of gum around the security slits. To mess with it any longer would have destroyed the stamp.

I can see these security slits will prove to be a pain. Royal Mail has certainly done its homework. It is a pity they did not do it earlier regarding the cancelling of stamps used in the mail. Over the last six months or so I have the total £8.47 in used stamps, over 75 stamps of variious denominations which have arrived on incoming mail without a cancel. They are still arriving as with the letter from The Modern British Philatelic Circle (over £1 in stamps uncancelled) which arrived this morning.

By the way if you are reading this many thanks go to Keith Woodward and Tony Wilkins for your quick replies.

Any comments or more bright ideas for removing these issues? We still need to hear from you on this subject.

New Security Stamps (Continued)

Presentation Pack Low Values

It has now been three days since these stamps were issued (17th February) and (as yet) I have not had the chance to attempt to remove a used one from a envelope to see what sort of condition the stamps once soaked and dried are in. Has anyone else tried? It will be interesting to see the various results as time goes by.

From one of the groups I belong to (S of GB) one of the members (Greg) has tried, here is his report . ( Thanks Greg)

"The gum appears to have the same effect as on many of the currently issued stamps from the countries above, ( American, Irish and Kiwi ) in that part of the backing paper is left on the stamp when you try to remove it. I normally roll this off gently with my thumb. I had a 50% success rate with the two UK definitives I tried - the little security tears make this a more difficult task to do, especially as they are so close to the edge of the stamp.

However the stamp paper itself doesn't appear to be as thin as some of the other stamps out there with this type of gum. Now for the bad news - having come back to the dried stamp, the gum is still present on the back of the stamp, to the extent that it would probably stick for at least part of a second journey through the postal system, and be very difficult to work with in stock books."

Greg continues "By the way, I tried with normal cold and luke-warm water, soaking a stamp in each for just over 15 minutes."

I have a theory that neat alcohol (the sort obtained from chemists) may remove this excess gum, anyway as Greg had a 50% success rate with just two stamps, It proves that with care they can be removed without damage to the actual stamps. If the alcohol does not work, am sure some bright spark will come up with a solution ( no pun intended) to the gum problem very soon.

I can now show you some of the formats these stamps are available in, starting with what appears to be and has been proclaimed as a gutter pair. What do you think should this be catalogued as?

Is it a gutter pair as such?

I personally do not think so, but that's just my opinion.

I also have a pic of the cylinder block of 6. It appears that only the no dot format is available from these De La Rue printings.

Presentation packs ( high and low values) and two different first day covers, high and low values are also on sale. I will post pictures of these two types of first day covers tomorrow.

ATN Sheets and Marginal Markings

It is now common knowledge that The Primary sheets of Machin stamps printed by De la Rue (before trimming) contain 400 stamps, they are printed in gravure on on the ATN press.

Before I begin I will mention that all current values are printed upright and are now on a uniform OFNP/PVAl (dull) paper to the (Royal Mail Specification) RMS. They no longer have the De La Rue Logo situated in the margins. Previous printings may have the logo and been on dull, intermediate or bright papers.

The actual Primary sheets for these stamps are separated by a vertical gutter into two half sheets of 200 - The left margin carrying the the no dot cylinder numbers, and the right bearing the dot. Both of these cylinder numbers are situated alongside row 18.

What other marginal markings are available to the collector?. This depends on the individual collector as to what he/she wishes to spend as there are several. Each to his own as the saying goes.

The choices on what to collect (or not to) are various depending on how much ones budget stretches to. The obvious are the date blocks, both left and right, these are normally found running vertically reading from the bottom upwards between rows 12 -13 on both the dot and no dot sheets.

Cylinder blocks are described elsewhere on site and are briefly mentioned at the end of the post.

Some people collect the colour imprint arranged in the dot and not dot margins beside rows 3 reading upwards. The dot sheet also has the phosphor and what are now known as the "Phosphor Colour Electromat Control Marks", these are found alongside 18 - 19 and below these are what we now call "The Colour dabs".

(Sorry I do not have a picture of a Electromat block) perhaps someone could send me one or maybe Larry can help by posting one here.

I personally have no interest in these (either colour markings or Electromat blocks) so I do not collect them, but a lot of Machin specialists do - My reasons are they do not give the required information of the printing date or Phos and cylinders numbers, so in my mind they are just an extra collecting expense. The same can be said of collecting the arrows or half arrows on the sheets.

Arrows are found situated between columns 5 -6 and rows 10 - 11, both top and bottom in the dot and no do dot sheets.

Colour blocks are usually collected in blocks of 6 with angled margin or blocks of 8 with straight margins; date Blocks are usually collected in blocks of 8 with angled margins both top and bottom. Electromat blocks again are collected in blocks of 6 - angled margins top and bottom are usually an option.

Finally the phosphor cylinder blocks are collected in blocks of 6 - angled margins again are an option.

" Britannia Rules The Waves"

It has been suggested or you may have heard the expression " Britannia Rules The Waves"
Well in the world of the Machin I think this truly applies. This is one of my favourite Machins ( I actually have this sheet hanging in my study in a gold ornate frame) which holds a pride of place in my collection.


I am refering to the 1990 miniature sheet showing Britannia and the magnificent Sea Horses. The design ( by Sedley Place ) is one of not only beauty and intricacy but a miniature masterpiece in its own right.



Two different printing methods were also deployed to create this miniature masterpiece.

Printed by Harrison and sons perforated 15 x 14 it is printed on ACP paper ( bright ) with Dextrin gum. It was released to celebrate and commemorate the 150 anniversary of issue of the first uniform pre paid postage stamp, the penny black 1840 - 1990.

It contains a 20p double headed anniversary stamp designed by Jeffery Matthews. The anniversary stamp is printed in photogravure and the replica of the penny black printed in recess ( in order to look authentic), engraved by Christopher Matthews ( no relative to Jeffery) .


The sheet surround is based on the 1913 sea horse and Britannia high values, hence the title of this piece. These miniature sheets are not rare and can be picked up on eBay and other philatelic sites for a bargain price of a couple of GB pounds.

Go on treat your self, you will not regret it.