Need Help With Machin ID Please

You're right.

Ergo, it must be Y1695 35p. yellow-olive 5th April 2005 1 centre band

Thanks for your correction.

But the OP says they are both 2 band ?.

With respect, we cannot take that as Gospel.

Consider, the wide centre band, can be interpreted as 2 edge bands, if the viewer is not using a lamp.
If it is 2 bands, then Houston, we have a problem.

No, you are correct we cannot. But they look like 2 band to me. There is no wide centre band listed in my old catalogue.

If they are photo and litho then they are SG Y1692 and SG Y1755. Any opinions on photo/litho ?.

And thats why they have stayed in the binbag. I am not a masochist.

So when I grabbed my box of Machins last night, I thought, "So, this should be fun!" But I wasn't expecting this!! I have had to pull out the camera with the digital microscope and have even made a jig to photograph the tagging. I will post a few pics later when I get them ready.
Let me just say you guys are not only knowledgeable in your hobby, but are also very kind in your assistance.
The comment earlier about the Washington-Franklins was hilarious and spot on. I avoid the WF series like the plague! But it seems I have found the UK equivalent. lol

tgswanner.

At the very least, you need an SG Concise catalogue. If you do not have one you will just go round in circles.

They are impossible to sort by scott.

I approach as I do, the Brazil definitives, and their watermarks.

I take maybe as little as 5 stamps, and work on them to get them correct,
it is surprising as how one proceeds, with just a few at a time.

If you sat down, and decided to do a huge bunch of Machins in one sitting,
you would end up going bodmin.

bodmin:
https://www.urbandictionary.com/def...ing%20Bodmin

I still have trouble between Litho. and Photo. with the Machins, I have ordered, and awaiting a new Magnifyer for the job.

Keep a look out for the Machins with screened numerals...........
PS: I am using the 2012 Gibbons Catalogue.

Rod.

Apologies. You are Correct. Y1695 yellow olive 1 centre band. I just ignored that stamp as normally 1 band means thin band.

But then I remembered. Many years ago I found a mint low value machin with an unlisted wide centre band. Never did follow up on it. My shortwave lamp went pear shape and I am too tight to replace it, so just forgot about it.

Bodmin. I lived there for a short while in the 1970s. Dont live that far away now. Not far enough anyway ha.

Ok guys...here goes. This is the FIRST stamp from the original picture. When I looked at it originally, I was examining it with some loupes and I was in close. HOWEVER, when I got out the digital microscope on my camera, this is what I found:

Is obviously a photogravure:


Photo of tagging on first stamp:


Photo of tagging on both stamps (Photogravure on left - litho on right)


Close up of lips on stamp 1 (I took this one because they are definitly different on stamp 2):


So, based on Scott numbers, I have an MH222 here. Is the 2nd stamp unlisted in Scott? MH223 is a litho, BUT the one I have(2nd one in original photo) is definitely redrawn. I have close ups of that one also. And, yes, I KNOW...i need to get an SG catalog...lol
Thank you guys so much for the help!! Greg

I would like to contribute.

Using Deegam, the stamp on the right has head A-2, is type T-1 , and has 8mm bands. It is lithographic.
The stamp on the left has head A-1, is type T-1, and has 9.5 bands. It is gravure.

Deegam describes all 35p Machins as having Old Gold.

Using SG Concise, I would conclude the lithographic stamp is Y1778 while the gravure stamp is Y1698.

Finally, one of the easiest ways to determine gravure/Lithographic is to compare the value type. The gravure is somewhat fuzzy while the Litho is crisp.

Hope this helps,

Jack Kelley

Deegam describes these as Old Gold which is the colour identification used by Royal Mail - Deegam tends to follow it and does not go into shades.

There were four printers: Harrison (no phosphor bars), Enschedé (9½ mm phosphor bars) and Questa and Walsall (8 mm phosphor bars). It looks like the gap between bars on the left-hand stamp is narrower than that on the right-hand stamp. This means the left must be Enschedé (yellow fluorescence 17-8-1993).

The wider gap indicates 8 mm phosphor bars. This comes with lithography stamps. The uneven and torn perforations on all four sides – if confirmed by checking under a magnifier – would suggest either a sheet or a Prestige stamp book as a source. This would imply the 25-4-1995 National Trust Prestige booklet printed by Questa.

The Connoisseur Catalogue describes the colour as deep yellow. The Questa stamp comes in shades.