The stamp designs in detail:
1st Class January 1966: One of the many preliminary sketches by Arnold Machin based on the Penny Black
1st Class February 1966: Preparatory work by Machin using a photograph of his coin mould 1st Class April / May 1966: One of many essays with the ‘Coinage’ head surrounded by country symbols
1st Class October 1966: Essay of the Coinage head cropped and simplified, with only the denomination
1st Class August 1966: Photograph by John Hedgecoe with The Queen wearing the Diadem
1st Class October 1966: Essay of the first plaster cast of the ‘Diadem’ head, without corsage.
Background Image March 1966: Revised plaster cast of the ‘Coinage’ head, with The Queen wearing a tiara. Total face value £3.90.
The second sheet, captioned Golden Anniversary Celebration shows the original 4d dark brown stamp issued in 1967, and includes many of the different design variants of the stamps issued over the 50 years, and a new £1 stamp embossed and printed in gold foil, in the size of the 1969 high values.
1st Class January 1966: One of the many preliminary sketches by Arnold Machin based on the Penny Black
1st Class February 1966: Preparatory work by Machin using a photograph of his coin mould 1st Class April / May 1966: One of many essays with the ‘Coinage’ head surrounded by country symbols
1st Class October 1966: Essay of the Coinage head cropped and simplified, with only the denomination
1st Class August 1966: Photograph by John Hedgecoe with The Queen wearing the Diadem
1st Class October 1966: Essay of the first plaster cast of the ‘Diadem’ head, without corsage.
Background Image March 1966: Revised plaster cast of the ‘Coinage’ head, with The Queen wearing a tiara. Total face value £3.90.
The second sheet, captioned Golden Anniversary Celebration shows the original 4d dark brown stamp issued in 1967, and includes many of the different design variants of the stamps issued over the 50 years, and a new £1 stamp embossed and printed in gold foil, in the size of the 1969 high values.
The stamp designs in detail:
5p - A range of 12 low-value stamps, including 5p, was issued on ‘Decimalisation Day’, 15 February 1971. Few were sold on the day of issue because of a labour dispute which closed most post office branches. First day covers were delivered after the strike was over, in March.
20p - The double-head 20p stamp was issued as part of a range of five values on 10 January 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Penny Black.
1st Class* - On 19 October 1993, the first self-adhesive stamp issued by Royal Mail appeared in booklets of 20. The format was landscape. The trial was short-lived as it soon became apparent that postmarks of the time could be wiped from the stamps. Anyone trying to use the stamps from the booklet now will find that the stamps are very difficult to remove from the baking card.
1st Class* - On 6 January 2000, a new setting of the Machin portrait on a white background was issued to mark the millennium. Differences can be seen between the stamps printed by the three different printers.
1st Class* - A change to the way postal charges were calculated, known as ‘Pricing in Proportion’, led to the release of new definitives on 1 August 2006. This included Large Letter stamps
1st Class* - On 3 January 2013, the colour of the 1st class Machin definitive was changed from gold to red with an iridescent security overprint. Philatelists soon found a whole new area of Machins to study as the text in the iridescent printing varied according to the source (sheets, booklets etc) and year of production. Note that this stamp is red, not deep scarlet.
£1 - This new £1 stamp is based on the high-value range of 1969 and is printed using gold foil.
Background Includes an image of one of the 4d one of the first values issued on 5 June 1967 and a quote “After months of extremely hard work by Mr Arnold Machin and the printers, Messrs Harrison and Sons Ltd., a design was evolved which in my opinion will be one of the classics of stamp history.” Edward Short, Postmaster General 1967.
* These four stamps have elliptical perforations. Unlike the 20p in the PSB pane, see below, the 20p in the MS does not have elliptical perforations.
Acknowledgements:
Bas-relief portrait of The Queen by Arnold Machin OBE, RA, the 1971 stamp typography by Stuart Rose CBE, FSIA, the 1990, 1993 and 2013 stamps design and typography by Jeffery Matthews MBE, FCSD, FRSA, the 2000 stamp design by The Chase (including typography by Jeffery Matthews MBE, FCSD, FRSA), the 2006 stamp design by CDT Design Limited, and the
2017 stamp design based on the original design by Arnold Machin OBE, RA issued in 1969 © Royal Mail Group Ltd 2017;
all other images, including photograph of The Queen by John Hedgecoe © Royal Mail Group Ltd 2017, courtesy of The Postal Museum, except Arnold Machin’s sketch based on the Penny Black and preparatory work by Machin using a photograph of his coin mould © The Machin Arts Foundation.
5p - A range of 12 low-value stamps, including 5p, was issued on ‘Decimalisation Day’, 15 February 1971. Few were sold on the day of issue because of a labour dispute which closed most post office branches. First day covers were delivered after the strike was over, in March.
20p - The double-head 20p stamp was issued as part of a range of five values on 10 January 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Penny Black.
1st Class* - On 19 October 1993, the first self-adhesive stamp issued by Royal Mail appeared in booklets of 20. The format was landscape. The trial was short-lived as it soon became apparent that postmarks of the time could be wiped from the stamps. Anyone trying to use the stamps from the booklet now will find that the stamps are very difficult to remove from the baking card.
1st Class* - On 6 January 2000, a new setting of the Machin portrait on a white background was issued to mark the millennium. Differences can be seen between the stamps printed by the three different printers.
1st Class* - A change to the way postal charges were calculated, known as ‘Pricing in Proportion’, led to the release of new definitives on 1 August 2006. This included Large Letter stamps
1st Class* - On 3 January 2013, the colour of the 1st class Machin definitive was changed from gold to red with an iridescent security overprint. Philatelists soon found a whole new area of Machins to study as the text in the iridescent printing varied according to the source (sheets, booklets etc) and year of production. Note that this stamp is red, not deep scarlet.
£1 - This new £1 stamp is based on the high-value range of 1969 and is printed using gold foil.
Background Includes an image of one of the 4d one of the first values issued on 5 June 1967 and a quote “After months of extremely hard work by Mr Arnold Machin and the printers, Messrs Harrison and Sons Ltd., a design was evolved which in my opinion will be one of the classics of stamp history.” Edward Short, Postmaster General 1967.
* These four stamps have elliptical perforations. Unlike the 20p in the PSB pane, see below, the 20p in the MS does not have elliptical perforations.
Technical Details & Acknowledgements:
The miniature sheets were designed by Atelier Works and printed in gravure on gummed paper by International Security Printers, with gold foil on the £1 stamp. The sheets are 192 x 74 mm. The stamps on the Design Icon MS are 34 x 24 mm. The stamps on the Golden Celebration MS are 20 x 24 mm, except the 1993 stamp (25 x 20 mm) and the £1 stamp (30 x 35 mm). Perforations are: 14½ x 14 (Design Icon stamps), 14 x 15 (Golden Anniversary 1993 and 2017 stamps), 15 x 14 (other Golden Anniversary stamps). Phosphor bands: On the Deisgn Icon stamps appear to be 14 mm, gradated on the left side of the stamp only (and thus avoiding the embossed head); on the Golden Anniversary stamps 8 mm bands on all stamps except the £1 value. The iridescent printing on the 1st class red has year code M17L and source code MMIL.Acknowledgements:
Bas-relief portrait of The Queen by Arnold Machin OBE, RA, the 1971 stamp typography by Stuart Rose CBE, FSIA, the 1990, 1993 and 2013 stamps design and typography by Jeffery Matthews MBE, FCSD, FRSA, the 2000 stamp design by The Chase (including typography by Jeffery Matthews MBE, FCSD, FRSA), the 2006 stamp design by CDT Design Limited, and the
2017 stamp design based on the original design by Arnold Machin OBE, RA issued in 1969 © Royal Mail Group Ltd 2017;
all other images, including photograph of The Queen by John Hedgecoe © Royal Mail Group Ltd 2017, courtesy of The Postal Museum, except Arnold Machin’s sketch based on the Penny Black and preparatory work by Machin using a photograph of his coin mould © The Machin Arts Foundation.
