Machin Waddington Printings

Delta Stamps Fact File No. 9

Machin Litho Printings By Waddington

Head Types

Click on the symbol for the associated item(s) in our Price List.

Enlargements can be viewed for most images by clicking the image itself.

Machin litho printings were first introduced 1981 as a result of the Royal Mail looking for alternative suppliers to Harrison and Sons in order to be not so reliant on a single provider. Clearly, the first litho attempts produced stamps that were poor reproductions compared with there Harrison counterparts - the head tends to appear dull and 'washed out' and there is a lack of contrast between head and background.

From the outset, Waddington used two plates for these monochrome printings (unlike Questa who originally used just one plate). While a few values match Harrison Heads fairly closely, the majority appear to have been extensively modified by Waddington's producing a number of distinct 'Waddington' variants.

Waddington Litho printings.


One Curve in hair	Two Curves in hair

Year	Source	Head Type	Curves in Hair	Value
1980	Harrison origin	B	Two Curves	4p Blue
	Waddington modified	E	One Curve	20p Dull purple
1981	Harrison origin	B	Two Curves	22p Blue
	Waddington modified	E W1	One Curve Two Curves	11½p, 18p 14p Light Grey blue
1982	Harrison origin	B	Two Curves	26p Red
	Waddington modified	W2	Two Curves	12½p, 15½p, 19½p
1983	Waddington modified	W2	Two Curves	16p, 20½p, 28p
1984	Waddington modified	W3 W4 W2A	Two Curves One Curve Two Curves	13p, 17p 22p Green, 31p
1986	Rory Matthews origin	F	Two Curves	12p
Head Type Codes are those used by S.G. Specialised Catalogue. The Country Head Type (highlighted in yellow) versions are not explicitly coded by S.G. Those prefixed with 'W' fall outside the current Head Type definitions.

Symbol Types


Symbol Type I	Symbol Type II

Scottish Symbol Types
Type I Lions Head - eye surrounded by white and white dot centre; no break across bridge of nose. Lions Tail - curl extending from right side is bulbous. Lions Tail - wide gap between three part tail and curl extending from right side.	Type II Lions Head - eye joins background across bridge of nose. Lions Tail - curl extending from right side is narrower and has a wider spacing at bottom. Lions Tail - narrow gap between three part tail and curl extending from right side.

Head Types

The following reviews Waddington printings by Head Type (the background is considered a separate and subsidiary feature) producing a number of groups

Harrison derived Head Type B

Head Types


4p	22p Scotland	26p Scotland

Value	Design	Issued	Background	Source	Notes
4p	National	1980	Dark
22p Blue	Scotland	1981	Dark
26p	Scotland	1982	Dark

Some of the defining features

Derived directly from a Harrison original Head Type B

Two curves in hair.

Base to dress - diffuse against background.

Nose - slender.

22p rear cross has jewels present; 26p rear cross has no jewels present.

Waddington modified Head Type W1

Head Types

14p Scotland

	Value	Design	Issued	Background	Source	Notes
	14p	Scotland	1981	Light		Very curved base to dress

Some of the defining features

Derived from Harrison 10½p Scotland Head

Two curves in hair.

Very curved base to dress with dark shading - Waddington retouched.

Nose - slender.

Head - set high from bottom frame.

Front of dress - fold starts higher up and very short.

Back of rear cross - not truncated at top.

Base of hair bun indented like 10½p.

Waddington modified Head Type E

Head Types


20p	11½p Scotland	18p Scotland

	Value	Design	Issued	Background	Source	Notes
Xxx	20p	National	1980	Light
	11½p	Scotland	1981	Dark
	18p	Scotland	1981	Gradated

Some of the defining features

Waddingtons version of Harrison Head Type D

One curve in hair.

Flat base to dress (18p has undulation).

Nose - bulkier appearance, more pronounced; heavy shading below nostril.

Heavy shaded eyebrow - Waddington retouched.

Heavy shading at front of hair behind eyebrow - Waddington retouched.

Heavy dark shaded diagonal U shaped area (tilting to left) in hair above bun - Waddington retouched.

Heavy shading running parallel to rear fold of dress - Waddington retouched.

Head - set high from bottom frame (11½p and 18p).

Waddington modified Head Type W2

Head Types


12½p Scotland	20½p Scotland	28p Scotland

Value	Design	Issued	Background	Source	Notes
12½p	Scotland	1982	Light		Symbol type I
15½p			Gradated		Symbol type I
19½p			Gradated		Symbol type I
16p		1983	Light		Symbol type II
20½p			Dark		Symbol type II
28p			Gradated		Symbol type II

Some of the defining features

Waddingtons version of Harrison Head B

Two curves in hair.

Flat base to dress with undulation at centre -Waddington retouched.

Rear cross almost none existent - no jewels (most pronounced on the 20½p where its almost masked out).

Hairbun curved at bottom right.

Bottom of chin curved up at left.

Front hair curl has extension in front of top of forehead.

Top half of central cross distorted (most pronounced on the 20½p).

Waddington modified Head Type W3

Head Types


13p Scotland	17p Scotland

Value	Design	Issued	Background	Source	Notes
13p	Scotland	1984	Light	1A	Symbol type I
13p		1985	Light	2A, 3A	Symbol type II
17p		1984	Light	1A	Symbol type I
17p		1985	Light	2A, 3A	Symbol type II

Some of the defining features

Derived from Harrison 10½p Scotland Head

Two curves in hair.

Slightly curved base to dress -Waddington retouched.

Head - set close to bottom frame.

Nose - more pronounced; heavy shading below nostril.

Base of hair bun flat - not indented like 10½p.

13p Type 1 highlighting on top row of pearls in band of diadem at front is out of synchronisation.

17p Type 1 highlighting on bottom row of pearls in band of diadem at rear is out of synchronisation.

Waddington modified Head Type W4

Head Types

22p Scotland

Value	Design	Issued	Background	Source	Notes
22p Green	Scotland	1984	Dark	1A	Symbol type I
22p Green		1986		2A, 3A	Symbol type II

Some of the defining features

This is an anomaly - its difficult to attribute it back to a Harrison source - its almost like Head Type B with 'One curve in hair' ! and very different from Head Type E (20p, 11½p Scotland and 18p Scotland) above.

One curve in hair.

Base to dress - outline diffuse against background.

Head - set close to bottom frame.

Front cross short and does not curve back at top.

Front cross appears joined to front jewels.

Pale protrusion at top of forehead connecting front curl.

Slender nose.

Large diagonal pale area extends (North West) out of upper hairbun.

Large pale area above necklace - right of centre.

Waddington modified Head Type W2A

Head Types

31p Scotland

Value	Design	Issued	Background	Source	Notes
31p	Scotland	1984	Gradated	1A	Symbol type I
31p		1985	Gradated	2A	Symbol type II

Some of the defining features

Derived from Harrison B Head

Two curves in hair.

Curved base to dress - outline clearly delineated against background.

Nose - nostril masked out.

Back of rear cross of diadem truncated.

Head - set close to bottom frame.

Rear cross is clearly discernible unlike Head Type W2; the top appears to be truncated.

Base of hair bun flat.

Chip at back of lower dress - occurs with Symbol Type I only).

Top half of central cross distorted.

Interesting, the area around the front cross shows a dark surrounding outline from the original cut-out (Click the image of the 31p for enlarged detail).

Rory Matthews Head Type F

Head Types

12p Scotland

	Value	Design	Issued	Background	Source	Notes
	12p	Scotland	1986	Dark		Rory Matthews Head

Some of the defining features

Rory Matthews Head Type F (taken from a pencil drawn rendering made by Rory Matthews, originally produced in May 1982). This became the predominant Head Type for Litho printings from 1986 to 1998.

Two curves in hair.

Flat base to dress - outline clearly delineated against background.

Comparisons between Waddington (Scotland) and Questa (N. Ireland and Wales).

				Scotland		Wales
	Value	S.G.	Symbol	Waddington	Questa	Questa
Xxx	11½p	XSL1		E	n/a	B
	12p	XSL2		F (RM)	n/a	F (RM)
	12p	XSL3		n/a	F (RM)	F (RM)	Transferred to Questa
	12½p	XSL4		W2	n/a	(A#)
	13p	XSL5	Type I	W3	n/a	F (RM)
	13p	XSL6	Type II	W3	n/a	F (RM)
	13p	XSL7	Type II	n/a	F (RM)	F (RM)	Transferred to Questa
	14p	XSL9		W1	n/a	(A#)	Light grey blue
	15½p	XSL14		W2	n/a	C*
	16p	XSL15		W2	n/a	(A#)
	17p	XSL16	Type I	W3	n/a	F (RM)
	17p	XSL17	Type II	W3	n/a	F (RM)
	17p	XSL19	Type II	n/a	F (RM)	F (RM)	Transferred to Questa
	18p	XSL21		E	n/a	C*	Violet
	19½p	XSL33		W2	n/a	C*
	20½p	XSL38		W2	n/a	B
	22p	XSL39		B	n/a	B	Blue
	22p	XSL40	Type I	W4	n/a	F (RM)	Green
	22p	XSL41	Type II	W4	n/a	F (RM)	Green
	22p	XSL42	Type II	n/a	F (RM)	F (RM)	Green; Transferred to Questa
	26p	XSL55	Type I	B	n/a	B	Red
	26p	XSL56	Type II	n/a	F (RM)	F (RM)	Red; Transferred to Questa
	28p	XSL60	Type I	W2	n/a	C*	Violet
	28p	XSL61	Type II	n/a	F (RM)	F (RM)	Violet; Transferred to Questa
	31p	XSL65	Type I	W2A	n/a	F (RM)
	31p	XSL66	Type II	W2A	n/a	F (RM)
	31p	XSL67	Type II	n/a	F (RM)	F (RM)	Transferred to Questa

S.G Heads
A# Currently, 10½p S.G is designated Head Type A - Should be reclassified
C* Head Type C with Country Symbols - rounder base to dress
F (RM) Rory Matthews Head