Let's Talk About Machins

As a crazy, loopy definitives collector I have long been intrigued by the Machins. Large collections in Vario pages are an incredible sight to see. Alas, I have been too intimidated to take the plunge but perhaps sometime in the future.

That's a fabulous image, Shermae. Is it your pic? Should be on the Wiki page or something!

Unfortunately no, not my pic. I have yet to descend into the darkness of Machin delirium.

But with a graphic like that, many might be attracted into taking the dive!
That is an amazing composition, really. Can you say where you found it? Sort of a wall poster?
I don't collect Machins, but that is a stunner.

Can rearrange these different colours to form a picture. I would coin it Machin Art!

three weird scans, 6½p displaced

24p forgery

two currency, so bad, like to have a complete cover, ha.

Does the SG specialized list more Machin varieties than the concise? I have looked at dealer price sheets and do not see any numbers not in the concise.

I have the SG specialised catalogue.... QE2 Decimal definitive issues. mine is an 8th edition from 1996 it devotes 370 pages to Machins every flaw,cylinder number, withdrawl date etc. It goes into far more detail than the concise. I got volume 4 and 5 for about $6.00 at an auction otherwise I would have left them, because 90% of the time it is far more detail than I want.

@novato:

The 6 1/2p isn't really 'weird', just badly centred (and damaged). I'd chuck it out.

The 24p looks like it could be a postally used forgery. I'd do a bit of Googling to check. If it is, it's worth hanging on to.

The last one is an example of decimal and pre-decimal on piece together. Shame about the damage, but something I'd like to keep.

(You probably know all this anyway - just making observations.)

Shermae,

Try it! You'll like it! (as Mikey used to say) May I suggest printing off(free) the Novice Machin pages on the Admin site. I am largely a USA collector but I really do like my Machins.

Jack Kelley

The 24p stamp looks like a postal forgery to me. Here are the correct litho stamps. Questa printing is on the left, and Walsall printing is on the right.

There is an interesting write-up about the 24p forgeries in the Deegam Machin handbook. The key parameter to look at is the perforation gauge: the forgeries are line perforated gauge 11. The gang of forgers, known as the Lavender Hill Mob, was brought to justice in 2000, convicted and sentenced.

Robert

Both SG and Scott are not much use on this one. Probably 1999, but that is all I have. Any help identifying would be appreciated.


And this one is Scott MH5b, or SG 724l. Any difference in positioning (3d on left, 3d on right)?

Hello Partime,

I believe the rugby-themed pane is from booklet SG HB18 issued on 1st October 1999.

This booklet only contained this single pane which has its own number, SG 1667m.

The booklet sold for £1.04.

The pre-decimal panes both appear to be SG 724l and I would expect the individual stamps to be SG 724 and SG 730.

Corrected "decimal" to "pre-decimal"

Thanks for the quick help.