Post & Go…As you like it..

Various Post and Go museums are starting to re-open. Both Steam GWR A010 and Shakespeare A009 machines resumed service on 17th September 2020. This is the first time that the new tariff values have become available from these sites.

The recent tariff changes include the intrduction of three new ‘combi’ values of “Euro 100g/World 20g”, World 100g Zone 1 -3 and World 100g Zone 2.

The Zone indicator ‘1 -3’ has caused some comment amongst collectors and dealers alike as it is could be taken as including the Zone 2 tariff. A clearer indicator would of course be a simple ‘&’ ..

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174440526940

UPDATE 18/9: It has been confirmed in response to feedback received from dealers and collectors that the “Worldwide 1 -3” stamp has been changed to “Worldwide 1 & 3” at all Museum locations.

Post and Go NVI Stamps – What are they worth for postage?

One of the most common questions sent to us is from readers trying to confirm the current ‘worth’ or face value of obsolete (or even current) Post and Go ‘Non Value’ or NVI stamps where used for postage. There doesn’t appear to be any official reference for this information but there has been previous confirmation of the principles used by Royal Mail’s revenue protection, which allows us to produce the following, updated and indeed simplified by the tariff change of 1st September 2020.

InlandStatus Current Value for Postage
1st ClassCurrent£0.76
1st Class LargeCurrent£1.15
2nd ClassCurrent£0.65
2nd Class LargeCurrent£0.88
International
Europe up to 20gObsolete£1.45
Euro 20g World 10gCurrent£1.45
Europe up to 60gObsolete£1.70
Europe up to 100gObsolete£1.70
Worldwide up to 10gObsolete£1.45
World 10g Euro 20gObsolete£1.45
Worldwide up to 20gObsolete£1.70
Worldwide up to 40gObsolete£2.55
Worldwide up to 60gObsolete£2.55
Worldwide up to 100gObsolete£2.55
Euro 100g World 20gCurrent£1.70
World 100g Zone 1-3Current£2.50
World 100g Zone 2Current£2.55
Post and Go NVI Stamp Postage Values September 2020

The rule applied is that any NVI stamp that indicates a weight step that no longer exists should be rounded up to the next weight and take on the value of that weight step. Where a zone is not indicated then all zones are covered and the stamp takes the value of the most expensive zone in that weight step.

Where these stamps are being used for pre-payment at a Post Office counter posters should consider that NVIs stamp were originally supplied for use for a particular purpose – e.g. specific inland or international mail letter rates and although techncially they are valid for use for other services, such use is exceptional and may result in refusal or re-direction to direct Royal Mail channels.

Royal Mail Price Changes for Post and Go Collectors- 27th March 2017

Royal Mail’s prices change annually – usually on the Monday nearest to the 1st April (The beginning of Royal Mail’s new financial year). This year the changes are introduced on Monday 27th March 2017.

Royal Mail ‘headline’ rate change is 1p on 1st Class and 2nd Class to 56p and 65p respectively but, dig a bit deeper and significant rises – in international – especially European letter rates that impact Post and Go stamp collectors, can be found.

The ‘1st Class Reel’ NVI values to change are that of the ‘1st Class’ (from 64p to 65p) , ‘1st Class Large’ (from 96p to 98p) and ‘World 10g/Euro 20g’ value (from £1.05 to £1.17), ‘Euro 100g’ (from 152p to 157p), ‘World 20g’ (from 133p to 140p) and finally ‘World 100g’ from 225p to 227p resulting in a 29p increase (3.6%) in the cost of a collectors strip from £7.75 to £8.04 (Ouch).

For ‘2nd Class Reel’ rates they change from ‘2nd Class’ (from 55p to 56p) and ‘2nd Class Large’ (from 75p to 76p) changing the cost of the strip from 130p to 132p.

Royal Mails prices can be found here: Royal Mail Tariff 2017

Royal Mail Tariff Change 29th March 2016

Royal Mail’s prices change annually – usually on the Monday nearest to the 1st April (The beginning of Royal Mail’s new financial year). This year Easter Monday puts a (chocolate flavoured? ) spanner in the works and so prices change on Tuesday 29th March.

Essentially this tariff has very little in the way of the surprises of recent years – but one that could be missed is the difference – for the first time- for postage purchased online verses the price for good old stamps or postage labels applied at a Post Office. For the first time Royal Mail are disincentivising the use of stamps over postage bought online. Granted there has been a difference in pricing for some years for postage applied via a franking machine, but the prices were not really comparable since the necessary equipment had to be purchased/leased and maintained, so only for high volume users did the savings really make any sense.

Royal Mails prices can be found here: Royal Mail Tariff 2016

In summary: Online postage prices have been frozen and the stamped postage generally increased by a few pence. Many prices have not changed including those for International letters between 20g-100g.

Where does this leave Post and Go collectors? The NVI values to change are that of the ‘1st Class’ (from 63p to 64p) , ‘1st Class Large’ (from 95p to 96p) and ‘World 10g/Euro 20g’ value (from £1 to £1.05), resulting in a 7p increase in the cost of a collectors strip from £7.68 to £7.75.

 

BPMA 1st Class on 2nd Class Error-Not a real swap (sic)

The BPMA – 80th Anniversary of Inland Airmail -1st Class on 2nd Class Reel ERROR

The BPMA are currently marking the ’80th Anniversary of Inland Airmail’ (between 20th August and 20th October 2014) with a special overprint on their A001 Post & Go machine. The 1st and 2nd Class stamps carry an updated ‘overprint’ which includes a ‘Inland Airmail 1934’ plus an ‘Inland Airmail’ logo. So far , A001 has been vending second class Machin Stamps (bright blue – year code MAI2) from one roll and first class Machin Stamps (olive brown – both no year code ‘MAIL’ and year code MAI3 have been available) from the other. Initially the initial configuration was to vend a second class collectors strip of six consisting of 3x2nd Letter and 3x2nd Large but this was available for a few days only. Subsequently, the machine software was modified to vend just a strip two – 2nd and 2nd Large.

New Error

As part of this and subsequent software modifications a further ‘incorrect’ setting arose – known as a ‘Carousel error’- where incorrect stamps are added to the ‘Carousel’ that customers select to purchase their stamps. In this case those stamps that are added to the 2nd Class carousel in error (the 1st Class Letter and 1st Class Large Letter Stamps) meant that they were incorrectly dispensed from the 2nd Class reel – but all other purchases were unaffected. This meant that many collectors had visited the BMPA machine, purchased their Collectors Strips (which would have been printed normally) not noticing this error for the many days it had existed. It is known that a dealer from Germany and one from the Netherlands who purchased single stamps had not noticed the error until later as all of their collectors strips had been printed in the correct way on the correct reels . As this is not a ‘reel’ swap then only 1st class and 1st Class Large values exist printed in this way and ‘collectors Pairs’ of differing values cannot exist (as they would have been printed normally). So far only single stamps have appeared on Ebay although multiples of the same value could exist as well . http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/postagelabelsuk/

Post and Go commemorates the Great War with symbolic Poppy overprinted stamps during Autumn Stampex 2014

Post and Go Single 'Solo' Poppy "First World War Centenary" Overprint Collectors Strip

Countdown to Autumn Stampex 2014

At Autumn Stampex 2014, Royal Mail will issue a special “Poppy” Post and Go stamp with a commemorative overprint “First World War Centenary” . The single image ‘Poppies on a reel’ will be also be available from NCR and Wincor units (A ‘first day’ of 21st October has been quoted in the Philatelic Bulletin, but this is unlikely to be enforced as branches will update their machines once stocks are available).

A mock up of the stamps is shown, and this is subject to change.

The stamps are available via pre-order here

Royal Mail Post and Go – Jersey location confirmed


Jersey Post are set to install their first Post and Go kiosk at Jersey’s Post Head Office in Broad Street, St.Helier (designated JE002). This is the first fixed location for a Jersey Post ‘Powered by Royal Mail’ Machine and will be a sister machine to the nomadic J001 (to be renumbered JE01) machine that has been touring the UK. This machine will be installed by the end of August.

Royal Mail Post and Go machine press ganged into naval service at Portsmouth Museum

Building on the success of the existing static location at BPMA, Royal Mail are installing the A002 kiosk as a static kiosk at the Royal Navy Museum in Portsmouth.  The Royal Naval Museum, in Portsmouth’s Historic Dockyard, is one of Britain’s oldest maritime museums. The Museum’s aim is to preserve and present the history of the ‘Fleet’ – the ships and the men and women who manned them.

Initially Union Flag and Machin stamps will be installed but thoughts must be as to why this location has been chosen and the potential for a ‘Ship’ or other Naval related  theme for the Post and Go 2015 issues. The first day will be 28th July 2014.

Acknowledgement:  http://iarroyalmailpostandgo.com/latestnews/

NEW ! Royal Mail Next Generation ‘Series B’ Machines

Royal Mail Series B

Appearing from the outside as taller with a slicker, more streamlined appearance, inside a faster PC able to process orders and print stamp quicker with an improved screen combined with software with a simpler interface and capability to connect to smart phones apps promises a powerful package ready for the road in the UK and worldwide.

The first appearance of the “series B” machines will be Spring Stampex where three new Royal Mail series B machines will be showcased.
These machines will be designated ‘A003’, ‘A004’, ‘A005’ (‘A’ Indicating Self-Service) and will have updated print string as follows:-

B2GB14 A001-0000-001

The first character ‘B’ indicates a ‘Series ‘B’ machine , followed by Month, print location and Year designations.

The print counter has additional characters allowing for 999 prints in a single session and a reduced number of characters in the session number before the counter resets to zero.

 

“Post and Go” for the masses- Christmas Stamp Shops “Pop-Up” near you

Royal Mail have announced to the philatelic trade that they will be partnering with Post Office Ltd to provide an innovative way of purchasing this years Christmas stamps, Royal Mail Post and Go Instant Smilers  as well as providing some unique Post and Go stamps.

Commencing this week in Newcastle (20th November) and then moving to Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham, crossing  the Welsh border into Cardiff before proceeding to the metropolis via Croydon onwards to London’s’  Covent Garden and finally  Shepherds Bush (Final Day 19th December) this year pop up ‘Christmas Stamp Shops’ will operate from the “back of a lorry trailer.” (see opposite for dates)

The trailer will comprise of a unique environment to compose and purchase this year various Christmas Smilers (in newly upgraded ‘sheets of 20 format)  – a ‘Winter Wonderland’ effect which will be partnered with the now familiar ‘Royal Mail Series One ‘ (Otherwise known as ‘Hytech’) machines A3 and A4, vending  ‘Christmas Robins’ and (by popular demand) 2nd Class Post and Go Stamps.

The Xmas Robins are likely to be MA13 versions and there is a possibility that the 2nd Class Post and Go stamps are of a new MA13 printing too , as it is understood that the original printing has been ‘ring-fenced’ for the new Post Office machines (due next year). Also as previously announced, Post Office outlets will not include any overprint. The only difference between the different sites is likely to be the receipts  (Possibility  of a bilingual version in Cardiff/Wales?).

It is worth noting that these ‘outlets’ do not appear to be ‘Post Offices’ in the true sense -so no Horizon,no  Datestamps and no mouthwatering ‘items from the stock centre’  as appeared in Camden Town last  year,- it is more likely that there will be signposts ‘to the nearest Post Office’ for customer wanting the more traditional Post Office service.

So this years Pop-Ups look like they are building on the successes of last year (unique offerings) and  responding to the feedback around ‘difficult to find’ by placing them in central shopping locations in England ,Scotland and Wales- ‘Post and Go for the masses !- something we applaud..