Norvic Philatelics
New Machin definitive & Country stamps - 20 March 2018
Royal Mail announced its annual stamp
price rises in late February and they take effect from 26th March 2017.
Inland rates will be (previous rates in [brackets] ) - 1st class 67p
[65], 2nd class 58p [56], 1st Large
£1.01 [98], 2nd Large 79p
[76].
The inland 'Royal Mail Signed For' fee remains £1.10 on letters and £1 on
parcels. Special Delivery rates are unchanged.
The Europe 20g and Worldwide 10g rate of £1.17 rises to £1.25
(an increase of 6.8% on top of last year's 11.5%) which means a new
stamp*.
The Worldwide 20g rate
rises from £1.40 to £1.45 which
means a new stamp*.
The Europe 100g rate of £1.57 is reduced
to £1.55 (new stamp)
The World 100g rate of £2.27 is reduced
to £2.25 (new old stamp - see
table below).
The Surface mail (International Economy) 20g rate rising from £1.02 to £1.10
(no
new stamp).
The Large Letter 100g rate for Europe rises from £2.55 to £2.65
so another new stamp.
The Large Letter rates for World Zone 1 and Zone 2 rise by 15p from £3.15
and £3.30 to £3.30 and £3.45. No new stamps are
proposed for these.
* Country definitives
will also be issued for these rates, and the design of the 2nd and 1st class
country definitives will be changed to reflect the new font now in use on
airmail values and Machins.
Pre-issue
studio images of the new stamps for 2018
Airmail: Europe Letter 20g -
Worldwide Letter 20g - Europe Letter 100g - Europe Large
Letter 100g
The purple £2.25 Plum Purple stamp introduced for the 2015
tariff change is to be reused for the new Worldwide 100g
rate.
Initial supplies to post offices (so far seen) are from the
2016 (M16L) reprint, but this stamp has been reprinted for
this revised rate
and M18L printings are expected to be available during the
year.
 |
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Official
colours of the new stamps:
£1.25 Holly Green
£1.45 Dove Grey
£1.55 Marine Turquoise
£2.65 Purple Heather |
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Pre-issue
publicity images of the new 2nd class, 1st class, £1.25 and
£1.45 Country Definitives.
The typeface used for the values on these pictures is the
same as on the Machin definitives, and brings the lower values
in line with the airmail values.
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Technical information
The Machin definitive stamps
are self-adhesive and printed for the first time by ISP Walsall
in gravure. They will have security cuts and the irridescent
overprint, which should have year code M18L.
We're told that these will be issued in sheets of 50, which would imply
gutters, although all stamps other than the 1st/2nd/Large NVIs are usually
in sheets of 25.
The Country definitives will be
litho printed on ordinary gummed paper by International Security Printers
in sheets of 25. They will have no security features. See note above
about typeface for the denomination.
Philatelic release.
The £2.25 reprint of the Machin definitive is not regarded as a new stamp
by Royal Mail and will be distributed only to standing order customers who
request all changes including non-visible. It will not be included
in the presentation pack, nor on the first day cover. (We will
produce a small number of FDCs with the new £2.25 added.)
All 16 of the country definitives are included in the country
presentation pack, and 4 stamps will be on each country's first day cover.
Special postmarks available on the day of issue are in the Postmark
Bulletin, available on Royal Mail's website.
If you wish to be told when this page is updated, please use the
ChangeDetection panel alongside the stamps.
This page created 1 March 2018