The Virtual Machin Album

This album contains Machin collections for your enjoyment and education. Like all collections, it grows slowly but steadily, so come back once in a while and see what’s new, or join the GBStamps.com mailing list for notification of when new pages are added.

This album is a little different than the ones that hold your collection. For one thing, it never gets dusty. For another, you don’t have to worry about damaging the stamps.

So wipe off your monitor screen, get comfortable in your chair, click on one of the links below and enjoy the Virtual Machin Album. Don’t forget to visit the Virtual Great Britain Album.

• The 40^thAnniversary of the Machins
• The Machin Story
• Profile on Print
• Designer Machins
• Machin High Values

In 2007, Royal Mail celebrated the 40^th anniversary of the Machins with several stamp issues. All of the issues are shown here in the Virtual Machin Album. Included are the £1 Machin in the new ruby color, a souvenir sheet, a prestige booklet, a “generic sheet,” two first day covers and a presentation pack. (The generic sheet, presentation pack and covers will be added soon.) Click on the image to go to the first page.

The Machin definitives were introduced in 1967. Although the basic design has remained unchanged to this day, almost every other characteristic of these stamps has changed, many of them several times. This section of the Virtual Machin Album tells the story of the Machins. It’s a long, complicated story with hundreds of varieties (thousands, if you count subtle differences) issued over the years. Only highlights are presented here, but it will give you a good idea of how the series has evolved. (Come back from time to time as more pages will be added periodically.) Click on the image to go to the first page.

The Profile on Print booklet was issued in 1999 and is the second of three booklets issued as a prelude to The Stamp Show 2000, held in May, 2000 in London. The booklet celebrates the Machin profile with five different Machin stamps produced by five different printing methods. The complete booklet is shown here in the Virtual Machin Album, along with enlargements and collateral material. Click on the image to go to the first page.

The classic Machin design has been with us since 1967. In the recent past, Royal Mail has issued special versions of the Machins to mark various occasions or for special purposes. The 1840 Anniversary Machins, issued in 1990, and the Millennium Machin, issued in 2000, were indeed specially designed. The Royal Wedding Machin, issued in 1997, had a metallic gold color to make it stand out from the usual Machins. New The International One-Stop Machins, originally called Universal Machins, marked a radical design departure — with the inclusion of airmail chevrons and text. All these designer Machins are shown here in the Virtual Machin Album. Click on the image to go to the first page.

The Machin high values have gone through more drastic changes than the low values. The first high values were engraved and larger than the low values. These were replaced by gravure versions that were even larger. After disappearing for 11 years, the Machin high values returned in the same size as the lower values, first intaglio and then printed in gravure. The first display here in the Virtual Machin Album are the small versions of 1999 through 2003. Later, this section will be expanded to show the earlier issues. Click on the image to go to the first page.