London 2010: Festival of Stamps
London 2010: Festival of Stamps is planned to be "a year-long programme to mark the centenary of the accession of George V - the philatelist king - and in celebration of stamps, stamp design and postal heritage". So what events await us?
|
|
 |
The current GB definitive postage stamps featuring the sculpted profile of Queen Elizabeth II were designed by Arnold Machin. The Machin definitive stamps have been in use since the first issue of June 5th 1967 when the UK was still using pre-decimal currency. Like the Wilding issues used during the earlier part of the Queens reign, the Machin series of stamps maintained the tradition of using the reigning monarch portrait instead of naming the country. The United Kingdom, having been the first nation to officially issue postage stamps, is exempt by the Universal Postal Union from having to print the country name on postage stamps and an effigy of the reigning monarch is considered the sole national mark. After more than four decades of use, the Machin stamp series has seen many changes in British postage stamp printing methods. The machin issues are now so diverse and complex in terms of design, values, printers, booklet combinations, perforations, gum, phosphor coatings and size formats that many philatelists and stamp collectors now solely focus on the Machin stamps as their specialisation. |
| In 1989, as fast-changing postage rates became an increasing problem, the use of "non-value indicator" (NVI) Machin stamps began where the postage class was specified using "1st" or "2nd" rather than the currency value. It was not until 1990 that the first commemorative adaptation of the Machin design was used alongside the classic profile of Queen Victoria to mark the 150th anniversary of British postage stamps. It has been proposed on more than one occasion that the Machin design be replaced. Perhaps the strongest case was made in the early 1980s following the adoption of the Raphael Maklouf effigy design to appear on new UK coinage. It was reported that a proposal was put forward to replace the Machin design as a way of marking the 30th anniversary of the Coronation in 1983. The Queen reportedly agreed to the idea although a letter sent on her behalf at the time suggests she was in fact very reluctant to see a new design adopted. The letter apparently said; "Her Majesty is very content with the Machin effigy and thinks that a work of real quality is required if this is to be replaced." So it would seem that, in more than a quarter of a century since that letter was written, the Queen has yet to see a work of real quality worthy of replacing the Arnold Machin iconic design. No doubt many British philatelists and stamp collectors agree. | |
Recent Links Added To The Philatelic Directory
Aero-philately Blogspot
Aero-philately blog by Rudy Pinto. About Rudy: "I have been a philatelist for over 40 years and airmails is my area of specialization."
Reliant Stamp Auctions
Online auction website for British stamps, covers and associated philatelic items.
Railway Sub Office RSO Postmarks
Search for stamps and covers bearing Railway Sub Office (RSO) postmarks.
Stamps and Covers Featuring The Red Arrows
See stamps and covers featuring the Royal Air Force aerobatic display team The Red Arrows.
Metropolitan Air Post Society
The Metropolitan Air Post Society (MAPS), a non-profit association of aerophilatelists, began as the Metropolitan Airmail Cover Club (MACC) in 1941. We collect covers as souvenirs of memorable air mail and aviation events.
Browse Signed RAF Covers
See the extensive range of signed Royal Air Force covers currently on offer.
Stamped at eCrater
Come and have a look. We have lovely stamps mostly arranged in groups. Our selection is perfect for a philatelist in search of something unusual and uncommon.
Right now on eBay...
Live British Stamp Auctions Ending Soon
The following auction listings are ending soon. Click on any item to see it along with other stamp auctions from the same era:
GB Stamps – Used 25 Postage Due 11This online stamp sale is priced at £1.60 with 3 Bids(s). The auction will end on Thursday Mar-11-2010 19:11:45 GMT
Great Britain Postage Stamp George V F/Used Cond
This internet stamp auction is priced at £10.00 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 20:02:20 GMT You can buy this item now for £10.00
@ 1913 10d TUQUOISE-BLUE (SG394) FINE M MINT
GB Stamp listing now at £10.00 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 20:35:17 GMT You can buy this item now for £10.00
SG 450 2/6 BROWN RE-ENGRAVED SEAHORSE GOOD USED SG450
This online stamp sale is priced at £0.99 with 0 Bid(s). The auction will end on Thursday Mar-11-2010 20:37:59 GMT
Sg424, 4d grey-green, UNMOUNTED MINT. Cat £28.
This internet stamp auction is priced at £15.99 End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 20:38:00 GMT You can buy this item now for £15.99
Sg413a, 2s 6d olive-brown, fine used. Cat £65.
This online stamp sale is priced at £0.99 with 1 Bid(s). The auction will end on Thursday Mar-11-2010 21:03:03 GMT
GB KGV 1912-24 SG351-357-362 (6) of Each - GB-783
This online stamp sale is priced at £0.99 with 0 Bid(s). The auction will end on Thursday Mar-11-2010 21:11:37 GMT
SG 339 N 4 (2) 1/2d Pale Green, Con B 12, U M.
This internet stamp auction is priced at £3.75 with 3 Bids(s). The auction will end on Thursday Mar-11-2010 21:12:33 GMT
PHOTOGRAVURE 1d CONTROL V34 CYLINDER 5R NO DOT PAIR
GB Stamp listing now at £1.99 with 0 Bid(s). The auction will end on Thursday Mar-11-2010 21:36:16 GMT
Did you know: The Penny Black was issued on 6th May 1840 and is generally recognised as the first postage stamp in the world. A few stamps were released to the public on 1st May 1840 by mistake. Covers showing May 1840 use of the Penny Black are very valuable and those pre-dating 6th May are extremely valuable. Another stamp was issued two days later after the Penny Black called the Twopenny Blue. Value aside, it is a similar design to the Penny Black - but obviously coloured blue instead of black - and, although less famous than the 1d black, is actually rarer and more valuable.
The 1840 Penny Black - The Worlds Oldest Postage Stamp
The Penny Black was produced in sheets of 240 employing the Line Engraved print process. The plates used for 1d blacks were numbered 1a, 1b and then plates 2 through to 11. Skilled collectors can benefit from a knowledge of the identification characteristics of scarcer plate printings before scanning the online auctions. Plate 11, for example, had a very short period of use meaning a 1d Black from that plate is many times more valuable than the equivalent stamps printed using the more common plates.
British Stamp & Philately Sites From Our Directory
Great Britain section of the Stamp Collecting Blog
Extensive philatelic blog. This directory entry leads to the GB section.
Stamp Collector Wants Lists at MyPhilately.com
Database of wants from "MyPhilately" members.
AK Philately
Adrian runs this interesting blog on all things philatelic from around the world.
The Whitehaven to Huddersfield TPO
Derwent Railway Society web page about West Cumberland's last Travelling Post Office (TPO)
GB First Day Covers
Search among thousands of British First Day Covers at FirstDayCover.org.uk
George VI Coronation First Day Covers
Article by Thomas P. Myers discussing1937 King George 6th Coronation FDCs with several photos.
Inland Postal Rates for Great Britain 1765-1880
A detailed breakdown of postage rates in Great Britain for before and after the introduction of the Uniform Penny Post and postage stamps.
King George V Silver Jubilee Stamps
The site for those interested in the British Empire stamp issues for the 1935 Silver Jubilee of King George V
Right now on eBay...
| BRITISH PHILATELIC POSTMARK OF THE DAY: LIVERPOOL | |
 |
The featured GB philatelic postmark for Thursday Mar 11 2010 is from Liverpool. Collectors can get this special postmark applied by sending the stamped (minimum 1st Class rate) addressed envelope(s) to: Northern England Special Handstamp Centre Royal Mail South Shields D.O. Keppell Street SOUTH SHIELDS NE33 1AA You can ask for any date (including public holidays) to be applied to your covers provided you send them to arrive on or before that date. It is advised you send a suitable return envelope also if you want the covers sent back protected rather than individually through the regular mail service. |
| We feature a different UK philatelic postmark every day so check back again | |
Live Auction Summary for GB Victorian Stamps
As you loaded this page a search of eBay for Victorian British stamp auctions was done and we have summarised some of the current highlights for you. Please note that many of these Queen Victoria stamp auctions are due to end very soon and, if interested, you can view the full listing for any of these auctions via our GB Queen Victoria auctions results page.
The first GB QV online auction we found for you is due to end in just a little while from now. Titled "1855 SG70 6d Pale Lilac wmk EMBLEMS Fine/VF Used - N254" - currently £9.97 (0 Bid) , we noted it has already attracted some viewer interest. The next few auctions are titled "1878 SG147 6d Grey Plate 16 Good Used Wing Marg - N387" - currently £4.77 (0 Bid) , "1883 SG194 6d Dull Green Good+ Used RHYL Cncl - N090" - currently £9.97 (0 Bid) , "SG172 16 dots Fine Used 158 CAMBRIDGE DUPLEX CANCEL" - currently £0.50 (0 Bid) and "SG172 16 dots Used 132 BRIGHTON DUPLEX CANCEL #2" - currently £0.50 (0 Bid) . Once again these auctions are nearing the end and all have been viewed several times but, at their current price, they may look good value to some readers.
Hot on the heels of those initial auctions we also noted these listings which have all received a number of views by potential buyers...
- SIX PENCE PURPLE ON ROSE RED 6d SG 208" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- PENNY RED 1d RED QUEEN VICTORIA K & H IN CORNERS" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- THREE PENCE PURPLE ON YELLOW 3d SG 202" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- 5 PENCE DULL PURPLE & BLUE 5d SG 207a" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- @ 1840 ONE PENNY BLACK 'VR' REPRINT IN ORANGE - UM MINT" - currently £10.00
- QUEEN VICTORIA STAMPS ON ALBUM PAGES" - currently £1.45 (2 Bids)
Further down the search results of Victorian stamp auctions we saw a listing titled "1d One Penny Red Stamp QV Plate 130 Perf 1858-79 KD/DK" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid) . This listing has also been viewed several times. Other auctions we noted which readers might also find interesting include...
- 1d One Penny Red Stamp QV Plate 122 Perf 1858-79 LM/ML" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- 1d One Penny Red Stamp QV Plate 121 Perf 1858-79 LM/ML" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- QV 2 1/2d Pence Purple/Blue SG 201 Stamp 1887-1900 *" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- 1d One Penny Red Stamp QV Plate 123 Perf 1858-79 KF/FK" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- 1d One Penny Red Stamp QV Plate 127 Perf 1858-79 EK/KE" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- 1d One Penny Red Stamp QV Plate 138 Perf 1858-79 EI/IE" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
Moving on with our summary of the current Great Britain victorian stamp auctions we noticed listings titled "1d One Penny Red Stamp QV Plate 124 Perf 1858-79 HC/CH" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid) , "QV 1858-79 1d Penny Red One Pl 185 FF/FF Stamp" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid) , "QV 1881 Penny Lilac 1d 16 Dot Stamp SG 174" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid) and "QV 1880-81 1d Penny Brown One DH/HD Stamp SG 166*" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid) and these may be worth checking.
There are numerous other interesting GB QV auctions due to end a little later than those already mentioned including...
- QV 1d One Penny Lilac DRAFT PAYABLE ON DEMAND Stamp" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- 1d One Penny Red Stamp QV Plate 129 Perf 1858-79 CA/AC" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- QV 1858-79 1d Penny Red One Pl 166 LF/FL Stamp" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- 1d Penny Red Stamp QV Plate 172 Perf. Letters DK/KD" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- QV 1858-79 1d Penny Red One Pl 87 LP/PL Stamp" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- 1d Penny Red Stamp QV Plate 188 Perf. Letters FC/CF" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- 1d Penny Red Stamp QV Plate 180 Perf. Letters IN/NI" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- 1d Penny Red Imperforate 1840 QV SG 8 Sm Crown Stamp TE" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
- QV 1858-79 1d Penny Red One Pl 130 JH/HJ Stamp" - currently £0.99 (0 Bid)
eBay stamp auctions can move along at quite a pace during peak trading times so please do not be surprised if this particular GB Queen Victoria stamp auctions page has changed a little while reading this summary.
Recent GB Commemorative Stamp Issue
This set of stamps depicts the traditions and development of Royal Navy Uniforms over more than two centuries. Issue date: 17th September 2009. Find out more at the Royal Mail website.
GB Stamp Collecting & British Philatelic Publication News |
