GB Machin Cancel Question

I have a trade partner that asked if I had any GB Machins with CDS
(Circular Date Stamp/cancel). I started looking through my Machins and have started to find some for him, but then got to wondering if there is anything special about Machins with CDS or partial CDS that show the day/month/year? Or if there is any special appeal to Machin collectors for ones that have CDS/partial CDS? I also found one with a clear CDS that used green ink for the cancel so got to wondering if a green cancel held any special appeal to those that collect Machins?
I don't really collect Machins (yet) but have a bunch that I had sorted per the Adminware site's criteria. Then I got to wondering if there were any free album pages for Machins?

Thanks for any inputs...

Dave N.
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Yes, Dave.

On that same Adminware site (maintained by Robin Harris, editor of Unitrade Catalog) are 4 levels of Machin pages. The Intro/Beginner level is free. The other three, more advanced pages, are for sale.

Here's a link right to the Album Pages:
http://www.adminware.ca/machin/m_album.htm

Kirk

Kirk,
Thanks for the info about the free Basic Album.
I'm hoping there are other free albums out there that are more advanced than the basic one
offered on the adminware site though.

Dave N.
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"...any special appeal to Machin collectors for ones that have CDS/partial CDS?"

Very much so... far, far too many look like this :



So, a nice CDS or partial is a vastly superior product in my view. I know there are some people who swoon at the sight of a stamp in that condition but they look rubbish in a collection. Dealers also will big them up... but only because (1) the comparative rarity of decent material with CDS and (2) that is what they have most and need to get rid of somehow

For a used Machin collector, a clear CDS from in-period usage is probably the 1st choice.

I stopped collecting GB mint stamps, including Machins, some years back and now only collect what I feel are the best modern GB issues used, and then only if they have a good CDS cancel. For years Royal Mail have been increasing the number of new issues each year to tempt the completist collector. We now have presentation packs, press packs, mini-sheets, booklets ad nauseam, and speciality book(let)s all containing the same basic stamp issue but in differing arrangements and with a bit of printed card giving information that is either relevant but easily obtained free elsewhere, or totally irrelevant and unwanted for the purpose of an album entry. All at much greater cost than the stamp issue.

What is harder to get now is a letter bearing a nicely cancelled GB stamp. It either has a counter printed label or a machine frank. Neither of which interest me despite the efforts of Stanley Gibbons to big them up. My local post office was issued with two of each half sheet of the recent Dr. Who stamps. Total. They have been told to use the label printer unless anyone asks specifically for stamps. Royal Mail benefit by selling the stamps to collectors instead of the letter writer or ebayer as they are collecting payment for a service they will not have to provide.

From my point of view the real rarities are the modern GB stamps struck with a neat and clear CDS cancel. They sure are hard to find but cheaper than their mint counterparts when discovered. For now.

Terry

Thanks for all the inputs.
Unfortunately, I'm now fighting the urge to start up a side collection for the Machins I have.
I did find some Machin album pages I had obtained some time ago (more than a year). I think they might be from Bill Steiner's Stamp Album Pages.
One more binder for Machins can't hurt - can it?

When I get done pulling those CDS/partial CDS Machins for my trade partner, I could post a scan here - if there is interest....

Thanks again!

Dave N.
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Hi Dave/oldtriguy,

Please do post a scan of your CDS cancelled Machins. I would like to see them, and I am sure many other collectors on here would also.

Terry

Hi Dave,
You are aware that even at a basic level there are 400+ Machins.
Do you know what you are getting in to?

I would like to see them also please.

Besides just the cncels (did I say just the cancels!??) I also interested in how others may view the partial cancels.


So far all I think of is the nice corner cancels where you can still see most of the design, in this case the Queen, but, there still could be interst in town names or dates for a regional collector or a calendar maker.

I've been watching this thread a little, because I have a box full of Machins and no idea what to do with them. :P

(Click for larger)

I think most are from the 1980s and appear to have been torn from some sort of trivia contest entries.

I'm not really interested in messing with them too much right now, but are there any possible gems I should look out for? I wouldn't even know where to start!

There is the Adminware Machin site, a go-to for many Machin collectors.

http://www.adminware.ca/stamps.htm


They can be as simple or as detailed as you want.

Another thread on Stamp Community about them:
Lets Talk About Machins:
https://goscf.com/t/10785&SearchTerms=machin

Or you could Search for Machins in the subject only.

On the Adminware Machin site is a free pdf titled "Simplifying the Machins" which is very well done with ample illustrations. This pdf suggests two dozen or so sorting criteria starting with the easy (size, denomination, etc.) and going from there. I would think a few minutes studying this would either get one excited about sorting a box of Machins or immediately sealing the box up and never speaking of it again.

Sounds like a good starting point - thank you both!

Zuzu,

As for what to look for in particular: I'd look in a catalog (I have Scott catalogs) and see if there were any identified as High catalog value. Then When sorting, I'd keep a look out for them.

Dave N.
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Here are some Machins with CDS/partial CDS that I've picked out to offer one of my trade partners.
I have others that have even less parts of a CDS than some of these, but wanted to try to get at least the year if I could. Some of these have faults too, but I think his interest may be more for the cancel. Besides, if he doesn't want one because it has faults, he can just pass on it: I'll send the ones he selects.

Just thought I share the scans here too....

Dave N.
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