Usages of the first decimal Machin low values set
As the natural follow-up to the article on the pre-decimal Machins (in February's Stamp Collector), this month Maurice Buxton examines the first decimal set of 12 low values issued on 15 February 1971 (although due to the postal strike, not widely available until 8 March)
This was actually the last occasion for some time where there could be said to be a distinct new ‘set’ of definitive stamps. The high inflation of the 1970s and increasing postal costs led to regular tariff changes, and as the years went by, Machin values were added or dropped on a rolling basis to reflect the current rates. Of this set, the first to be withdrawn was the 3½p in 1975, followed by the 1½p, 2½p, 3p and 4p in 1977 and the 6p and 7½p in 1979, with the colour of the 9p changed in 1976. Several were later reintroduced in different colours when needed as makeup values – only the 1p and 2p were constants throughout the life of the Machins.
While this process had certainly happened with earlier definitives, it usually affected only a few stamps. For example, the Wildings saw the 11d value dropped and a 4½d added, but the rest of the values remained the same throughout – and so on cover (where the various watermarks are hard to discern!), it’s reasonable to consider them all as a single group. A ‘set’ of (standard perf) Machins on even the same simplified basis would consist of nearly 100 stamps, many never on issue at the same time, more if other face-visible differences in bands and printing process are included.
The rates
Naturally, the introduction of a new currency meant new rates, and the opportunity was taken to increase many while people were still getting used to decimal money. This was done immediately on 15 February for inland mail, but changes for overseas were deferred until a new UPU treaty took effect on 1 July, with existing rates translated to their nearest equivalents by the currency conversion table. This resulted in a short-lived set of rates (several of which are difficult to find), and some anomalous cases where overseas post was cheaper than inland post – even for Commonwealth rates, which normally tracked inland ones.
Again, this will focus mostly on the solo usages. A quick listing of the main 1971–73 basic rates follows to save repetition – please refer back to it as necessary. Other or later rates will be covered as they come up.
Note, there were two rates for overseas surface printed papers – one for items ‘of a commercial character’, such as invoices and order forms, and a reduced rate for magazines, books, sheet music and so on. The airmail ‘second class’ rate covered printed papers and small packets.
Inland
• 15 February 1971 – first class 3p, second class 2½p
• 10 September 1973 – first class 3½p, second class 3p
Commonwealth surface
• 15 February 1971 – letters 2p, postcards 2p, printed papers 1½p, reduced rate 1p
• 1 July 1971 – letters 3p, postcards 3p, printed papers 3p, reduced rate 1½p
• 10 September 1973 – letters 3½p, postcards 3½p, printed papers 3p, reduced rate 2p
Rest of the world surface/ European ‘all-up’
• 15 February 1971 – letters 4p, postcards 2p, printed papers 1½p, reduced rate 1p
• 1 July 1971 – letters 5p, postcards 3p, printed papers 3p, reduced rate 1½p
• 10 September 1973 – letters 5½p, postcards 4p, printed papers 3p, reduced rate 2p
Airmail Zone A (Middle East and North Africa)
• 15 February 1971 – letters 5p, postcards 2½p, second class 2½p
• 1 July 1971 – letters 5p, postcards 3p, second class 3p
• 10 September 1973 – letters 6p, postcards 4p, second class 3p
Airmail Zone B (Americas, most of Africa, much of Asia)
• 15 February 1971 – letters 7½p, postcards 4p, second class 3p
• 1 July 1971 – letters 7½p, postcards 4p, second class 4p
• 10 September 1973 – letters 8p, postcards 5p, second class 4p
Airmail Zone C (Far East and Australasia)
• 15 February 1971 – letters 9p, postcards 4p, second class 3½p
• 1 July 1971 – letters 9p, postcards 5p, second class 5p
• 10 September 1973 – letters 10p, postcards 6p, second class 5p
Air letters (aerogrammes)
• 15 February 1971 – 4p
• 1 July 1971 – 5p, 10 September 1973 – 6p
The general rules of thumb for rarity are that Zone B items are plentiful (especially to the USA), Zone C tricky and Zone A scarce, with letters and postcards both easier to find than printed papers. The latter to Zones A and C are, therefore, especially difficult and, of course, all zones include scarcer destinations.
The stamps
The lowest values up to the 2p are most commonly seen as ‘makeup’ values, only needed for odd amounts or to supplement old-rate stamps after a tariff increase. However, all except the ½p had specific solo uses initially, although these were rapidly superseded.
½p turquoise-blue: This stamp was purely a makeup value, but naturally saw widespread use in this role. An early example was to uprate the predecimal 5d first class value to the new second class rate (Fig. 1). It’s also possible to find items that have been entirely paid in ½p stamps (Fig. 2).
1p crimson: The solo use in the initial set of rates is rarely seen, given the short period it applied and the general scarcity of reduced-rate printed papers items. A common non-cover use was the fee for a certificate of posting for a single item, which lasted until that charge was scrapped in 1982 (Fig. 3).
1½p black: This paid printed papers rates until 1973, although both the solo uses noted above are fairly scarce (Fig. 4). It’s more commonly seen in combination, quite often from booklets, and made up the difference between second and first class rates for a few months in 1975. After this, the low and awkward face value meant that it generally became surplus to requirements, and it was never reissued after it was withdrawn.
2p myrtle-green: This was the equivalent of 5d in old currency, and hence for a few months a few overseas rates that had been 5d were now 2p – less than the new minimum inland rate of 2½p. None of them are especially common, though (Fig. 5). Another rate translated in this way was the Forces airmail rate to the UK (Fig. 6).
2½p magenta: This was the initial second class rate, and examples are naturally extremely common, though it’s possible to find attractive covers (Fig. 7). The obscurer uses such as Zone A material and higher-rate printed papers (Fig. 8) are much harder to find, especially after 1973 when inland rates were raised.
3p ultramarine: This was the initial first class rate, and as with the 2½p, there are lots of covers available (Fig. 9). It continued in use after 1973 as the new second class rate (also plentiful, albeit now printed with a single phosphor
band, so that really counts as a different stamp). Unlike the 2½p, however, there were several other rates that it paid, and for a change, most of these are met with reasonably often (Fig. 10).
3½p olive-grey: This stamp came into its own as the first class rate in 1973–74 (and with a change of phosphor banding the second class rate in 1974–75), and since this is by far the most familiar use, you might be surprised that it was included in the initial set.
What it represented then (for a few months) was the Zone C printed papers rate, rarely seen. In 1973–74 it naturally also paid the Commonwealth rate as well (Fig. 11). An occasionally seen early use is in pairs for the 7p first class recorded delivery rate (Fig. 12). It was another denomination that wasn’t generally useful as a makeup value at the time, though, and was the first stamp of the set to be withdrawn.
4p ochre-brown: This paid various different rates at different times. The commonest is probably the Zone B postcard rate, but others, such as the initial use for the 1971 surface rate, are also not too hard to find (Fig. 13).
5p pale violet: A naturally useful makeup value in a decimal system, though no printings were made after 1980 until issued in a new colour in 1982. Its initial uses were Zone A letters – difficult (Fig. 14) – and the 1971–73 surface/all-up rate (the most commonly seen solo). The aerogramme rate is not all that common but does crop up (Fig. 15). Other single uses tend to be hard to find.
6p light emerald Ah yes, the 6p. This one has been puzzling me, since as of 15
February 1971 it paid…absolutely no basic rate at all? It was the second step for overseas surface post until 1 July, but this was not something that would usually have rated (sorry!) a stamp of its own – especially as there was not even a single stamp for the 4½p inland second class second step. Annoyingly, I have so far been unable to find a document in the archives that gives the reason for the final selection of values for this set – although what the tariffs were to be seems to have been in flux for some time, so I suspect the 6p may have been intended for a rate that was changed. Information welcomed!
It acquired some basic rate solo uses from 1973 onwards, but none are especially plentiful, and some fairly obscure (Fig. 16) – the aerogramme and Zone C postcard rates are the ones you’re most likely to see.
7½p pale chestnut: This paid the Zone B letter rate until 1973 (Fig. 17), so it’s a fairly common stamp to see used solo. It found another use as the new Zone B postcard rate in March 1975, but only for a few months until the rates were raised again in September (did I mention inflation was bad in the 1970s?). However, as this was Zone B, you do see it around quite often.
9p yellow-orange and black: The highest low value of the original set, printed in the same two colours as its 1s 9d predecessor. It paid the Zone C letter rate until 1973, so as usual for these rates, examples are annoyingly uncommon but turn up reasonably often (Fig. 18). As with the 7½p, it found later uses for postcards in the 1975–79 period, and a fairly common solo use is for the Zone B postcard rate in 1975–77, even though it was reissued in a single colour of deep violet in early 1976 to reduce printing costs.