Norvic Philatelics - GB New Stamps and Special Postmarks

Morris and Company - stamps and prestige stamp book - 5 May 2011

Founded by the Pre-Raphaelite artist and designer William Morris in 1861 Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. manufactured and sold decorative arts products. The firm’s medieval-inspired aesthetic and respect for hand-craftsmanship and traditional textile arts had a profound influence on the decoration of churches and houses into the early 20th century

Royal Mail is celebrating these events with a set of six Stamps and a premium-priced Prestige Stamp Book - yes, the price of the PSB is 10% over face value.

Set of 6 William Morris stamps .
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Stamp designs:
1st Class – Cray by William Morris 1884
The most complex Morris and company print fabric requiring 34 hand printing blocks.

1st Class – Cherry Panel by Philip Webb 1867
From the Victoria and Albert Museum Morris Room decorated by Morris and Company.

76p – Seaweed by John Henry Dearle 1901
A wallpaper pattern of foliage in shades of green with blue flowers and yellow stems.

76p – Peony by Kate Falkener 1877
A ceramic tile design.

£1.10 – Acanthus William Morris and William de Morgan 1876
A slip covered hand painted glazed tile panel.

£1.10 – Woman by Edward Burne-Jones c.1864
Figure of a woman in stained glass.

Credits:
To be confirmed



Prestige Stamp Book

We don't have details of the PSB contents, aside from images of the stamp panes.  The total face value of the stamps contained in the book is £9.04, but the selling price is £9.99, the first time that a premium price has been charged for something that is essentially only purchased by collectors. We understand that the extra is to pay for the design and production of the booklet. Royal Mail will claim that there is a continuing demand for PSBs but that is mainly because of the unique stamps that some books contain as very few other people are aware of their existence.  The sound of a golden goose being shot in the foot comes to mind. 

Wm Morris Prestige Stamp Book Pane 1 Machins. Wm Morris Prestige Stamp Book Pane 2.
Wm Morris Prestige Stamp Book Pane 3. Wm Morris Prestige Stamp Book Pane 4.



Technical details:

The stamps are designed by Together Design and are printed in lithography by Cartor Security Print. The size is 37 x 35mm.

Prestige Stamp Book details were not included in the preliminary publicity information.  We think it will be printed by Cartor Security Printing, except Pane 1 which we think will be printed by Walsall Security Printers

Royal Mail stated that the entire PSB is printed by Cartor, and this is confirmed inside the back cover.  RM also stated that pane 1 (Machins) would be printed in gravure, with the others in litho, but it seems that even the Machin pane is printed in litho, a first for these.   Confusion abounds:  According to the credits printed in the book, the whole contents are printed in lithography, but Royal Mail have confirmed recently that the Machin pane is printed in gravure, as stated.

Pane 1: expected to be self-adhesive, containing 5p x 4, 10p x2, and 50p x 2, which should all have some security features.  The colour shown for the 5p and 10p are so pale as to be unbelievable; the 50p shown is however darker than the sheet version (see actual stamp images below).   The 5p & 10p have previously been printed self-adhesive in sheets by De La Rue, so they will be new stamps to the specialist.   The 50p printed by Walsall appeared in the London Festival of Stamps PSB, with source code MPIL.  If the stamps in this pane have a security overlay, then the 50p will have a year code for 2011.  If the 5p & 10p have a security overlay, they will be totally different to the sheet ones which have security slits only.

The pane is printed in gravure litho by Cartor, only the 50p has the security overlay:

50p litho Machin from William Morris booklet. 5p Machin definitive in litho from William Morris PSB.10p Machin definitive in litho from Wm Morris PSB.

Pane 2: Block of 1st class and £1.10 stamps in two designs; 
Pane 3: Block of 4 stamps, being 2 x 76p and the other two 1st & £1.10 not included in Pane 2;
Pane 4
: Block of 4 x 2nd class stamps (previously issued for Christmas 2009, showing an Angel with a Lute from the Church of St James, Staveley, Kendal) separated by one or two labels. These stamps were also originally issued in self-adhesive form with a conventionally gummed stamp in the miniature sheet.  These are conventionally gummed, so a collectably new stamp which should receive separate catalogue status.

All images are Copyright Royal Mail 2011.


Products issued:
Mint set of 6
Presentation Pack
Prestige Stamp Book
Set on PO FDC   
Set of 6 Stamp Cards 


Special Postmarks
Postmarks available for the day of issue are shown here - these may not be to scale.   NOTE: These postmarks cannot be obtained after the date of issue.

Official FD postmark showing flowers. Official Walthamstow postmark showing a flower. Official non-pictorial postmark will be similar to this. postmark showing flowers. postmark illustrated with flowers.
Ref FD1121
Philatelic Bureau Official Postmark
Ref FD1122 Walthamstow Official Postmark (birthplace) Ref FD1122NP The
Walthamstow non-pictorial Postmark will be similar to this
Ref L12134 Morris & Company, South Kensington, London SW7 Ref L12137 William Morris Way, London SW6
postmark showing Red House, Bexleyheath. postmark illustrated with flowers. Postmark with text as below. Postmark with text as below. postmark portrait of William Morris.
Ref L12133 Morris & Company, Bexleyheath, Kent (showing Morris's 'Red House'. Ref L12135 Morris & Company, Collier's Wood, London SW19 Ref L12136 William Morris, Red Lion Square, London WC1 Ref L12138 William Morris Society, Kelmscott House, Hammersmith, London W6 Ref L12132 Morris & Company, Walthamstow, London E17 (birthplace).
Postmark showing decorative flower. Postmark with text as shown. Postmark showing weaving apparatus.

Ref M12141 Morris and Company, Morris Road, Birmingham Ref L12150 Celebrating 150 Years, Morris & Co, Denham, Uxbridge Ref N12157 Morris & Company, Chesterfield


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This page updated 6 May 2011

2009 - 2010
 2011 issues 
Visit our online shop!
January
11 Classic Children's Television: Gerry Anderson
11 Thunderbirds retail booklet
24 Pictorial Faststamps 2 - Garden Birds 2
February
1 Classic Railway Locomotives: England
12 Indipex Stamp Exhibition Generic Smilers Sheet
24
West End Stage Musicals
24 British Heart Foundation Retail Booklet
March
8 Magical Realms
8 Low-value Machins
22 Worldwide Fund for Nature
29 Machin & Country Definitives
30 50th Ann Jaguar E-type Com.Sheet
April
12 The Royal Shakespeare Company
21 The Royal Wedding
May
5 Morris & Company
19 Pictorial Faststamps 3: Water Birds
June
14 Rev Wm Awdry: Thomas the Tank Engine
July
27 Olympics & Paralympics III
& Olympic Games retail book

28 Exhibition Generic Smilers Sheet for Phila'nippon 11, Japan
August
23 The Crown Jewels
September
9 World's First Scheduled Airmail
15 Kings & Queens: House of Hanover
16 Pictorial Faststamps 4: Sea Birds
October
13 A-Z of the United Kingdom (1)
November
8 Christmas - 400th anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible

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Norvic Philatelics, PO Box 119, Dereham, NR20 3YN, GB. -- UK Phone: 08450 090939 -- Skype:ian.billings-norvic


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