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Relationship between
Postal Rates and
Machin Stamps
(page updated: Sep 2011)
Prepared by: Stephen Fletcher, Upminster, England
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Relationship between Postal
Rates and Machin Stamps |
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Red |
Explicit issue with new
colour for that value for national or regional, with possible delay after
rate change (especially for regionals). |
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Blue |
Explicit issue within
colour. |
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Dark blue |
Rate has inherited a stamp
from a standard value or previous purpose. |
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Green |
No stamp for that value at
that time. |
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R, NI |
Regionals also exist;
Northern Ireland only also exists. Pre-decimal regionals are Wildings. From
2001 all regionals are pictorial. |
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A |
Anniversary variant also
exists. |
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The named countries are
simply to illustrate the zones. |
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Inland - Pricing in Proportion |
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make up values |
100g |
500g |
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5 x 165 x 240mm |
25 x 250 x 353mm |
Special Delivery Next Day |
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2nd to 1st |
2nd to
2nd large |
1st to
1st large |
2nd class |
1st class |
1st class recorded |
2nd class |
1st class |
1st class recorded |
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2006 Aug 21 |
9p |
14p |
12p |
12 NVI (23p) |
12 NVI (32p) |
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NVI (37p) |
NVI (44p) |
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2007 Apr 2 |
10p |
16p |
14p |
NVI (24p) |
NVI (34p) |
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NVI (40p) |
NVI (48p) |
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2008 Apr 7 |
9p |
15p |
16p |
NVI (27p) |
NVI (36p) |
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NVI (42p) |
NVI (52p) |
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2009 Apr 6 |
9p |
17p |
22p |
NVI (30p) |
NVI (39p) |
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NVI (47p) |
NVI (61p) |
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2009 Nov 17 |
9p |
17p |
22p |
NVI (30p) |
NVI (39p) |
NVI (£1.14) |
NVI (47p) |
NVI (61p) |
NVI (£1.36) |
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2010 Apr 6 |
9p |
19p |
25p |
NVI (32p) |
NVI (41p) |
NVI (£1.15) |
NVI (51p) |
NVI (66p) |
NVI (£1.40) |
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2010 Oct 26 |
9p |
19p |
25p |
NVI (32p) |
NVI (41p) |
NVI (£1.15) |
NVI (51p) |
NVI (66p) |
NVI (£1.40) |
NVI (£5.05) |
NVI (£5.50) |
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2011 Apr 4 |
10p |
22p |
29p |
NVI (36p) |
NVI (46p) |
NVI (£1.23) |
NVI (58p) |
NVI (75p) |
NVI (£1.52) |
NVI (£5.45) |
NVI (£5.90) |
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Notes |
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1. |
The aerogramme series has been included because the 1991 34p and 1993 36p were officially issued for that rate. (They were also the rate for 2nd class 150g - see note 4.) Yet the 36p stamp was withdrawn 26 June 1997 and never "EMEd" (see note 8), although the aerogramme rate did not change until 1999. |
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2. |
Operational colour changes: |
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4d |
The first basic letter rate Machin was issued in sepia in honour of the Penny Black. It was reissued with centre band when it became second class post, the Wilding regionals being reissued in sepia at the same time. In January 1969 it was changed to vermilion to facilitate cancelling, the Wilding regionals following the next month. |
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10½p |
This value assumed its new uses in June 1977. The colour was changed in April 1978 from light yellow to pastel blue to facilitate electronic cancelling and sorting. The regionals had already appeared in January - a rare case of regionals preceding national. |
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35p |
The colour was changed from dark brown to lime green in April 2005 to facilitate cancelling. |
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3. |
The missing regionals (and maybe some other missing) stamps in 1975 and 1979 are probably due to the speed of inflation and the short interval between rate increases. The gap in the Zone C series, however, does look odd. This rate, of course, was a standard member of commemorative issues, so maybe the Aussies just had to puzzle out why the sudden spate of "National Theatre"s. |
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4. |
These three rates were not new stamps because they were preceded by issues as follows: |
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7p |
December 1974 |
2nd class 6oz (press notice 4 December 1974). |
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9½p |
February 1976 |
Issued along with 9p, 10p, 10½p, 11p probably to complete the range. |
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22p |
October 1980 |
1st class 150g (press notice 26 September 1980). |
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A "belated" issue of 11p in July 1980 might tie in with the 22p above - x 2 it would have served the same purpose. Another "belated" issue was that for 7½p in December 1975. That would also have served (x 2) the 1st class third weight. Examination of the series, however, suggests that there has never been a consistent policy to support the 1st and 2nd class third weights. For example, the 1993 19p remained current for an extra 2ars after the rate changed to 20p, presumably for the 2nd class 150g 38p rate; but the 1999 44p, which would have been even more appropriate for 2nd class 150g in 2000, was withdrawn as soon as its original function ceased. |
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5. |
In 1986/87 there was a large-scale revamping of the current regional stamps, bringing them up-to-date for paper (ACP), standard perforation, narrow value (26p), and (mostly) revised country symbols. All the 26p's and 28p's, and the 22p Scotland and 31p Wales, were issued 27 January 1987. A revised national 28p had been issued 7 October 1986. The content of presentation packs suggests that the 26p and 28p regionals (and 28p national) remained current during 1983 to 1987, so that there were six regional series in those years instead of the normal four. The later purpose of the 28p, however, is not clear. (The first ever air mail stamp booklet - for World Postcard rate - was issued 4 August 1987, its narrow-value 26p rosines nicely complementing those of the regional set.) |
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6. |
This rate was originally planned to be 35p, and a new stamp for that value was duly issued 10 September 1991. It had been "gazzumped", however! It is odd that the rate was left void of a stamp for two years (though it was 2 x 18p). In any case, this explains why the 35p of 1993 was not the first in its colour. |
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7. |
The third series for regionals diverted to World Postcard in 1996 but returned to the Europe rate (NVI) with the pictorials. The fourth series remained with World 20g. |
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8. |
In 1997 all current stamps (except 19p) were reprinted with the EME head. 26p and 1st NVI were temporarily in gold (for the Royal Wedding anniversary),
but most booklets and all coils continued with the normal stamps. |
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9. |
The 30p was reissued in this way 27 May 1997 along with 2p, 4p, 5p,10p, 39p. It seems that for a few years it was treated as being a standard rate, like 10p and 20p. The 1998 30p stamp which succeeded it was issued for the first ever European rate booklet, but was withdrawn when the rate changed. The price increases for the E class shown against 1999 and 2002 actually took place on the 25 October 1999 and 2 July 2001. |
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10. |
The Millenium 1st class was a temporary stamp like the golds in 1997.
Some booklets and all coils continued with the flame stamps. |
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11. |
From this date there were three overseas booklet stamps - E-40g, W-40g, W-PC - all self-adhesive NVI ‘chevronamps. Policy was not to issue these as sheet stamps, so the W-PC VI series continued in that form. |
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12. |
Fortunately the giant font basic rate 2nd and 1st NVIs turned out to be temporary stamps, though they were used even for coils. |
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13. |
The Royal Mail's inconsistency in policies showed itself
again in the discontinuation of the 40g NVI stamps shortly after the
appearance of the 20g NVIs. The convergence of the world postcard and 10g
rates meant that the grey airmail stamp could have been reissued with the
latter value, creating a complete set of five NVI airmail stamps
paralleling the eight inland NVIs, with all used for both sheets and
booklets. The inlands have the advantage of the year code creating ongoing
collectability, whereas the white background is presumably unsuitable for
iridescent overprinting. But if demand from collectors is the motivation
for persisting with airmail VIs (which from 2011 also have the year code),
why abandon the inland make-up values and the world surface
rate? |
| Machin
value-colours not referenced anywhere in the above table or notes are: |
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1. |
Standard
higher values (2/6d onwards; decimal large sizes; 75p onwards). |
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2. |
Pre-decimal: |
½d, 2d, 7d,
8d 1968, 8d 1969. |
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3. |
Decimal: |
4p 1988, 7p 1985, 20p 1988, 50p 1976. |
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4. |
NVI: |
1st & 2nd horizontal, 1st large formats. |
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Some of
the above data is from "Johnson and Peet - British Postal Rates (2000)",
with permission. |
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