Norvic Philatelics - GB New Stamps and Special Postmarks

Morris and Company - stamps and prestige stamp book - 5 May 2011

Founded by the Pre-Raphaelite artist and designer William Morris in 1861 Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. manufactured and sold decorative arts products. The firm’s medieval-inspired aesthetic and respect for hand-craftsmanship and traditional textile arts had a profound influence on the decoration of churches and houses into the early 20th century

Royal Mail is celebrating these events with a set of six Stamps and a premium-priced Prestige Stamp Book - yes, the price of the PSB is 10% over face value.

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				Stamp designs: 1st Class – Cray by William Morris 1884 The most complex Morris and company print fabric requiring 34 hand printing blocks. 1st Class – Cherry Panel by Philip Webb 1867 From the Victoria and Albert Museum Morris Room decorated by Morris and Company. 76p – Seaweed by John Henry Dearle 1901 A wallpaper pattern of foliage in shades of green with blue flowers and yellow stems. 76p – Peony by Kate Falkener 1877 A ceramic tile design. £1.10 – Acanthus William Morris and William de Morgan 1876 A slip covered hand painted glazed tile panel. £1.10 – Woman by Edward Burne-Jones c.1864 Figure of a woman in stained glass. Credits: To be confirmed

Prestige Stamp Book

We don't have details of the PSB contents, aside from images of the stamp panes.  The total face value of the stamps contained in the book is £9.04, but the selling price is £9.99, the first time that a premium price has been charged for something that is essentially only purchased by collectors. We understand that the extra is to pay for the design and production of the booklet. Royal Mail will claim that there is a continuing demand for PSBs but that is mainly because of the unique stamps that some books contain as very few other people are aware of their existence.  The sound of a golden goose being shot in the foot comes to mind. 

Technical details:

The stamps are designed by Together Design and are printed in lithography by Cartor Security Print. The size is 37 x 35mm.

Prestige Stamp Book details were not included in the preliminary publicity information.  We think it will be printed by Cartor Security Printing, except Pane 1 which we think will be printed by Walsall Security Printers. 

Royal Mail stated that the entire PSB is printed by Cartor, and this is confirmed inside the back cover.  RM also stated that pane 1 (Machins) would be printed in gravure, with the others in litho, but it seems that even the Machin pane is printed in litho, a first for these.   Confusion abounds:  According to the credits printed in the book, the whole contents are printed in lithography, but Royal Mail have confirmed recently that the Machin pane is printed in gravure, as stated.

Pane 1: expected to be self-adhesive, containing 5p x 4, 10p x2, and 50p x 2, which should all have some security features.  The colour shown for the 5p and 10p are so pale as to be unbelievable; the 50p shown is however darker than the sheet version (see actual stamp images below).   The 5p & 10p have previously been printed self-adhesive in sheets by De La Rue, so they will be new stamps to the specialist.   The 50p printed by Walsall appeared in the London Festival of Stamps PSB, with source code MPIL.  If the stamps in this pane have a security overlay, then the 50p will have a year code for 2011.  If the 5p & 10p have a security overlay, they will be totally different to the sheet ones which have security slits only.

The pane is printed in gravure litho by Cartor, only the 50p has the security overlay:

Pane 2: Block of 1st class and £1.10 stamps in two designs; 
Pane 3: Block of 4 stamps, being 2 x 76p and the other two 1st & £1.10 not included in Pane 2;
Pane 4: Block of 4 x 2nd class stamps (previously issued for Christmas 2009, showing an Angel with a Lute from the Church of St James, Staveley, Kendal) separated by one or two labels. These stamps were also originally issued in self-adhesive form with a conventionally gummed stamp in the miniature sheet.  These are conventionally gummed, so a collectably new stamp which should receive separate catalogue status.

All images are Copyright Royal Mail 2011.

Products issued:
Mint set of 6
Presentation Pack
Prestige Stamp Book
Set on PO FDC   
Set of 6 Stamp Cards 

Special Postmarks
Postmarks available for the day of issue are shown here - these may not be to scale.   NOTE: These postmarks cannot be obtained after the date of issue.

Ref FD1121 Philatelic Bureau Official Postmark	Ref FD1122 Walthamstow Official Postmark (birthplace)	Ref FD1122NP The Walthamstow non-pictorial Postmark will be similar to this	Ref L12134 Morris & Company, South Kensington, London SW7	Ref L12137 William Morris Way, London SW6
Ref L12133 Morris & Company, Bexleyheath, Kent (showing Morris's 'Red House'.	Ref L12135 Morris & Company, Collier's Wood, London SW19	Ref L12136 William Morris, Red Lion Square, London WC1	Ref L12138 William Morris Society, Kelmscott House, Hammersmith, London W6	Ref L12132 Morris & Company, Walthamstow, London E17 (birthplace).
Ref M12141 Morris and Company, Morris Road, Birmingham	Ref L12150 Celebrating 150 Years, Morris & Co, Denham, Uxbridge	Ref N12157 Morris & Company, Chesterfield

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