Contents
1 Booklets
1.1 4/6 Booklets
1.2 5/- Booklets
1.3 6/- Booklets
1.4 10/- Booklets
A new stamp design based on a plaster cast by Arnold Machin was introduced in 1967. The first stamps were issued on 5 June 1967, and booklets followed soon afterwards, the first being the 6s booklet in September 1967.
Only the 4s6d and 6s booklets continued with the same cover designs as before. Then starting in May 1968, pictorial covers were introduced. The illustrations were commissioned from eminent artists: Rowland Hilder / David Cobb / Robert Micklewight (ships), Peter Gauld (homes), Harry Titcombe (birds – with his initials “HT” in every design), David Gentleman (explorers), with layout and typography by Stuart Rose.
First-class and second-class services were introduced in September 1968 at 5d and 4d respectively. A new 5s booklet was introduced containing 5d stamps, and the 10s booklet composition was changed to include 5d stamps. 4d stamps were changed from two phosphor bands to one band.
A 5s booklet was issued in March 1970 to publicise the Philympia International Philatelic Exhibition to be held in London in September of that year. The cover was designed by Peter Gauld, and all adverts were related to stamp collecting.
All Machin stamps were printed in photogravure by Harrison on unwatermarked chalk-surfaced paper.
4s6d Booklet Series 7: LP45
Date: May 1968
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: none
Makeup: FC, int, int, UB9, int, UB9, int, UB1, int, BC
| LP45 | May 1968 | — |
4s6d Booklet Series 7: LP46-59
Ships Series
To see more pictorial booklets click here.
Date: July 1968
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: none
Makeup: FC, int, int, UB9/11/14, int, UB9/11/14, int, UB1, int, BC
| LP46 | July 1968 | The Cutty Sark |
| LP47 | Sept 1968 | The Golden Hind |
| LP48 | Nov 1968 | The Discovery |
| LP49 | Jan 1969 | Queen Elizabeth 2 |
| LP50 | Mar 1969 | Sirius |
| LP51 | May 1969 | Sirius |
| LP52 | July 1969 | The Dreadnought |
| LP53 | Sept 1969 | The Dreadnought |
| LP54 | Nov 1969 | Mauretania |
| LP55 | Jan 1970 | Mauretania |
| LP56 | Mar 1970 | Victory |
| LP57 | May 1970 | Victory |
| LP58 | Aug 1970 | The Sovereign of the Seas |
| LP59 | Oct 1970 | The Sovereign of the Seas |
LP46-49 designed by Rowland Hilder.
LP50-51 designed by David Cobb.
LP52-57 designed and signed by David Cobb.
LP58-59 designed and signed by Robert Flavell Micklewright.
5s Booklet Series 8: HP26-38
English Homes Series
To see more pictorial booklets click here.
Date: Dec 1968
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: none
Makeup: FC, int, int, int, UB19, int, UB19, int, BC
| HP26 | Dec 1968 | Ightham Mote * |
| HP27 | Feb 1969 | Little Moreton Hall |
| HP28 | Apr 1969 | Long Melford Hall |
| HP29 | June 1969 | Long Melford Hall |
| HP30 | Aug 1969 | Long Melford Hall |
| HP31 | Oct 1969 | Mompesson House |
| HP32 | Dec 1969 | Mompesson House |
| HP33 | Feb 1970 | Cumberland Terrace |
| HP34 | Mar 1970 | Philympia — see below |
| HP35 | June 1970 | The Vinyard, Saffron Walden |
| HP36 | Aug 1970 | The Vinyard, Saffron Walden |
| HP37 | Oct 1970 | Mereworth Castle |
| HP38 | Dec 1970 | Mereworth Castle |
* Pronounced “item moat”.
5s Booklet Series 8: HP34
Date: Mar 1970
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: none
Makeup: FC, int, int, int, UB19, int, UB19, int, BC
Issued to publicise the Philympia International Philatelic Exhibition to be held at the Empire Hall, Olympia, London from 18 to 26 September 1970. The cover was designed by Peter Gauld, and all adverts were related to stamp collecting. Although issued on 3 Mar 1970, the packet labels were dated Apr 1970, and a reserve stock of 100,000 booklets was held for sale at the exhibition.
To see the adverts, see Adverts & Interleaves below.
Stitching trials were made using different coloured threads. The trial booklets had the issued outside front cover but otherwise were made up from surplus interleaves (from Jan 1970 6s) and surplus back covers (from Dec 1969 5s). Thread colours were black, blue, green, yellow, pink, and red.
HP34a: shilling stroke omitted from 5/- bottom left corner
6s Booklet Series 9: QP28-37
Date: Sept 1967
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: none
Makeup: FC, int, int, UB7/8/9, int, UB7/8/9, int, UB7/8/9, int, BC
Booklets QP32-37 have an additional interleaf after the front cover.
| QP28 | Sept 1967 | — |
| QP29 | Oct 1967 | — |
| QP30 | Nov 1967 | — |
| QP31 | Dec 1967 | — |
| QP32 | Jan 1968 | — |
| QP33 | Feb 1968 | — |
| QP34 | Mar 1968 | — |
| QP35 | Apr 1968 | — |
| QP36 | May 1968 | — |
| QP37 | May 1968 | — |
6s Booklet Series 9: QP38-55
Birds Series
To see more pictorial booklets click here.
Date: June 1968
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: none
Makeup: FC, int, int, int, UB9/11/14, int, UB9/11/14, int, UB9/11/14, int, BC
Booklet QP54: has only two interleaves at front.
| QP38 | June 1968 | Kingfisher |
| QP39 | July 1968 | Kingfisher |
| QP40 | Aug 1968 | Peregrine Falcon |
| QP41 | Sept 1968 | Peregrine Falcon |
| QP42 | Oct 1968 | Pied Woodpecker |
| QP43 | Nov 1968 | Pied Woodpecker |
| QP44 | Dec 1968 | Great Crested Grebe |
| QP45 | Jan 1969 | Barn Owl |
| QP46 | Feb 1969 | Barn Owl |
| QP47 | Mar 1969 | Jay |
| QP48 | May 1969 | Jay |
| QP49 | July 1969 | Puffin |
| QP50 | Sept 1969 | Puffin |
| QP51 | Nov 1969 | Cormorant |
| QP52 | Jan 1970 | Cormorant |
| QP53 | Apr 1970 | Wren |
| QP54 | Aug 1970 | Golden Eagle |
| QP55 | Oct 1970 | Golden Eagle |
| QP46 | (a) GGP | (b) GPG | (c) GPP | (d) PGG | (e) PGP | (f) PPG | (g) GGG |
| QP47 | (a) GGP | (b) PGP | (c) PPG | (d) GPP | (e) GPG | (f) GGG |
Combination PGG has not been recorded in booklet QP47.
Booklet QP38 is known miscut (last pane folded):
10s Booklet Series 10: XP4-5
Explorers Series
To see more pictorial booklets click here.
Date: May 1968
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: none
Makeup: FC, int, int, UB9, int, UB9, int, UB9, int, UB9, int, UB6, int, UB1, int, BC
| XP4 | May 1968 | Livingstone |
| XP5 | Aug 1968 | Livingstone |
10s Booklet Series 10: XP6-12
To see more pictorial booklets click here.
Date: Sept 1968
Printer: Harrison
Watermark: none
Makeup: FC, int, int, int, UB19, int, UB19, int, UB11/14, int, UB11/14, int, UB3/4, int, BC
| XP6 | Sept 1968 | Scott |
| XP7 | Feb 1969 | Mary Kingsley |
| XP8 | May 1969 | Mary Kingsley |
| XP9 | Aug 1969 | Shackleton |
| XP10 | Nov 1969 | Shackleton |
| XP11 | Feb 1970 | Frobisher |
| XP12 | Nov 1970 | Capt. Cook |
| XP8 | (a) PPPGP | (b) PPGPP |
Booklet XP7 overprinted “SCHOOL SPECIMEN”:
A few genuine XP7 “Mary Kingsley” school specimen booklets are known. At least one has been split for the panes. Most school specimen overprints are forged.
Booklet Panes
Booklet panes of six were printed in photogravure on unwatermarked chalk-surfaced paper using double cylinders (no-dot and dot sheets), each sheet having 240 stamps arranged as 20 upright booklet panes, and 20 inverted.
The se-tenant panes, UB3 and UB4, were printed and perforated as 20-row sheets, with both cylinder numbers (N5/F4) found next to the bottom row in finished booklets.
All other panes of six were printed from 21-row cylinders and perforated in the web, Type I or Ie. The continuously printed reel was guillotined into sheets of 20 rows before assembly into booklets, resulting in the cylinder number advancing one row on each successive sheet. Cylinder numbers may be found next to the top or bottom row in finished booklets from these cylinders.
Phosphor bands on panes:
UB1, UB7, UB8, UB9, UB19.
Phosphor bands on panes:
UB3, UB6, UB11, UB14.
Phosphor bands on pane UB4.
UB1: two bands; PVA; Head B; Booklets LP45-59, XP4-5; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls F1, F3 (21-row)
UB3: centre band; PVA; Head B; Booklets XP6; Perfs P, I; Cyls F4 (1d), N5 (4d) (20-row)
UB4: two bands, one band on 4d; PVA; Head B; Booklets XP7-12; Perfs P; Cyls F4, N5 (20-row)
UB6: centre band; PVA; Head B; Booklets XP4-5; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls K2 (21-row)
UB7: two bands; GA; Head A; Booklets QP28-32; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls N1 (21-row)
UB8: two bands; GA; Head A; Booklets QP33-36; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls N1
UB9: two bands; PVA; Head A; Booklets LP45-46, QP37-40, XP4-5; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls N1
UB11: centre band; PVA; Head A; Booklets LP47-48, QP41-45, XP6; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls N1, N2
UB14: centre band; Booklets LP49-59, QP46-55, XP7-12; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls N1, N2, N7 (21-row)
UB14(A): PVA; Head A
UB14(B): PVA; Head B
UB14(b): GA; Head A
UB19: two bands; PVA; Head B; Booklets HP26-38, XP6-12; Perfs I, Ie; Cyls R2, R3 (21-row)
Adverts & Interleaves
Of note was the Philympia booklet, with all adverts related to stamp collecting.
Next: QEII Machin Proofs