GB Machins ???

EDITED,
Phil
Found an answer to part 1, part 2 is :
Have found some of these with other images on them.
Other parts of the kingdom ??

Nice topic.
Nice thread.

It reminds me of that old sixties movie;

"What's it all about, Alfie".

Was trying to keep from embarassing myself yet again !
Failed misserably quite appearantly.
I was originally going to post this and ask about Munchin.



I originally quit chasing stamps in the mid 1970's and knew
nothing about the history of these issues.
Got a quick email and reference material. OMFNG. Glad I don't
actively collect GB.

2ND question is still valid.

The other images you refer to are on regional Machins.
N.Ireland, Wales, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

They all make great collections but can give you a headache, such are the varieties.

You have a nice stockcard to start !

Actually I have 2 US Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes with on paper
to sort thru. Got them on the dirt cheap as kiloware.

You will have fun then.
They make a great sort.
I have probably spent more hours in my philatelic life sorting Machins [not munchins ] than any other country/set/topic.
You can even become too engrossed !

Have fun

Londonbus1....if you decide to collect, I can help with gaps.

Man did I foul this event up !
But you are correct, it is calming and relaxing for
me to sit and play with my sorting.

I am in the middle of trying to assemble a set of Machins and have pretty much given up. The more I collect, the more I find to collect.

I am not sure that is possible to ever complete the set.

It appears to be a very daunting task.

You are correct, it can be extremely daunting and possibly an impossible task. I am not sure if you've read or scanned the Machin Handbook by Douglas Myall, but reviewing that reminds me of people who can identify the typewriter that was used with only the carbon copy of a letter being available. In fact, his level of Machin work is harder and more in depth than that.

BUT, it only has to be as complicated as you choose to make it. It is easy to limit oneself to the major varieties of color, head type, printing type and leave things at that. Just that would be a very satisfying collection and not likely to cross your eyes due to the complexity of the task.

In fact, if you're new to Machins, I'd encourage you to start simple. Start just focusing on denomination and color and see if your interest remains. You can still plumb the depths later. Don't make yourself crazy, we are supposed to enjoy this hobby.

Just my two cents.

-Larry

Greetings

About 3-4 years ago, I bought a book on the Machins that was published by the Machins Collectors Club (MCC). It is a great book and a real large one too. But, to be honest, I do find it somewhat complex and hard to follow.

I have been told that I should have bought the reference book produced by Douglas Mayall because it is easier to follow (?)

Since I have invested in the book itself, plus the postage to send it here which is scary itself, I feel now I should make use of the book and let it pay for itself.

My questions here are, is there anyone that is a member of this forum that has the Mayall book and is it easier to understand?

Looking forward to your comments.

Cheers

Bujutsu

Bujutsu-

The Myall is no longer a "book". Mr Myall still publishes his work, but only in the form of a very large pdf. The pdf is quite well designed and there is even a training portion in his work that helps you to navigate the work. BUT, it is quite large. In fact, its probably too large to print out, though you are able to do so. I am not sure but it weighs in at around 1,200 pages in total.

The Myall book is very very detailed and extremely exacting. If you take your time, it is easy to follow but difficult to retain. Because there is so very much of it. The Myall book is generally considered the reference work on Machins and Douglas Myall is generally considered the expert in the field. But, the book is really not for the faint of heart.

There its strength is, is in terms of helping you identify a stamp and coding it so that you can record what it really is. Myall also has a three-level coding system and each level is progressively more "difficult"/"exacting"/"detailed". So, if you want it simple you stick to level one, if you're only slightly insane, you go to level three and if you've totally lost your mind, there is level three. I personally believe that success collecting Machins is discipline in choosing what and to what degree you will collect. Myall would agree that a "complete" collection is impossible.

the book is order directly from Mr Myall and it sent on a cd at the post paid cost of GBP39. He also provides regular updates.

-Larry

Hi Larry

Thank you very much for that update.

To be honest, I am not really surprised that it is no longer a book but on pdf files. That seems to be the trend.

I will have to look out for that book in the future.

BTW - my real name is also Larry (I thoughtI was addressing myself )

Kindest regards

Bujutsu

The CD edition was first published in 2005 and the last edition of the paper version was printed in 2003.
However, regular updates are issued to owners of the catalogue and to members of some Philatelic clubs and societies.

I am a member of the Modern British Philatelic Circle, of which Douglas Myall was a founding member [2 clubs which joined together to form one bigger one]. The Deegams update is inserted in the Circle magazine, The Bookmark.

Londonbus1

Thanks Londonbus

I heard this before about the updates.

I am thinking that I should be considering this route.

Cheers

Bujutsu

Yes, it still seems like a lifes work to catagorize all the
variables in the series. Just in the past week of reading I
think you may well end up chasing your tail trying to keep all
the color changes, paper changes, thickness, etc etc etc.
The minutia of detail in the different color pallets alone has
me scratching my head.