What are Machin booklets like these days?

Hello,

One of my two focuses in my Machins collection is Machin booklets --
specifically, folded machine booklets and folded counter booklets. I am
filling in my collection, aiming for complete coverage of books, at least
books under cat GBP100 each (this excludes some dramatic errors), and it
is nice to have a "closed" topic to collect. As far as I understand,
both of these series have been discontinued, and replaced by the "window"
booklets. I have never collected Christmas, etc. booklets.

I have several catalogues, such as the MCC Queen Elizabeth II Specialised
Definitives Catalogue (I *highly* recommend!) and, of course, Deegam, but
I'm having trouble finding information on booklets after about the year
2000.

Are Machin booklets still being produced? Are they PSA or moisture-
activated? Are they in pictorial wraps, or *anything* nicer than the red
and yellow? With what frequency do the booklets materially change? Can
someone point me to a list of images, or descriptions, or any such
things, for, say, the past five years?

I know Machins are probably tedious to most UK readers, but I'm
captivated by them, and if there is something other than the garish red-
and-yellow "window" booklets of a decade ago to collect, I want to be on
someone's service and start collecting the new issues again. I wish the
Queen all the best in terms of longevity, but it may well be that the
entirety of Machin collecting is a "closed" field soon (it would be
startling if she reigned for another twenty years, for instance) so I
don't want to dawdle too long.

I am your student. What do you have for me?

--
Joshua McGee ‹(•¿•)›
APS, ATA, ISWSC, AFDCS, MBPC, MCC, BPS
Pasadena, California, USA
http://www.mcgees.org/stamp-offers/

"Joshua McGee" wrote in message
...
Hello,

One of my two focuses in my Machins collection is Machin booklets --
specifically, folded machine booklets and folded counter booklets.
I am
filling in my collection, aiming for complete coverage of books, at
least
books under cat GBP100 each (this excludes some dramatic errors),
and it
is nice to have a "closed" topic to collect. As far as I
understand,
both of these series have been discontinued, and replaced by the
"window"
booklets. I have never collected Christmas, etc. booklets.

I have several catalogues, such as the MCC Queen Elizabeth II
Specialised
Definitives Catalogue (I *highly* recommend!) and, of course,
Deegam, but
I'm having trouble finding information on booklets after about the
year
2000.

Are Machin booklets still being produced? Are they PSA or moisture-
activated? Are they in pictorial wraps, or *anything* nicer than
the red
and yellow? With what frequency do the booklets materially change?
Can
someone point me to a list of images, or descriptions, or any such
things, for, say, the past five years?

I know Machins are probably tedious to most UK readers, but I'm
captivated by them, and if there is something other than the garish
red-
and-yellow "window" booklets of a decade ago to collect, I want to
be on
someone's service and start collecting the new issues again. I wish
the
Queen all the best in terms of longevity, but it may well be that
the
entirety of Machin collecting is a "closed" field soon (it would be
startling if she reigned for another twenty years, for instance) so
I
don't want to dawdle too long.

I am your student. What do you have for me?

--
Joshua McGee ‹(•¿•)›
APS, ATA, ISWSC, AFDCS, MBPC, MCC, BPS
Pasadena, California, USA
http://www.mcgees.org/stamp-offers/


You will find all you need at:

http://mbp-circle.co.uk/mbp-circle/index.htm

Membership dues (for access to the protected part of the site) are
very modest indeed. They also hold a member's auction every 2 months.

Douglas
(Deegam)

On Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:55:09 +0100, Douglas Myall wrote:

"Joshua McGee" wrote in message
...
Hello,

One of my two focuses in my Machins collection is Machin booklets --
I am your student. What do you have for me?

You will find all you need at:

http://mbp-circle.co.uk/mbp-circle/index.htm

Membership dues (for access to the protected part of the site) are very
modest indeed. They also hold a member's auction every 2 months.

Douglas
(Deegam)

Hello Mr. Myall,

Yes, I know fully well who you are. :-)

I am of course a member of the MBPC, and have seen these listings, but is
the absence of evidence of anything besides the tedious SA series (as far
as I can tell) evidence of its absence? That would be exceedingly
unfortunate. SA5(11) is somewhat nice, and I would not loathe having it
in my collection, but are self-adhesives in bland wraps the only booklets
available recently? What has happened to Pond Life, Rare Farm Animals,
Postal History, Veteran Cars, and the other myriad of wonderful topics
that were once addressed by Machin booklets?

If the SA series is all I have from which to choose, I regret I no longer
have interest in new Machin booklet issues.

--
Joshua McGee ‹(•¿•)›
APS, ATA, ISWSC, AFDCS, MBPC, MCC, BPS
Pasadena, California, USA
http://www.mcgees.org/stamp-offers/

On Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:29:26 +0000, Joshua McGee wrote:
You will find all you need at:

http://mbp-circle.co.uk/mbp-circle/index.htm

I am of course a member of the MBPC, and have seen these listings, but
is the absence of evidence of anything besides the tedious SA series (as
far as I can tell) evidence of its absence? That would be exceedingly
unfortunate.

If the SA series is all I have from which to choose, I regret I no
longer have interest in new Machin booklet issues.

I have been asked, by the President of the MBPC (Modern British Postal
Circle), to clarify my remarks.

My question, as I hope my truncated text above demonstrates, was that I
was aware the SA (self-adhesive) series existed, but unaware whether any
series with panes of gummed stamps are being produced.

I knew that the MBPC listed (and listed well!) Machin booklets in the
members' section of the MBPC website. What I didn't know was that the
list is claimed to be exhaustive -- that was specifically what I was
asking with the "absence of evidence vs. evidence of absence" question.

The MBPC claims their listings are complete. I have no reason to doubt
them, and, of course, they would not leave out a whole series of decimal
Machin books, were they to exist.

Sorry for the confusion. I highly recommend MBPC membership -- it has
served me quite well, and is very reasonable.

So, to sum up my question: "All I see released since 2000 are SA window
booklets. Am I missing some in a series somewhere, or is this all that
has been available from Royal Mail?"

--
Joshua McGee ‹(•¿•)›
APS, ATA, ISWSC, AFDCS, MBPC, MCC, BPS
Pasadena, California, USA
http://www.mcgees.org/stamp-offers/