Coronation Sheet!
Trade information relating to Royal Mail's Coronation Street issue
planned for May continues to emerge and as a result I have had to update my predictions
for the issue of collector/generic sheets for 2020, as published at the foot of
this page.
I
will leave you to draw your own conclusions but due to Royal Mail's stamp
issue embargo, in place until 12th May 2020, I am sworn to secrecy!
More later! (27/03)
VE Day PNC Collection from Westminster
The Westminster Collection appear to have been quite busy with another
coin cover collection just announced. Today they have announced a set of
seven coin covers bearing Isle of Man 75th Anniversary of VE Day commemorative
50p coins and specially commissioned Red, White and Blue (Union Flag) Smilers stamps.
This collection follows the same format of recent PNC/Smiler Cover
collections released by Westminster Collection and is priced at £90 +pp from The Westminster Collection.
You can click on the above image to visit the
Westminster Collection web-page. (24/03)
Rupert Bear PNC Collection from Westminster
The Westminster Collection has announced today the availability of a
new set of five coin covers bearing Isle of Man Rupert the Bear commemorative
50p coins and what looks like Northern Ireland Smilers stamps.
This collection follows the format of similar PNC/Smiler Cover
collections released by Westminster Collection over the past couple of
years and is priced at £70 +pp from The Westminster Collection.
These covers are normally a sell out so, if this is your thing, better
getting cracking. You can click on the above image to visit the
Westminster Collection web-page. (09/03)
Keep Smiling and carry on!
Whilst acknowledging the valiant efforts of all our emergency services
in tackling the threat posed by the Coronovirus, I have to say that I am
pretty miffed at all the panic, doom and gloom spouted by the news media
in this country. So, in an effort to lighten the tone just a smidgen
I thought I would share this little ditty from the late, great Spike
Milligan.
SMILE by Spike Milligan
Smiling is infectious, You can catch it like the flu
When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too
I walked around the corner, and someone saw me grin
When he smiled I realised, I had passed it on to him
I thought about the smile, and then realised its worth
A single smile like mine, could travel round the earth
So if you feel a smile begin, don’t leave it undetected
Start an epidemic, and get the world infected.
In other words, Keep Smiling! (05/03)
Bicentenary of the Royal Astronomical Society
Encouraged by the Royal Mail Visions of the Universe stamp issue
earlier this month commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Royal Astronomical
Society, we at Ridgewood have been inspired to produce our own tribute in
the form of a new Customised Smilers Pack which is now available from our
web-store.
BC-521
We have produced a limited edition Customised Smilers Pack
commemorating the Bicentenary of the Royal Astronomical Society featuring
the stamps and labels that originally appeared on our 2009 International
Year of Astronomy business sheet. Each sheet comes with an informative
information card with historical details of the Society and its plans
to commemorate its Bicentennial year.
The Customised Smilers Pack is available for immediate
dispatch and is priced at £39.95 +pp and is available for purchase from
our web-store. Just click on either of the above images to go to the
appropriate web page at our Ridgewood Stamp Sheets web store. (28/02)
London 2020 - the Last Business Customised Stamp Sheet?
In this, the 20th Anniversary year of advent of the Smilers stamp
sheets, The Philatelic Traders Society (PTS), has unveiled what may prove
to be the last ever Business Customised Stamp sheet due for issue at the
London 2020 International Stamp Exhibition to be held at the Business
Design Centre, London between 2-9 May 2020.
BC-522
The sheet was commissioned in the months before the withdrawal of the
Business Customised Stamp sheet service and at a time when Spring Stampex
2020 was still on the cards. It is clear from the sheet design that
the producers originally intended to make this sheet available at the
Spring STAMPEX 2020 event, originally scheduled to be held this
month. This event was subsequently cancelled so the sheet has been
held back until the London 2020 event. Some of us mourn the demise
of these business sheets, others may celebrate, but given the shows
international appeal I hope they will generate renewed interest in these
products and encourage Royal Mail to reintroduce some form of personalised
postage in the years to come. (28/02)
The One That Got Away!
A hitherto unidentified Business Smilers sheet was sold on eBay about
two months ago and was bought by a keen collector for c. £20!
He got a bargain in our view. When we learned of this sheet we did a
bit of digging to see if we could uncover the story and identify further
examples. We have had it confirmed by the China Construction Bank (London)
Ltd. that the sheet was
indeed commissioned by them around August 2014 and was given away to
invitees at the opening of the Bank's subsidiary in London in the Autumn
of 2014.
BC-520
The seller of the sheet was a former bank relationship manager who was
invited to the opening of the London subsidiary of the China Construction
Bank and
this sheet was given out as a gift to all invitees. There were c. 200
people at the event so potentially 200 copies could have been printed at a
guess. However, according to the seller, and in his opinion, most of the
sheets would have been used or destroyed. They were apparently given out
as part of a bundle of publicity material and many delegates may not even
know they existed. That's life! For the benefit of the lucky buyer
of this sheet we have given it a reference number BC-520 but for everyone
else, don't hold your breath. (28/02)
Royal Mail's Smilers Leaflets - Updated Listing
It has been a while since I mentioned Smilers Order Form/Publicity
Leaflets, yet alone updated the list in my catalogue or the Smilers Note
No. 6. For those not familiar with the term, Smilers Publicity Leaflets
are those counter leaflets, available from the Post Office/Royal
Mail, setting out the range and cost of personalised Smilers sheets and
providing details of how to order these by post. Initially with just a
single stamp sheet design to choose from the need for an informative leaflet
was not that great but as the issues increased so did the choice and with
it the need for a process by which customers could select and order their
chosen personalised stamp sheets.
The first of these Smiler Leaflets/order forms was issued in May 2002 although a few "special" forms pre-dated
even this leaflet. This was soon followed by an updated leaflet
in September 2002 which now included the 2002 Christmas cracker
stamp.
Two Smilers leaflets from 2002
Since that date Royal Mail has updated these leaflets periodically including details
of new personalised stamps as these became available and/or revising the tariffs
as the cost of the personalised sheets changed.
The second edition
of the Smilers Catalogue included an illustrated section covering these
leaflets up to the time of publication in 2010 and Royal Mail continued to
issue these leaflets up to about 2014 when they seemed to disappear. What you
might not realise is that there are over 50 different versions of these
leaflets to collect
including Welsh language versions and these leaflets make an interesting
addition to any Smilers collection.
As an aide to collectors I have
had a go at updating my initial list of these leaflets and provide the
following by way of an update.
I have also listed some of these for sale in my e-shop. If these are of
interest to you please take a look at my e-shop Smilers
Publicity Leaflets web page.
| Seq. |
PO
/RM reference |
Description |
Issued |
| 1 |
01CA
HGFEDC8 |
Christmas
2000 leaflet with reply paid envelope |
Nov-00 |
| 2 |
02AAE |
Smilers
- a first class idea |
Jan-01 |
| 3 |
N/A |
WH
Smith / personalise your stamps |
Feb-01 |
| 4 |
02CCAA |
With
Occasions from Royal Mail |
May-01 |
| 5 |
02
QVA |
Go
Crackers with Smilers for Christmas |
Nov-01 |
| 6 |
V1/750k/MW/May02/03JCAA |
So
what special story would you tell with your Smilers |
May-02 |
| 7 |
V1/750k/MW/May02/03JDAA |
So
what special story would you tell with your Smilers |
May-02 |
| 8 |
V2/3.72m/MW/Sept02/03JAB |
Give
Your Stamps a personal touch |
Sep-02 |
| 9 |
V2/3.72m/MW/Sept02/03JAC |
Give
Your Stamps a personal touch |
Sep-02 |
| 10 |
03UMA
10/02 |
Smilers,
make Christmas or any occasion special |
Oct-02 |
| 11 |
V3/1.6m/MW/Dec02/03JAN |
Give
Your Stamps that really personal touch |
Dec-02 |
| 12 |
V3/1.6m/MW/Dec02/03JAU |
Give
Your Stamps that really personal touch |
Dec-02 |
| 13 |
V3/1.6m/MW/Dec02/03JAV |
Give
Your Stamps that really personal touch |
Dec-02 |
| 14 |
V4/605k/SE/Jun03
S&C324DL |
Put
a Smiler on it |
May-03 |
| 15 |
V5/1137k/SE/Sep03
S&C347DL |
Smilers
- New Christmas Stamps |
Sep-03 |
| 16 |
V5/950k/SE/Jan04
S&C357DL |
Put
a Smiler on it |
Jan-04 |
| 17 |
V6/950/TL/Jun04
RMMKG003DL |
Smilers-
with us its personal |
Feb-04 |
| 18 |
945/TL/September04.
RMMKG020DL |
Smilers
- Your image, Your Stamp |
Sep-04 |
| 19 |
100/TL/March05.
RMMKG074DL |
Smilers
- Your favourite photo with real stamps |
Mar-05 |
| 20 |
560/PJM/June05.
RMMKH001DL |
Smilers
- Your favourite photo with real stamps |
Apr-05 |
| 21 |
560/PJM/June05.
RMMKH002DL |
Smilers
- Your favourite photo with real stamps (Welsh) |
Apr-05 |
| 22 |
924/PM/Nov05.
RMMH053 06 GMA |
Smilers
- Turn a Special Moment into a Special Stamp (red) |
Apr-05 |
| 23 |
924/PM/Nov05.
RMMH053 06 GJA |
Smilers
- Turn a Special Moment into a Special Stamp (red) |
Apr-05 |
| 24 |
924/PM/Nov05.
RMMH054 |
Smilers
- Turn a Special Moment into a Special Stamp (English/Welsh) |
Apr-05 |
| 25 |
62/PM/Feb06,
06 JIA |
Smilers
- Turn a Special Moment into a Special Stamp (white) |
Feb-06 |
| 26 |
62/PM/Feb06,
06 JJA |
Smilers
- Turn a Special Moment into a Special Stamp (white) |
Feb-06 |
| 27 |
62/PM/Feb06,
06 JKA |
Smilers
- Turn a Special Moment into a Special Stamp (white) |
Feb-06 |
| 28 |
150/PM/May06,
RMH092, 07 JCA |
Smilers
- Turn a Special Moment into a Special Stamp (white + Robin) |
May-06 |
| 29 |
150/PM/May06,
RMH093, 07 JCA |
Smilers
- Turn a Special Moment into a Special Stamp (white + Robin) (English/Welsh) |
May-06 |
| 30 |
150/PM/Sept06,
RMJ046DL, 07 JLA |
Smilers
- Turn a Special Moment into a Special Stamp (Thanks stamp on front) |
Sep-06 |
| 31 |
150/PM/Sept06,
RMJ046DL, 07 JNA |
Smilers
- Turn a Special Moment into a Special Stamp (Thanks stamp on front) |
Sep-06 |
| 32 |
RMJ101DL
08JCA |
Smilers
- Turn a Special Moment into a Special Stamp (Harry Potter Stamp) |
May-07 |
| 33 |
RMJ102DL
08JBA |
Smilers
- Turn a Special Moment into a Special Stamp (Harry Potter Stamp)
(Welsh) |
May-07 |
| 34 |
RMJ117DL
08JLN |
Smilers
- Share your Magical Christmas Moments with Smilers |
Oct-07 |
| 35 |
RMJ118DL
08JLN |
Smilers
- Share your Magical Christmas Moments with Smilers
(Welsh) |
Oct-07 |
| 36 |
RMP
005 DL 08JLN |
Smilers
- Share a Special Moment |
Jun-08 |
| 37 |
RMP
006 DL 08JLN |
Smilers
- Share a Special Moment (Welsh) |
Jun-08 |
| 38 |
RM116
09JAB |
Smilers
- Starring You…. |
Oct-08 |
| 39 |
RM509
DL 09JLN |
Smilers
- Share a Special Moment |
May-09 |
| 40 |
RM510
DL 09JLN |
Smilers
- Share a Special Moment (Welsh) |
Jun-09 |
| 41 |
RMX20
DL 10JAB |
Smilers
- Let it Shine |
Oct-09 |
| 42 |
RMX21
DL 10JAB |
Smilers
- Let it Shine (Welsh) |
Oct-09 |
| 43 |
RMSMIL01
10JBB |
Smilers
- Share a Special Moment (Happy Birthday Stamp and Cut-out) |
Jan-10 |
| 44 |
RMSMIL02
10JBB |
Smilers
- Share a Special Moment (Happy Birthday Stamp and Cut-out)
(Welsh) |
Jan-10 |
| 45 |
RMSMIL03
10JBB |
Smilers
- Share a Special Moment (Hello Stamp and Cut-out) |
May-10 |
| 46 |
RMSMIL04
10JBB |
Smilers
- Share a Special Moment (Hello Stamp and Cut-out) (Welsh) |
May-10 |
| 47 |
RMSMIL2010
11JBB |
Smilers
- Share a Special Moment (Walace and Gromit Stamp and Cut-out) |
Oct-10 |
| 48 |
RMSMIL2010W
11JBB |
Smilers
- Share a Special Moment (Walace and Gromit Stamp and Cut-out) (Welsh) |
Oct-10 |
| 49 |
RMSMIL05
12JLN |
Smilers
- Share a Special Moment (Hello Stamp and Cut-out) |
May-10 |
| 50 |
RMSMIL2011
12JAB |
Smilers
- Share a Special Moment (2011 Christmas Stamp and Cut-out) |
Oct-11 |
| 51 |
RMSMIL2011W
12JAB |
Smilers
- Share a Special Moment (2011 Christmas Stamp and Cut-out)
(Welsh) |
Oct-11 |
| 52 |
RMSMIL2012
13JAB |
Smilers
- Share a Special Moment (2012 Christmas Stamp and Cut-out) |
Oct-12 |
| 53 |
NIL
REF 14JAB |
Smilers
- Sending smiles is easy - and now available for iphone and Android
(Best Wishes) |
Oct-13 |
| 54 |
NIL
REF |
Smilers
- Sending smiles is easy - and now available for iphone and Android
(LOVE) |
May-14 |
| 55 |
NIL
REF |
Smilers
- Sending smiles is easy - and now available for iphone and Android
(Christmas 2014) |
Oct-14 |
If anyone has others not listed and issued since 2002 please get in
touch and if possible provide a scan of the leaflet back and front. Also,
I would particularly like to hear from anyone with a spare copy of Item 53
in the above list.
Although I have a digital image of this leaflet I do not have a
physical copy and it would be great to complete my collection of these
interesting Smilers ephemera! (22/02)
New James Bond Stamp issue announced
The 25th James Bond film is due for release in April 2020. To mark this
event Royal Mail has announced another mega media issue in the guise of
new James Bond stamps and collectibles. The basic stamp issue comprises a
set of six stamps - 3 x 1st and 3 x £1.60. In addition to this there is a
plethora of other goodies on offer including: a mini sheet; a retail
booklet; a presentation pack; a prestige stamp booklet; a limited edition
prestige booklet, various framed incarnations of the foregoing and an A4
landscape collector/smiler sheet comprising 10 of Royal Mail’s new James
Bond stamps, surprisingly in a gummed paper format, accompanied by an attached label
featuring an iconic moment and vehicle from across the films.
GS-124
The collector/smiler sheet includes: 3 x 1st Daniel Craig
stamps, 3 x £1.60 Sean Connery stamps, 1 x 1st Pierce Brosnan stamp, 1 x
1st Timothy Dalton stamp, 1 x £1.60 Roger Moore stamp and 1 x £1.60
George Lazenby stamp The background is taken from the opening title
sequence of Casino Royale and has the official 007 logo.
We will of course be stocking the collector/smilers sheet
priced £19.95 plus p+p and can also offer a set of four First Day Covers
bearing all 10 smilers stamps/labels priced at £24.95 +p+p. To pre-order
any of the foregoing products please e-mail
me and advise your requirements or alternatively to buy the Smilers sheet
now please click on the collector sheet image to visit our e-shop where
this product is available on-line. (18/02)
20th Anniversary of Royal Mail Smilers
With London 2020 fast approaching, it is perhaps timely to note that
the Post Office, as it was back then, introduced the Smilers
personalised stamp sheets 20 years ago this year! Can it really be that
long?
Despite their recent demise (I am still hopefully they will back a
comeback at some point in the future) they are still avidly collected by a
small but keen band of dedicated collectors who perhaps delight in their difference
and quirkiness. Less staid perhaps than their Victorian and
Edwardian predecessors and for sure more bulky to house and collect.
It was perhaps their popularity that was the cause of their demise!
At the peak of collector interest the volume and frequency that these collectible
Smilers sheets were being produced was probably what caused their ultimate
downfall, proving that you can have too much of a good thing!
But enough of the past, looking to the present, the issue for us now
was how to mark the 20th Anniversary of Smilers when Royal Mail have
ceased production! Well we at Ridgewood love a challenge and have
produced a limited edition (20) Smilers Presentation packs containing an
overprinted "Smiles" sheet (GS005) with additional border
printing. We have also included an information card providing details of
the Smilers Story to date, all individually numbered on the sheet and on
the A4 card, and protected in a cellophane sleeve.
To find out more, or to buy this sheet, please click on
either of the above images to go directly to our web shop. This Smilers
Stamp Pack is priced at £49.95 - not bad when you think an ordinary GS005
sheet is catalogued by Gibbons at £160! Until Royal Mail bring back the
personalised Smilers may I suggest you Keep Smiling!
(12/02)
London 2020
As you know later this year the PTS will be hosting the London 2020
International Stamp Exhibition at the Business Design Centre in London.
Consequently there will be no Spring Stampex 2020 this month to tempt us
out of our self imposed winter hibernation. Instead, for those of us
suffering from a taste of the winter blues I hope the following news will
brighten your day.
I have produced a limited edition Themed Smilers sheet celebrating the
impending arrival of London 2020 and can now offer these for sale priced
£39.95. Each sheet is individually numbered and features a London 2020
label, also reproduced in the margin.
The Smilers stamps are also available in a limited edition Smilers Presentation
pack priced £9.95 and both items are available to buy on-line now by
clicking on the images above.
In addition, I can reveal that Royal Mail are planning the issue of a
new exhibition/ Smilers generic sheet to coincide with the show in a
similar format and design to previous Royal mail exhibition souvenir
sheets. The sheet design contains the show logo and 20 x First Class ‘Hello’
stamps with adjoining labels featuring images of Mail Rail, the Post
Office Underground Railway and set against a background of the same. The
sheet is A4 size.
GS-125
Issue date is assumed to be 2nd May 2020 but this has yet to be
confirmed. Our price for this sheet is likely to be c. £22.95 +pp ( a
Royal mail tariff price rise is expected at the end of March and this may
affect our price slightly) and any reader wishing to reserve a copy of
this sheet for their collection should contact me by e-mail
. Just click on the link provided in the first instance and advise your
requirements. (01/02)
Shaken not stirred!
Information relating to Royal Mail's mega March issue (James Bond)
continues to emerge and as a result I have had to update my predictions
for the issue of collector/generic sheets at the foot of the page. I
will leave you to draw whatever conclusions you might wish to make until
the lifting of Royal Mail's information embargo date of 18th February 2020!
More later! (01/02)
Tomb Raider Generic Sheet
Royal Mail's first issue for 2020 celebrates classic Video Games!
Honestly!
Clearly nothing of significant interest happened in history to fire
Royal Mail's imagination sufficiently so they have adopted yet another
pop-culture theme for their first issue of 2020, presumably in the
hope that this will add to their bottom line rather than perhaps the birth
bicentenary of Florence Nightingale or Beethoven, not to mention artist
Sir John Tenniel, original illustrator of Alice in Wonderland!
Casting even further back 2020 is the 500th anniversary of the birth of
Renaissance Master, Raphael.
According to Royal Mail ....
"The roots of Britain’s £4 billion video game industry can
be traced back to the very early 1980s. In this stamp issue we look at
some of the best loved games, many of which were worldwide successes, and
mark the UK contribution to ‘gaming’ during the 80’s and 90’s and
up to the modern day. This classic video games issue will evoke nostalgia
and celebrate the joy of gaming through landmark UK-designed games."
It's yet another expensive issue for the GB collector and I think you
will be lucky to see any of the stamps and other products in use on
mail. There is the usual multi- denominational stamp issue, mini
sheet, presentation pack and retail booklet and a collector/generic sheet
based on the stamps only available in the mini sheet.
The collector/generic sheet is based on the Tomb Raider theme and
contains 10 of the miniature sheet stamps and 10 labels. The labels all
feature Tomb Raiders main character Lara Croft in different scenes from
the video game. The sheet is produced as a self-adhesive sheet
printed in Litho by ISP/Cartor making these stamps different varieties to
the mini-sheet gummed issue but Gibbons will not list them as
they are sold at a premium over face value. I wouldn't mind if
Gibbons were consistent but they are not on this point. Yet
another example of Neanderthal thinking imposed by Gibbons on the British
collecting pubic. Royal Mail are moving towards more and more
premium products whilst Gibbons refuse to list them - how daft!
GS-123
Whilst I am sure this foray into pop-culture by Royal Mail is not
sustainable or even desirable, it is nevertheless a collectible stamp
sheet and as such we can supply this from stock priced at £19.95 plus p+p.
Please click on the above image to go to you web-store to purchase this
sheet. (07/01)
Royal Mail Stamp Programme 2020
Royal Mail have announced details of their proposed 2020 stamp issue
programme as follows.
- Video Games - 21/01/20
- Visions of the Universe - 11/02/20
- James Bond - 17/03/20
- The Romantic Poets - 07/04/20
- End of the Second World War - 08/05/20
- London 2020 - 08/05/20
- Coronation Street - 28/05/20
- Roman Britain - 18/06/20
- Queen - 09/07/20
- The Palace of Westminster - 30/07/20
- Sherlock - 18/08/20
- Rupert Bear - 03/09/20
- Brilliant Bugs - 01/10/20
- Christmas - 03/11/20
- Star Trek - 13/11/20
- Lunar New Year Generic Sheet - Year of the Ox (not officially acknowledged
at time of writing but likely in my view)
Other 2020 Exhibition products include; London2020 mini-sheet plus a
Declaration of Arbroath mini-sheet but apparently neither of these will
contain new stamps.
The issues highlighted in bold are those with possible interest for
Smilers Collectors - my guess and not an official confirmation. No
further details exist so we shall all have to wait and see what 2020
brings! (07/01)
