WESTPEX 2006

Stamp Show

Tony Walker, Member of the UK Royal Mail Stamp Advisory Committee

"The Work of the Stamp Advisory Committee of Royal Mail"

Saturday, April 29, 10-11AM Santa Barbara Room

Royal Mail decided to commission a series of sets under the title 'A British Journey', featuring landscape from around Britain, commencing with a set of Scotland.

Shown here are examples from seven presentation visuals submitted by three design companies early in 2002 to the Stamp Advisory Committee (SAC).  All the sets will be on display at the talk by Tony Walker, on Saturday.

In the succeeding months one set was chosen for further development, with the Stamp Advisory Committee seeking adjustments to the design, with the set finally issued, the first in the series, on 15 July 2003. These adjustments will also be on show.

The Royal Mail in the United Kingdom has had a Stamp Advisory Committee (SAC) since 1968, in it's present form. It comprises a group of independent people generally considered to be pre-eminent in their particular fields, who give their time free of charge every six weeks at meetings of the SAC in London.

The role of the SAC is to provide advice to Royal Mail on the selection and development for all postage stamps. The categories of members specified for the original committee – and broadly in place today – were 'experts in design, representatives of the general public and philatelists'. The current committee consists of 5 professionals from the design community, two philatelists, two representatives from the world of business, a print specialist and a representative from the government department for Trade and Industry.

Presentation visuals of issues to commemorate an event are considered up to two years in advance of issue date, with successive meetings considering and choosing from a selection of options, and then refining the designs to printer's proofs.

Tony Walker, one of the philatelic members of the SAC will be talking about the work of the committee at a meeting of the GBCC on Saturday. He will be able to provide a rare insight into the workings of the Stamp Advisory Committee by showing examples of visuals examined by the committee, and demonstrating how designs are refined in the committee process. Tony has his collection of Pre-decimal Machin definitives on display at Westpex, and will show examples from this collection on design matters.

We would like to publicly thank Royal Mail for allowing this material to be shown to American collectors, where GB stamps have always had an enthusiastic following.

In addition to the 'Special Issues', the SAC also examine and monitor the definitive issues when any changes are proposed.

Back in 1967 when the Machin stamps appeared, six or seven designers had been invited to submit their ideas for this new series two years earlier.  The SAC played a crucial role in the final selection of the design by the late Arnold Machin.

Andrew Restall was one of the unsuccessful designers in this instance, and the early preliminary line drawings would not have been seen by the SAC, but it is not clear if the engraved 4d value  was formally submitted.  It is a remarkable design nevertheless. 

The block of 4d sepia was a final essay submitted to the SAC, but ultimately a better balance was seen to be achieved with the value tablet moved to the left, as it appeared in the issued stamp in 1967.  The 1/6d item was part of early colour trials

Copies of these definitive items will be shown during the talk on the Royal Mail's Stamp Advisory Committee, but the originals are on display in the Tony Walker's competitive exhibit.