October 30, 2019

More fluor, 19 codes and some shades

Lots of new stamps discovered by my supplier this month. The 5p M19L and 1st Large M19L MFIL are new and there is a distinctly paler shade of 10p. The others, though, I don't find exciting and I'm not too sure why I have them. They have either a different fluor which I cannot see or detect without special equipment and one or two may be printed on security backing paper which is upside down compared to a previous issue.

Where the backing card features a section of a booklet with text or an element of design then I guess that one can be confident that the stamp hasn't been peeled off and stuck back down the other way up! So I should retract some of my earlier comments about these being questionable items for a collection but I shall continue to refrain from cataloguing them or attempting to collect them myself.

Fortunately, the differences often coincide with a different shade or appearance, especially of the Queen's head so I am happy when that happens. Generally, though, these fluors are getting expensive and I may have to buy an ultra violet lamp of some sort so I can, at least, appreciate what I have. I may then even get some enthusiasm for them! As this little lot has set me back about £60 I could do with some.

I remember the excitement of the monthly arrivals of new Machins in the days when there were three or even four potential printers producing quite distinctly different stamps, coatings that were clearly and obviously a 'different' stamp to look out for and, probably due to the sheer numbers then printed for all of us actually using stamps, even within one printer's output there could be significant differences in shade. Whilst I do appreciate the dealers' efforts to spot and supply all these new 'differences' they really don't have the same appeal.

We are all getting older. I read recently that one long-term Machin dealer was ceasing to supply code changes after 19, telling us how difficult it can be to find the stamps these days as Royal Mail's philatelic people don't announce them nor appear to want to supply them either. Basically they'd had enough and had all kinds of other, probably more interesting, stuff to sort out and get sold before they are too ancient to spend the income.

I am hanging on in there as best I can, hoping that people buying Corgi Toys (my other hobby) will help me afford to keep paying the monthly bills and that I can continue to maintain my albums until this series does one day end. I can see myself closing the many albums after the last few additions and writing to cancel subscriptions. Finally I will know how much space I need for the 1p crimsons and the days of moving everything every few years will be done.

deep ash pink violet fluor M19L
light tan M19L
paler shade M19L
pale light green M19L
pale brown bright fluor M19L
pale orchid mauve dull fluor M19L

red dull fluor M19L MTIL
 
dull shade dull fluor M19L MCIL

pale red bright fluor M19L MAIL
red dull fluor M19L MBIL
pale red M19L MTIL

deep bright blue M19L MTIL

pale Queen's head dull fluor M19L MBIL

M19l MFIL
 
pale bright blue M19L MAIL

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