Machin News - Issues in [2018]

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2018 Summary

2018 General Notes

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a paper industry body that aims to show a companies paper comes from a sustainable source. Companies that have signed up to the scheme are allocated a FSC code. The four main Royal Mail stamp printers hold the following FSC codes :-

International Security Printers is a group name that includes Cartor and Walsall. Thus, when this is quoted by Royal Mail, the FSC code needs to be referred to in order to determine the printer in the group that actually printed the product.

In December 2015 it was announced that De La Rue would be relocating their Security Print operations (the division that printed Postage Stamps) to Malta. It would seem that this move has now been completed. Its unclear whether this influenced Royal Mail when it came to assigning the Definitives Counter Sheet contracts but De La Rue have now lost this business. Consequently, International Security Printers (ISP) picked up this contract from the start of 2018. As Definitive Counter Sheets are currently gravure printed, ISP's Walsall subsidiary will now print these Postage Stamps.

January 2018

The Game of Thrones Special Issue was issued on 23rd January 2018. Associated with this were a range of products including a Prestige Booklet, Retail Booklet and Post & Go Labels. The Prestige Booklet was priced at £13.95 and the Machin pane (Pane 4) contained 2x5p, 20p, £1.17 (hidden codes: MPIL; MI7L ) and also 2x2nd Northern Ireland Pictorial Definitives and 2x1st Game of Thrones.

The Retail Booklet contained 6x1st definitive sized Game of Thrones special issue. A Game of Thrones Post & Go label for the second class rates and one for the first class rates was issued also (two different labels).

February 2018

Continuing the Post & Go Royal Mail Heritage Transport theme, six Mail by Sea labels were issued on 14th February 2018. The designs included the Packet Antelope 1780, SS Great Western 1838, SS Britannia 1887, RMS Olympic 1911, RMS Queen Mary 1936 and RMS St. Helena 1990. The year code was RI8YAL.

March 2018

The Royal Air Force celebrates its Centenary and a Special Issue was on sale from 20th March 2018 with a Special Issue stamps, Prestige Stamp Booklet and Retail Booklet. The Prestige Booklet cost £18.69 and the Machin pane contained 3x2p, 3x5p and 2x£1.17. The hidden codes are 'MPIL' and 'MI8L' (The 'P' in the code MPIL is missing or very feint).

The RAF Custom Retail Booklet contained Hurricane and Lightning special issue stamps. The 4x1st Machin stamps have the hidden codes 'MCIL' and 'MI8L'.

A second RAF Custom Retail Booklet will be issued on 11th May 2018 featuring the Red Arrows.

Four new Machin stamps were issued on 20th March 2018 in respect of the Tariff Rate change on 26th March 2018.

£1.25	£1.45	£1.55	£2.65

Also, £1.25 and £1.45 values were issued for the Country Pictorial designs replacing the prevailing £1.17 and £1.40 values.

The tariff rates changed on 26th March 2018 - second class rose from 56p to 58p and first class rose from 65p to 67p. NVI rates include :-

May 2018

A second RAF Custom Retail Booklet was issued on 11th May 2018. This contained two special issue Red Arrow stamps. The 4x1st Machin stamps have the hidden codes 'MCIL' and 'MI8L'.

Walsall printings of six counter sheets were issued on 23rd May 2018. The values include 10p, 20p, £1, 2nd, 1st and 1st Large. Sheet laydowns for the 2nd and 1st NVI values are new.

June 2018

In association with the Dad's Army special issue issued on 26th June 2018, a Custom Retail Booklet was issued also. The 4x1st Machin stamps have the hidden codes 'MCIL' and 'MI8L'. The special issue stamps in the booklet feature Captain Mainwaring and Lance Corporal Jones.

July 2018

A Custom Retail Booklet in association with the Hampton Court Palace special issue was issued on 31st July 2018. The 4x1st Machin stamps have the hidden codes 'MCIL' and 'MI8L'. The special issue stamps in the booklet feature the Great Hall and the Kings Great Bedchamber.

September 2018

Walsall printings of three counter sheets were issued on 12th September 2018 (the 2p value was originally intended to be included with these three values, however, they were available in Post Offices since June 2018).

Royal Mail Heritage Transport - Mail by Bike Post & Go labels were issued on 12th September 2018. The six Bike designs featured are - Pentacycle 1882, Motorcycle 1902, Tricycle 1920, Bicycle 1949, Motorcycle 1965 and Quad Bike 2002. The year code was RI8YAL.

The final part of the Great War commemoration series was issued on 13th September 2018 and included a Prestige Booklet priced at £15.65 (pane 4 contains 4x1st Royal Mail Red Machin and 4x1st Poppy stamps). The 1st NVI Machin stamps have the hidden codes 'MPIL' and 'MI8L'.

For this last Great War commemoration issue a Customer Retail Booklet was available also. The 4x1st Machin stamps have the hidden codes 'MCIL' and 'MI8L', the two special issue stamps feature poppies, one by F. Strickland and the other by Z and B Baran.

October 2018

A special 'Harry Potter' issue was issued on 16th October 2018. Amongst the plethora of products there was a Custom Retail Booklet and PSB (the PSB will not be issued on 16th Oct. but later - on 4th December 2018). The 4x1st Machin stamps have the hidden codes 'MCIL' and 'MI8L', the two special issue stamps feature Hermoine Grainger and Harry Potter.

NOTE : These 'Harry Potter' booklets exist with the revised wavyline ' ROYAL MAIL' substrate (SBP2) illustrated above. Additionally, they also have been found with the original wavyline ' ROYAL MAIL' substrate (SBP1) shown below. These occur with the text inverted.

The Post & Go Remembrance Poppy was on sale again from 23rd October 2018. Its reported that a reprint has been made with the year code RI8YAL, however, some offices may still have stock from previous years.

November 2018

Two Christmas Retail Booklets were issued on 1st November 2018. These booklets contained 12x2nd NVI (£6.96) or 12x1st NVI (£8.04) self adhesive Christmas stamps respectively.

Two of the Christmas booklets issued last year (12x2nd NVI 6xMadonna & Child and 6xSnowmen; 12x1st NVI 6xMadonna & Child and 6xSanta Claus) may be made available again should stocks of the above run out.

Winter Greenery Post & Go labels were on sale again from 8th November 2018. Reprints were made with the year codes CLI8S for the second class and RI8YAL for the first class, however, some offices may still have stock from previous years.

December 2018

Walsall printings of three further counter sheets were 'officially' issued on 4th December 2018. These were the 1st Large RMSF, SD 100g and SD 500g values. However, the SD 500g had already turned up in Post Offices in late September 2018 and the SD 100g value was found in early October 2018).

The 1st RMSF was to be issued on the 4th December 2018 also, however, this now appears to have been postponed until the new year.

A Harry Potter associated Prestige Booklet was issued on 4th December 2018. The booklet was priced at £15.50 and the Machin pane (pane 3) contained 2x1p, 2x2p, 2x50p and 2x£1.25. The Machin stamps have the hidden codes 'MPIL' and 'MI8L'. Additional, the gummed side of the pane has an underprint showing a floor plan of Hogwarts (the stamps themselves DO NOT have the underprint).

Harry Potter - Machin Pane and gummed side

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