“She Loves You, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah”

Royal Mail will issue a set of stamps and souvenir sheet on January 9, 2007 to honor The Beatles’ cultural contribution to British and world music. British stamps often illustrate British contributions to the world, and The Beatles were certainly known and loved around the world as well as having a lasting effect on popular music and culture. Note: This article was updated after the stamps were issued, so they appear here.

There’s definitely a trend by postal administrations to cash in on popular entertainment. Witness the large number of Harry Potter stamps (issued by France, among others) and the Star Wars stamps offered by the US Postal Service. Royal Mail is joining the crowd with this Beatles issue.

These are commemoratives stamps, as we call them in the US, and so to have any justification at all, they need to commemorate something. In this case, it is the first meeting of John Lennon and Paul McCartney in 1957, a nice, round 50 years ago. A flimsy reason, but, from Royal Mail’s viewpoint, better than waiting for the 50^th anniversary of their first number one single, which will be in 2012 or thereabouts.

The issue consists of six self-adhesive stamps plus a souvenir sheet containg four stamps with water-activated gum. (What, no prestige booklet with glossy color photos from the 60s? How did Royal Mail miss such an opportunity?)

Each of the six stamps pictures a stack of record albums, slightly misaligned so that portions of the ones underneath the top ones are visible. The innovation of these stamps is that the edges of the stamps follow the border of the piles of albums. Each stamp has a different edge.

The albums are shown below in chronological order. The top row is

• “With The Beatles” — 1963
• “Help” — 1965
• “Revolver” — 1966

The bottom row is

• “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band” — 1967
• “Abbey Road” — 1969
• “Let It Be” — 1970

The four first-class non-denominated stamps in the souvenir sheet picture various items of Beatles memorabilia. The stamps highlight a toy guitar, a lunchbox, a 45 rpm single (a record with one song on each side) and a tea tray. Other items are also visible on the stamp and in the margin. The souvenir sheet and a set of the six stamps are optionally available in a presentation pack, an illustrated cardboard folder with information about the stamps. The section of the presentation pack that holds the souvenir sheet in a clear plastic pocket also features memorabilia, and the souvenir sheet is the same design as part of the section. When the souvenir sheet is placed in the pack, it almost exactly overlays the illustration underneath. Let me show you what I mean.

Below is the section of the presentation pack without the souvenir sheet. The gray shading over the bottom two-thirds of it is the clear plastic pocket to hold the souvenir sheet.

Now here’s the presentation pack with the souvenir sheet tucked in. You can see the perforations around the stamps and the Queen’s head and service indicator on each stamp. The designs on the sheet and the pack don’t quite line up — look at the harmonica at the lower left corner of the souvenir sheet. Still, it’s a pretty neat effect.

Here’s the souvenir sheet by itself.

This is a ground-breaking issue in that it prominently features two living people who are not members of the Royal family. In 2002, Royal Mail revised its criteria for special, or commemorative, stamps. The criteria included several conventions, one of which is “Members of the Royal family are the only identifiable living people who may be the ‘hero image’ on a stamp.” There are some exceptions, including “when their achievement is the focus of the design rather than their image.”

Royal Mail hasn’t said much about this. They seem to be including this issue within that exception by saying that the issue celebrates “the Beatles [sic] extraordinary cultural contribution to this country,” implying that it is not the band members themselves who are being honored. It is likely that no one at Royal Mail who is currently responsible for new stamps remembers that this is very similar to the justification used in 1964 to picture Shakespeare on a set of stamps. At that time, the rule was that only members of the Royal family could be pictured on stamps, period. No one else. The rationale used at that time was that the issue commemorated the Shakespeare Festival held that year, not the Bard himself. Also, the Queen’s portrait was the same size as Shakespeare’s. A year later, the rule was totally discarded with the issue that directly honored Winston Churchill.

By the way, I noticed that the stamps are designed by Michael Johnson of johnson banks, who has obviously found that The Beatles are at least as much fun as fruit and veg. Read an interview with Johnson to find out about how he designed these stamps (including the uneven edges of the self-adhesive stamps showing the albums). (Posted December 13, 2006. Updated May 7, 2007.) top

“The Penny Black Changed the World”

Those of us who have learned about the history of the postage stamp and modern postal systems know that Great Britain’s Penny Black (the world’s first postage stamp) and the postal reforms that accompanied it did indeed change the world. [Click twice on the image of the page of the Phillips collection to enlarge it.] However, we’re in a minority. The British Postal Museum & Archives is responsible for sharing that knowledge with those who might not know it. And there’s no better way to inform large numbers of people than to teach it in school.

To that end, the BPMA has recently produced an education pack, titled “The Penny Black Changed the World” and made it available to teachers on their web site as a PDF file. Fortunately, it is available to the rest of us as well, and at no charge. There is also some supplementary material, such as a timeline and full color facsimile documents, available on the same web page. At left is a reduced-size image of one of the facsimiles. It is a cross-written letter. The sender writes a message on a sheet of paper, then turns the paper one-quarter turn and continues writing. This technique was popular before Rowland Hill’s postal reforms took effect because postage was charged for each sheet of paper. This technique allowed the sender to put two pages worth of text on one sheet of paper.

Although the pack is oriented towards teachers preparing a lesson plan, it contains a lot of good information. If you are not familiar with the story of Rowland Hill and his postal reforms, then you will learn from this pack. If this history is familiar to you, you can use this pack to inform your friends and/or young collectors that you know. (Posted September 25, 2006.) top

Reginald Phillips collection available online

A very important collection of British stamps and related material from the Victorian era (1840–1901), the R M Phillips Collection, is now available for everyone to see on the web site of the British Postal Museum & Archives. The full list of volume titles is here, and you can click on each title to see the list of individual pages in that volume. (If, like me, you don’t have the time or inclination to view all 45 volumes, a special page points out the highlights.)

The BPMA explains that, “In 1965, Reginald M. Phillips donated his award-winning collection of British Victorian stamps to the nation … The former National Postal Museum was in part established to house the collection. Today, The British Postal Museum & Archive has taken over responsibility for caring and developing access to the Phillips Collection.”

“The Phillips Collection is an essential resource for the understanding of postage stamps and philatelic research. It contains world’s very first first day cover — that of the Penny Black. It also includes 1839 Treasury Essays for pre-paid postage, Rowland Hill letters and unique proofs and studies of stamps such as the Twopenny Blue and the Penny Red.”

The online images consist of the pages from the Phillips collection with the original write-up. The images are in jpeg format and larger, more detailed images can also be viewed and downloaded for personal use. One word of caution is that occasionally you will find that some of the write up has been superseded by more current research. In those cases, an archival note is appended to provide the correct information.

The BPMA provides some background about Phillips.

Reginald Phillips was an entrepreneur from Brighton who owned the Grosvenor Hotel in London at one time. He had a strong interest in charitable work, particularly in helping children with sensory disabilities, and he left his wealth to charities.

Phillips had a great passion for stamps, and his wealth allowed him to build up such a remarkable set of material he felt it had to be shared. In 1965 he presented his albums, including many of his own notes on their contents, to Postmaster General Anthony Wedgwood Benn, who accepted them on behalf of the nation.

Phillips expressed the hope that a museum might be founded to allow as many people as possible to enjoy the stamps and other postal treasures he had gathered together. The presentation of the Phillips collection online is the ultimate expression of this hope, reaching a truly global audience.

Little did Phillips know that 40 years later, his collection would be available for just about everyone, anywhere in the world, to see in the comfort of their own home. The BPMA, and the Heritage Lottery Fund that funded the effort, are to be commended for making the collection available. (Thanks to Tim Burgess for this information.) (Posted September 23, 2006. Updated October 29, 2006.) top

USPS requests “forever” stamp like British NVI’s

In July, the USPS asked for approval to issue what they call a “forever stamp.” That’s a stamp that pays for a specific service and is valid indefinitely to pay for that service, regardless of changes in postal rates. Sound familiar? It’s exactly what Royal Mail has been doing since 1989 with its non-value indicated (NVI) stamps.

Until now, the USPS has, of course, taken a different approach. Its non-denominated stamps, first issued for Christmas in 1975, have had a permanent monetary value. Those 1975 stamps that mailed a first-class letter at the time were valued at 10 cents, and that’s what they represent today — you’d need four of them to mail a letter at today’s 39-cent rate.

Now the USPS has seen the light and wants to jump on the bandwagon with the UK, France, and many other countries. They want to issue a stamp that would always pay for a one-ounce first-class letter. In order to do so, they need the permission of the Postal Rate Commission, the independent regulatory agency that approves postal rates and services.

The PRC’s Office of the Consumer Advocate (OCA) represents the general public in proceedings before the PRC. The OCA contacted postal organizations in the UK, France, and several other countries to learn about their experiences with non-denominated stamps that have indefinite validity. The OCA published a document (pdf file) that contained the results of their investigation and posted it on the PRC web site.

A reader of this web site emailed me to call my attention to this document. I was surprised to see that the description of British NVI’s from the MachinMania part of this web site was included in the document.

I was quite flattered that the OCA chose a page from my humble web site to help explain Royal Mail’s NVI’s to the PRC. I hope that the USPS is given permission to issue such a stamp, and I look forward to using it on my own mail to minimize the inconveniences of a postal rate change.

UPDATE: It appears that Canada has beaten us to the punch. Canada Post will issue seven (!!) different non-denominated stamps that will be valid indefinitely for mailing a first-class letter. Canada calls them “permanent” stamps, a word that is the same in French and English (except when misspelled “PERMANET,” as it is on the French language version of the press release on Canada Post’s web site). The stamps will be identified with a capital letter “P” within a maple leaf.

Canada regularly raises postal rates each January. Each increase for first-class letters has been one cent for the past several years; other rates increase correspondingly. Canada Post notes that these new stamps, which go on sale November 16, will replace the denominated 52¢ stamps that would otherwise have been issued, and that they will print and distribute many fewer 1¢ stamps than in prior years.

Of interest is the fact that these stamps will initially sell for the current first-class rate of 51¢ and will increase to 52¢ when the increase takes effect on January 15, 2007. This is contrary to the USPS proposal, which includes selling the forever stamp at the increased postage rate, even before that rate takes effect. This would, of course, be a one-time event, and in the future, the forever stamp will increase in price on the day of the rate change.

Another wrinkle that I don’t expect to see here in the U.S. is that Canada Post will accept existing 51¢ stamps as payment for a first-class letter after the January 15 rate increase. There’s no indication yet on whether that 1¢ bump will also occur if the stamp is used as part payment of postage for a heavier item.

And, finally, do you think we should forgive Canada Post for mentioning that “these new stamps mean that Canadians can easily be pennywise”?

UPDATE: The USPS has gotten approval and issued a forever stamp in April, 2007. (Posted September 23, 2006. Updated October 3, 2006 and May 7, 2007.) top

“Elizabeth: Queen and Icon” at BPMA

The British Postal Museum and Archive (BPMA) is showing an exhibit titled “Elizabeth: Queen and Icon” in honor of the Queen’s 80th birthday. It is a display of philatelic portraits of the Queen. Because the monarch’s portrait serves as the country identifier on British stamps, the Queen’s portrait on stamps has become an icon.

If you happen to be in London, you can see it at The Royal Mail Archive (a 15-minute walk from King’s Cross Station), where it is on display until June, 2007. If, like me, you find London a bit far away for a casual visit, you can see the exhibit on the web. You can download the exhibition brochure, written by Curator Douglas Muir, at the site.

While you are at the site, you can also look at a dozen other exhibits, ranging from “Victorian Innovation” to “World War II in Stamps.” You can also find out how to support the BPMA and keep informed of its activities by becoming becoming a member of The Friends of BPMA (and receiving their excellent journal Cross Post). (Posted September 23, 2006.) top

Third Machin forgery

In 1993, the first publicly known Machin forgery came to light. It was a copy of the 24p chestnut brown Machin that then paid the first-class letter rate. The forgery was easy to spot, most notably because it is perforation gauge 11 compared to the perf 15 x 14 of the genuine stamp. [Note: The perforation gauge is the number of perforation holes in two centimeters. When two numbers are given, the horizontal gauge is first; thus gauge 15 x 14 is gauge 15 on the top and bottom and 14 on the sides.] Also, the forgery was printed by lithography and appears flat and lifeless compared to the real thing. The forgery is shown on the left below, with a genuine stamp on the right.

A second forgery came to light a year later. This was a forgery of the second-class non-denominated Machin. Unlike its predecessor, it looks very much like the actual stamp, including the correct perforation gauge and the elliptical perforations. Close inspection was necessary to reveal the differences from genuine stamps: a different shade of blue, coarser but thinner paper, a blurred image, and a simulated phosphor band that didn’t phosphoresce. These stamps appeared in forged booklet covers. The forgery is shown on the left above, with a genuine stamp on the right.

As far as we know, Royal Mail got a break for more than a decade before the third forgery showed up. In February, 2005, Douglas Myall reported that forged self-adhesive booklets of 12 gold first-class Machins had been found. Not surprisingly, these stamps eventually turned up on eBay, labeled as forgeries and sold by stamp dealers to collectors. With the help of my good friend David Alderfer, I obtained one of the booklets.

Pictured above are the forgery (at left) and a real stamp for comparison. It should be easy to see that the forgery, printed by lithography like its 24p predecessor, is dull and lifeless compared to the genuine stamp. The color of the forgeries is fairly close to the real thing, but the Queen’s portrait is much darker. It is reminiscent of the early lithographed Machins that appeared in 1980. The forgeries have simulated phosphor bands that are much more visible than those on the real stamp (see the photographs below). It is interesting to note, however, that the simulated perforations are pretty accurate, including the elliptical perfs.

Pictured above are the full panes of 12. Besides the obvious differences in the stamps, the forged booklet (at top) retains the paper surrounding the stamps, known as the matrix. The genuine booklet has the matrix removed, something Royal Mail has been doing for the past couple of years to make the stamps easier to remove from the backing.

Shown above are photographs of the stamps taken in natural light. On the forged stamp (at left), the phony phosphor band is a shiny gold color. On the real stamp, the band is almost invisible when the stamp is viewed straight on, and it is dark when viewed at an angle.

The forged booklet covers are very different from the genuine ones. The forgeries are a very different shade of gold and are dull rather than shiny. In the images above, you can see that the forged booklet cover (at left) is a different shade, though you cannot see that it is dull compared to the shiny genuine cover.

Myall also reported that a mailed letter with one of these forgeries was sold on eBay in August 2005. It was properly handled by Royal Mail — it had the yellow penalty sticker used for unpaid mail and was charged £1.30 (30p postage plus £1 fee), and it had a label with the text “surcharged due to counterfeit postage stamp.”

The Philatelic Exporter, a UK trade magazine, reported last year that police raided a home and seized over £100,000 worth of counterfeit first-class stamps. The booklets now being sold to collectors were probably part of the same production, but that hasn’t been confirmed. Of interest is the fact that the raid took place in a town close to Walsall, the home of Walsall Security Printers, one of the firms that prints Machin booklets today. In fact, the forged booklets include the name “Walsall Security Printers Limited” on them, just like the real ones. Coincidence? (Posted September 23, 2006.) top

Last update: July 17, 2008
Copyright © 2006 by Larry Rosenblum