Year of the Rat
Royal Mail have announced the issue of their latest Chinese
New Year Smilers sheet in the form of the Year of the Rat Generic Sheet.
Due out on 18th November 2019, this is a continuation of the series of
Lunar New Year Generic Sheets Royal Mail has issued since 2012. 2020
is the ‘Year of the Rat’ which runs from the 25th January 2020 to the
11th February 2021.
GS-121
The sheet has been designed by Hat-Trick and features 20
x First Class "Big Bang" Smilers ‘Fireworks’ stamps
alongside labels showing images of Chinese New Year festivities in named
cities around the UK set against an ornate background featuring paper
cut-outs created by artist Rebecca Sutherland. The Rat is the first in the
12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. Individuals born under this sign are
likely to be industrious, thrifty, diligent and positive. Presumably we
can look forward to at least another three more sheets in this
series.
The sheet has been given provisional catalogue reference
of GS-121 following the issue of the Stockholmia sheet
earlier in the summer (GS-118). Lookout for further news of three more
generic sheets due out later this year - we would love to share the
images but we can't, yet! (13/09)
2019 Autumn STAMPEX sheet announced.
The Philatelic Traders Society (PTS) will again be
selling a Business Customised Stamp sheet at this Autumn's STAMPEX event
to be held at the usual venue between 11th and 14th September 2019
(Business Design Centre, Islington).
We will be supplying this sheet priced at
£24.95 each incl. of p+p and pre-orders are now being taken, for those
that cannot make it to the show. Please e-mail
me with your requirements.
This sheet is likely to be the last such
sheet from a STAMPEX event - I understand there is one final sheet in the
pipeline which will be made available at the London 2020 show to be held
in May 2020. (14/08)
75th Anniversary of D-Day Commemorative Sheet from Jersey
Post
Earlier this month Jersey Post released their latest Commemorative
Stamp Sheet (A Smilers sheet by any other name!) commemorating the 75th
anniversary of D-Day. Issued on 6 June 2019 to coincide with the
anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy the sheet features 20 x
Jersey Flag (UK Letter Rate) stamps and black and white images of the
landings in progress.
We have the sheet in stock and are able to supply this sheet
priced at £25.00 + £1.50 p+p. As usual, please e-mail
me in the first instance to reserve your copy. Limited stocks available.
(19/06)
50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landings
It is almost fifty years since Neil Armstrong made
history in stepping on to the Moon on 20th July 1969. Believe it or
not it is also ten years since Ridgewood Stamp Sheets issued its business
customised stamp sheet commemorating the 40th anniversary of this
historical event.
Given the positive reception we received to our BA100
Customised Smilers Pack we decided to produce a limited edition (50)
Customised Smilers Pack to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon
Landing, and here it is .....
As you know, Royal Mail have ceased production of
Business Customised Smilers, so we have used the stamps and labels from
our earlier sheet to create this brand new collectible which we hope will
keep the Smilers flame alive for a few more months.
Included in the pack is an individually numbered
information card containing a brief history of this event, from the
visionary speech by John F. Kennedy in 1962 to touching down in the Sea of
Tranquility at 16.18 EDT and taking that first step just hours later.
This great collectible is delivered in a sealed pack and
available for purchase immediately from our e-commerce website. Just click
on either image above to purchase online from our e-shop, or alternatively
drop me an e-mail with your
requirements.
We have no other customised Smilers packs planned for
the remainder of the year although we are open to
suggestions!!! One significant anniversary we have already
identified in 2020 is the 20th Anniversary of the introduction of GB
personalised stamp sheets at the Stamp Show in 2000. Watch this
space and keep smiling!! (20/05)
Stockholmia 2019
Royal Mail have released updated pre-issue images of
their latest exhibition/Generic Smilers sheet due out on the 29th May
2019. The sheet design sticks to its tried and tested formula of 20 x
"Hello" DS stamps and adjoining labels with a panoramic view of
the host city in the background.
The original artwork did not have the white background
bleed at upper right now included in the updated image and I can only
assume that there has been a last minute change of heart by Royal
Mail.
GS-118
Here is is an earlier image provided to key account
customers in March 2019. All other aspects of the design appear to be the
same.
The sheet will be available from Royal Mail from 29th May
2019 priced £15.10 plus delivery. We will also be stocking this
sheet and it will be available from us at £19.95 inc. UK delivery. Please
e-mail in the first instance
if you would like to reserve a copy. (03/05)
60th Anniversary of Jersey Zoo
Jersey Post have announced the planned issue on the 28th
April 2019 of a commemorative sheet celebrating the 60th Anniversary of
Jersey Zoo.
Jersey Zoo is operated by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, and
the Jersey Post Commemorative Sheet is made up of twenty Jersey Flag, UK
Letter stamps adjoined to labels. The labels feature images of author and
naturalist Gerald Durrell, together with several species found at Jersey
Zoo.
We would be pleased to supply this sheet after the 28th April 2019
priced at £25.00 + £1.50 p+p. As usual, please e-mail
me in the first instance to reserve your copy. Limited stocks available.
(24/04)
Smilers that failed to Smile # 4
The next example of Royal Mail Smilers
projects that never saw the light of day comes from the Buckingham stable
and is a sheet that would have seen the light of day were it not for the intervention
of the Palace!
Tony Buckingham and his crew met stiff opposition from
the Palace when he and his team proposed to mark the 75th Anniversary of
the Abdication of King Edward VIII planned for 2012. The "Dear
John" letter from the Palace seems to sum it up. (24/04))
Victoria Line 50th Anniversary
... and now for something completely
different!
In 2013 Royal Mail issued a Mini Sheet celebrating
Underground Posters Art as part of their 150th Anniversary of the London
Underground issue. One of the stamps within the mini sheet (87p)
featured a poster of the opening of the Victoria Line in 1969 and this
year is the 50th Anniversary of the Victoria Line - hardly possible for
those of us who can remember it opening!
Given the existence of this stamp and to mark this
event, I have produced a commemorative special-hand stamp cover featuring
this stamp, primarily for all the railway enthusiasts who are
suffering withdrawal symptoms at the demise of the multitude of railway
inspired Smilers sheets from the stables of Benham, Buckingham and
Bradbury!! Enjoy....
A limited quantity of only 20 covers were produced as an
initial trial to gauge interest in such collectibles, which I know
should be popular with thematic collectors. Just click on the above
image to link to my eBay shop and purchase directly through eBay. If you
don't have an eBay account just e-mail
with your requirements. (16/03)
Spiderman and BA100
We at Ridgewood are delighted to announce an innovation
in Customised Stamp sheets. With the demise of the Royal Mail
Business Customised service in mid-2018 we have been left with a very few
STAMPEX sheets remaining before we draw a veil over this chapter of
customised stamp sheet collecting. Or so we thought!
The arrival of the 150th Anniversary of St Pancras
Customised Stamp Pack last November, a product devised by Heritage Media
Ltd. for St. Pancras Station's 150th Anniversary celebrations, got us
thinking. What if we could breathe new life in to some of the old Smilers
sheets that exist and perhaps create new collectible items of interest for Smilers
collectors?
Our first product along these lines is a souvenir
Smilers cover out tomorrow timed to coincide with Royal Mail's Heroes and
Defenders issue. We have produced a limited number of Smilers covers
(25) bearing a pair of 16 year- old Smilers stamps/labels which, hopefully
you will agree, has breathed new life in to the stamps/labels.
Click on the image to buy this cover from our eBay shop
(priced £5.95 +pp) or alternatively drop me an e-mail
with your requirements. We can supply a complete set of 5 covers with all
stamp/label combinations from the sheet for £25 incl. p+p.
Other products are available as you will see in our eBay
shop based on Royal Mail's Heroes and Defenders/Marvel issue, and here's
just one we thought worked really well.
Finally, we are very pleased to announce the arrival of
our BA 100 project!
In this the centenary year of British Airways we can only
imagine the number and variety of Customised Smilers sheets that may have
appeared from the Benham, Bradbury, Buckingham, Westminster stables had
Royal Mail not terminated the customised stamp sheet service last
year. And them we remembered our 90th Anniversary sheet issued 10
years ago and we started thinking, what if ...
... and here it is:
We have produced a limited edition of 50 Customised
Smilers Packs providing a fitting tribute in the British Airways
centenary year, backed up by a uniquely numbered information card
outlining the history of this great airline all delivered in a sealed pack
and available for purchase immediately from our e-commerce website. Just
click on either image above to be transported as if by magic to our
e-shop, or alternatively drop me an e-mail
with your requirements. (14/03)
Smilers that failed to Smile # 3
Here is my next installment of some of the Royal Mail Smilers
projects that never saw the light of day. This time it's an example of an
Adrian Bradbury design that failed to materialize. It was to be the first
in a series of sheets by Adrian featuring British Books but in the end
Adrian dropped the idea in favour of his History of Britain series. Shame!
(12/03)
Universal Mail Update
To all those interested in Universal Mail UK Strips, my apologies
for the long silence since the last update, but it's been quite an uphill
battle to nail down details surrounding the latest new issues! That said, there
is light at the end of the tunnel based on additional information
forthcoming from Universal Mail UK who have been very helpful recently in
tracking down this missing information. Whilst not fully complete I have made progress
and I feel the time is right to share this with you.
I have updated my catalogue of these issue as at end of
February 2019 and am now trying to track down the following:
There was a printing in 05/18 but UMUK didn’t have any stocks left of
the following:
- 05/18 UK0020 Scotland
- 05/18 UK0041 Sussex
- 05/18 UK0051 Cambridge
- 05/18 UK0057 Animals of Scotland
- 05/18 UK0058 Scottish Icons
- 05/18 UK0062 Inverness
- 05/18 UK0063 Isle of Sky
- 05/18 UK0104 Dorset
Then there are the Bespoke issues UMUK alerted me to but can't supply.
- 05/18 UK0076 Beatles
- 05/18 UK0126 Madame Tussauds
- 05/18 UK0162 Alnwick Castle
- 05/18 UK0167 Dunvegan Castle
- 05/18 UK0168 Tate Museum
- 09/18 UK0030 Historic Scotland Stirling
- 09/18 UK0036 Historic Scotland Central
- 09/18 UK0038 Historic Scotland North
- 09/18 UK0068 Giant’s Causeway
- 09/18 UK0070 Roman Baths
- 09/18 UK0072 St Pauls Cathedral
- 09/18 UK0076 Beatles
- 09/18 UK0077 Visit Oxfordshire
- 09/18 UK0123 Titanic
- 09/18 UK0148 House of Commons
- 09/18 UK0153 Tower Bridge Exhibition
- 09/18 UK0162 Alnwick Castle
- ??/?? UK0166 London Icons with £1.50 denomination
- 09/18 UK0167 Dunvegan Castle
- 09/18 UK0168 Tate Museum
- UK0169 - Gap
- UK0170 - Gap
- UK0171 - Gap
- UK0172 - Gap
- UK0173 - Gap
- UK0174 - Gap
- UK0175 - Gap
- UK0176 - Gap
- UK0177 - Gap
- UK0178 - Gap
- UK0179 - Gap
- UK0180 Westminster Abbey
- UK0182 Marble Arch Caves
- UK0183 - Gap
- UK0184 – this code apparently does not exist according to UMUK
- 09/18 UK0185 Green Welly Shop
- 09/18 UK0186 Jane Austen House Museum
- 09/18 UK0187 National Gallery Museum (Monet)
- 09/18 UK0188 Science Museum
- 09/18 UK0189 Body Worlds
When I contacted some of the above Bespoke outlets they could
not supply them to me because UMUK had yet to supply them!
A conundrum for me in that UMUK would not
supply Bespoke strips to me and the Bespoke Outlet could not
supply me. I am therefore trying to resolve these gaps and omissions with
Universal Mail as I write and I am hopeful that these can be sorted out
before the end of the month. Universal Mail have already altered me
to further re-prints and new issues in the process of being printed so it
would be good to get these put to bed before the latest batch are
released. (12/03)
Smilers that failed to Smile # 2
Continuing my short series of Royal Mail Smilers
projects that never saw the light of day, here's one from Bletchley Park
Post Office which was floated in 2009 to mark Andrew Strauss benefit year
but ran into licensing problems and like some others had to be shelved!
(26/02)
Smilers Programme 2019
Royal Mail have provided further insight to their stamp
issuing programme for 2019 at a Trade briefing held recently at Spring
Stampex. Most of the following will, by now, be old news but for those
of you who don't spend their life thinking about Royal Mail's next issue, here is
a brief summary of what we know today.
- 5 January: Stamp Classics
- 13 February: Leonardo Da Vinci
- 14 March: Marvel Comics (*Smilers sheet announced*)
- 19 March : 2019 Tariff Change Definitive and Regional stamps
- 4 April: Birds of Prey
- 2 May: British Engineering
- 24 May: Queen Victoria Bicentenary
- 29 May : TBC
- 6 June: D-Day
- 9 July: Curious Customs
- 13 Aug: Forests
- 19 Sept: Royal Navy Ships
- October - TBC
- 5 Nov: Christmas
- ?? November - TBC
Whilst there is still secrecy surrounding most issues (notably
May, October and November) and images and products descriptions for most of the above are not yet
available, I can confirm that there is interest in this list for us Smilers
sheet Collectors in 2019 who should pay close attention to issues in March (Marvel
Comics), May, November and December (Christmas) and possibly in late
November we might even see a Year of the Rat sheet - more later! (26/02)
Smilers that failed to Smile # 1
As you may have guessed by the longevity of this website
blog, I just love Smilers and the stories that surround them. I
started this website over 10 years ago with help from like minded
individuals and we have managed to keep it going through feast and
famine. Now that Royal Mail have pulled the plug on Business
Customised Sheets and personalised Smilers the news columns seem a bit
thin on new stuff to me. In an effort to brighten up the
column I am turning to some old stories and hopefully these may stimulate
collector interest into this area of stamp collecting.
The stories behind the production of these sheets can be
quote interesting and some of these have been captured either in the
Smilers catalogue or in this column in the past. But what of the
sheets that never made it? Not a huge number failed but nevertheless
some have interesting stories and some are just nice to look at and to
think of what might have been! I have therefore decided to feature a
few designs from time to time for the enjoyment of my blog readers.
Here's a very early design from The Stamp Centre for a
sheet based on the 1960's TV series The Prisoner which stared Patrick
McGoohan. It ran into licensing problems and in the end Steven Scott
dropped the design in favour of a series of Dr. Who sheets, what a great
decision that turned out to be! (21/02)
Marvel-Less Smilers
As hinted at earlier, Royal Mail have now brought
forward their official launch date for the mega Film/TV themed issue
planned for March to today and have announced a set of stamps and
collectibles (far too long for me to list them all) based on the theme -
Marvel Comics. There are stamps, retail booklets, prestige booklets,
limited edition prestige booklets, first day covers, presentation packs,
framed sheets, more covers but no comics I am reliably informed.
More specifically, RM have confirmed plans to issue a
Generic Stamp Sheet on 14th March 2019 comprising 10 stamps and labels
although, I have to confess, I am not sure which are the stamps and which
are the labels!!
I get it that it is supposed to look like a
comic and I guess to that end they have succeeded. However I would have
thought that some enterprising individual or other might overprint the
labels with the Queen's head and a "1st" value and use them as
postage thus halving the cost of a 1st class stamp! I am sure some
Royal Mail operatives would have difficultly differentiating the real
stamps from the overprinted labels. What an ignominious design this
is - Royal Mail have definitely lost the plot and now cannot, it seems,
differentiate between stamps of the realm and comic labels!
(19/02)
A Marvelous Start to 2019
Royal Mail's 2019 stamp programme has been officially
announced and an issue scheduled for March is under strict secrecy until
it's official launch on 21st February 2019.
What I know is that it is another mega Film/TV theme
based issue with lots of products and variations for the collecting
community. Of particular interest to us here at Smilers-Info is the
news that there will be at least one 10-stamp generic Smilers sheet
featuring these new stamps with additional imagery on the labels and
backgrounds. The TV/Film theme has not been announced to the Philatelic
Trade but rumors abound with some even claiming to have seen these new
stamps at local post offices. However, I am sure we shall all marvel at
the designs and collectibles when these are officially announced next
week! (16/02)
The Bear Facts!
A regular to these columns contacted me yesterday with
news of an apparent "new find" based on the Paddington Bear
generic sheet from 2006 (GS-030).
In an e-mail to me I was asked if I was aware of
....
".... a newly discovered Paddington Bear Sheet which had a
printing of 200 Sheets although 190 were used for postage leaving 10
available to Collectors. Every Label is over-printed with the Anniversary
and there are additional 'bear paw' footsteps and information."
My response was concise and to the point -No!
I did provide the contributor with my opinion which I
will share with readers (see below). However a little more by way of
context was added by another reader earlier today who advised me that these
sheets (3 of them) had been sold on eBay for an undisclosed amount but
that they had originally been offered by eBay seller BFDC1947 from
Leicester (Rings a bell!) for £200.00 each! An amazing mark-
up on sheet that originally cost less than £7.00! Click on the
image above to see the completed eBay listing and form your own
opinion.
In my humble opinion for what it's worth - frankly I don’t
believe a word of it. Someone is trying to pass on a number of
overprinted generic sheets and make some easy money with a questionable
story. If 190 sheets were used for postage then you would expect at
least one of the 3800 stamps to turn up on ebay in kiloware! Sorry,
but I won't be buying it, listing it and I certainly don't buy the
story! I suggest you do the same. Caveat Emptor!! (16/02)
Happy Chinese New Year
A belated Happy Chinese New Year for yesterday and I
hope all my readers have a great year! As reported earlier, I have
produced a Themed Smilers sheet and Commemorative Cover and both are now
in stock and available for purchase. Both items are in my eBay
shop so please take a look at the various selection of themed Smilers
sheets and covers on offer, which may differ from
my routine stock. Here's the cover I have produced to welcome in the
Year of the Pig. (06/02)
Halley's Comet 00001
Mark Brandon has been in touch to let me know about a
rather unique Commemorative Stamp Sheet Pack from Royal Mail. The
Halley's Comet Commemorative Stamp Pack was issued in May 2010, just in
time for London 2010, and as these were still in their infancy Royal Mail
numbered these individually, a practice that has since evaporated in
recent years!
Mark Brandon has advised that a sheet with Serial Number
00001 is available to purchase from him priced £750.00 and if interested
readers are requested to make contact with Mark by e-mailing him at: mark@regalstamps.co.uk
(06/02)
Kettering Stamp & Philatelic Society
RM, an eagle-eyed contributor to this column, spotted a
hitherto unseen Smilers item on eBay earlier today and gave me a call to
alert me to the find, for which I am very grateful. It has allowed me to
share the following rare snippet of Smilers news.
The Kettering Stamp & Philatelic Society celebrate
their 20th Anniversary this year and have produced a presentation pack featuring
two personalised Smilers stamps.
The club originally planned to do a pack to be given free to all of
their members as a thank-you along with a selection of covers and generic
sheets to sell, to raise funds for the club. Two sheets of both the Penny
Red and Penny Black Smilers stamps were produced initially last year for committee
review and approval. However when the Club decided to order a further 30 sheets
of each Royal Mail had stopped accepting new orders. As a result they
decided to produce 20 Presentation Packs containing one of each stamp and
tab, 20 years so 20 packs at £20 each to raise funds for the club.
The club also produced 10 souvenir covers of each design with a local Kettering postmark,
although I understand there are very few of these left.
Finally, the club also made available a small quantity of
single Smilers stamps sold in plastic bags as follows.
The presentation packs are priced at £20 each, the covers
are priced at £3 each and the single stamps are priced at £2.50 all of
which are available from the club whilst stocks last. If interested
please e-mail James Dickinson
in the first instance (click on link) who will confirm pricing and
availability. (20/01)
Lunar New Year - Year of the Pig Themed Smilers Sheet
Following on from the past couple of years I have
produced a limited edition themed sheet commemorating the Lunar New Year,
Year of the Pig. As with last year I hope to produce a First Day Cover in
February using these Smilers stamps/labels but that will be dependant on
the availability of a suitable special hand-stamp marking the event,
details of which have yet to be announced, more later. For those interested
in collecting the sheet here it is!
TS-572
As with the previous item I have a very few sheets
available for purchase priced £39.95 each including p+p, and again due to
limited availability I am offering these on a first come, first served
basis. If interested please send me an e-mail
to confirm your interest. (12/01)
Isle of Pabay Winter 2018 - Themed Smilers Sheet
The Isle of Pabay Themed Smilers sheet for 2018 is out
and this year it features an image used for an Isle of Pabay 75p local
stamp.
TS-571
With a change in Royal Mail's policy this
year increasing the minimum order number of personalised themed sheets to
c. 40 we believe, it may well be the last themed sheet from Isle of Pabay
folks, let's hope that Royal Mail relax this policy going forward.
The interesting thing about this sheet is
that Royal Mail have reverted to stocks of Glorious Scotland with the
Rampant Lion stamp rather than the Saltire flag which appeared unannounced
a couple of years back. Could it be that Royal Mail stocks are being
wound down by Royal Mail and as soon as they have been used up, that
will trigger the end of the personalised formats? Only time will tell!
I have a very few sheets available for
purchase priced £49.95 each including p+p, as usual due to limited
availability I am offering these on a first come, first served basis. If
interested please send me an e-mail
to confirm your interest. (12/01)
Spring STAMPEX Smilers announced
As the delights of Christmas gently recede into our
memories for yet another year it's time to look forward to 2019 and all
the delights that the year holds! The PTS have announced their forthcoming Spring STAMPEX exhibition Business
Customised Smilers sheet which will be available for purchase from the
Spring STAMPEX event, to be held as usual at the Business Design Centre 52
Upper Street, London, N1 0QH, during the period 13-16 February 2019.
This years theme is classic stamps of the world, to
coincide with Royal Mail's classic British Stamps issue in January. I am
sure you will join me in complementing the PTS for the
foresight to order these before Royal Mail closed the Business Customised
Stamp service in 2018. We will be stocking these sheets priced
£21.95 incl. p+p (UK) £25.00 (worldwide) so if interested please e-mail
your requirements. (27/12)
