Norvic Philatelics - GB New Stamps and Special Postmarks

Pictorial Faststamps: 50th Anniversary of the Machin definitive stamp - 5 June 2017

2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the issue of new Queen Elizabeth II definitives featuring Arnold Machin's iconic bas-relief sculpture which replaced the Wilding definitives. Arnold Machin's 1967 portrait of Queen Elizabeth II (sometimes referred to as the Machin head) has been reproduced over 200 billion times.  

Post & Go stamps are sold from Post Office Self-Service Kiosks (SSK), which allow customers to weigh their letters and packets, pay for and print postage stamps and stationery supplies, often without the need to visit the counter. The first Post & Go machine was trialled in The Galleries Post Office® in Bristol in 2008.  The labels will be used in Post & Go machines at Post Offices around the country, and from Royal Mail machines at Enquiry Offices, Museums and Spring Stampex.  The labels can be obtained with 6 different service indicators: 1st class up to 100g & 1st class Large up to 100g, a dual-value Europe up to 20g/World up to 10g, Europe 60g, Worldwide 20g, and Worldwide 60g.  From SSKs other stamps can be printed with monetary values for a variety of services including Special Delivery and parcels.

50th Anniversary Machin Post and Go stamp. 
 
 
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As part of the Anniversary celebrations Royal Mail have decided to produce a variation of the current Machin Post & Go stamp by way of a tribute to this iconic image.Post and Go Machin Anniversary set.

The normal definitive dressed head of The Queen by Arnold Machin has been replaced by his Commemorative Head as used on all special stamps. It shows the full relief portrait rather than the silhouette normally used. Six pastel colour variations inspired by the December 1966 essays have been carefully selected, with the help of Douglas Muir of the Postal Museum, to reflect some of those used on the original pre-decimal Machin definitives chosen by Machin himself. The stamps also feature the background text of
MACHIN ANNIVERSARY 1967-2017

The stamps will be issued in six colours, approximately matching the original ½d orange-brown, 1d olive, 3d violet, 4d deep sepia, 7d bright emerald, and 10d drab issued in 1967-8.

Technical details:

Designed by Atelier Works and printed in gravure by International Security Printers, 56 x 25 mm, with two phosphor bands, self-adhesive.

These will be on sale from machines in Post Office branches and with an additional inscription at the Postal Museum. The service indicators and datastrings will be printed by machine in all cases. 

Royal Mail will again produce a First Day Cover and official First Day Postmarks for these stamps.

Special postmarks available for the day of issue  were shown in Royal Mail's Postmark Bulletins (download here)

This page updated 16 May 2017

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