Anping
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Posts: 533 
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 25, 2017 1:02:14 GMT
In the mid to late 1980's the company Bradbury started to produce a range of first day covers entitled Victorian Prints. These were high quality envelopes, using a different Victorian era print as the main illustration for forthcoming commemorative Royal Mail stamp issues. I am not sure if Bradbury just produced the actual blanks, or they serviced some as well, but certainly other dealers obtained the blanks and arranged for special postmarks to be applied. To me, this was a welcome relief to the 'ten a penny' Royal Mail, bland generic FDC envelopes, with bland generic First Day postmarks from a completely unconnected postal bureau. Although the concept of using a postmark with an appropriate connection to the stamp issue's subject was not new, Bradbury elevated the design of first day covers to a new height. I came late onto the scene, as my first Victorian Print cover was issue number 41. The production of these continued into the 90's, after which I folded my hand. Again, the frequency of new stamp issues was just a drain on my pocket. The price of these varied depending on the treatment the buyer wanted. Some could be serviced with a connected special postmark, while others could be sent off to a particular post office that was associated with the issue. The latter would be serviced in limited edition numbers and registered. The editions that were limited in number ranged (using my examples) from 20 to 400. The fact that the Victorian Print range were sequentially numbered was a cute move on Bradbury's part. How better to entice the public into a 'standing order' arrangement. We all know that collectors of any material do not like gaps. So this must have been a great money spinner for them. Regardless of the commercial aspect of producing these, it is perhaps more healthy just to appreciate the quality and (to a degree) exclusivity of these covers. The first one shown here; No 45, is one from 1990. This commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Penny Post, which seems like an appropriate subject to start off with. Royal Mail issued special Machins for the occasion, which depicted profiles of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II : |
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Anping
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 25, 2017 14:05:14 GMT
Again from 1990, various gallantry awards were featured in this Royal Mail set. The George Cross for example, was the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom and other member states of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is the highest gallantry award for civilians of any rank or profession, and is primarily intended to be a civil award. The Victoria Cross is the highest award of the United Kingdom honours system. It is awarded for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" to members of the British armed forces. It may be awarded posthumously. It was previously awarded to Commonwealth countries, most of which have established their own honours systems and no longer recommend British honours. It may be awarded to a person of any military rank in any service and to civilians under military command although no civilian has received the award since 1879. Since the first awards were presented by Queen Victoria in 1857, two thirds of all awards have been personally presented by the British monarch. These investitures are usually held at Buckingham Palace. The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War. Since then, the medal has been awarded 1,358 times to 1,355 individual recipients. When these do come onto the market, they can achieve very high prices. I believe the record price paid was £400,000. This Victorian Print No 53: Gallantry example, was an edition of 100 but was not registered. Please excuse my squiffy scanning: |
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Anping
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 26, 2017 23:26:35 GMT
This is Victorian Prints No 52: Queen Mother's 90th Birthday, from 1990. A limited edition of 30 covers were sent to the village of Glamis in Angus, Scotland to obtain the most relevant postmark for the event. Glamis was the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, wife of King George VI. Their second daughter, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, was born there. Glamis Castle has been the home of the Lyon family since the 14th century, though the present building dates largely from the 17th century. The Queen Mother was formerly Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon. |
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Anping
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 27, 2017 11:15:48 GMT
Thomas Hardy, authored books such as Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891), and Jude the Obscure (1895). Many of his novels concern tragic characters struggling against their passions and social circumstances, and they are often set in the semi-fictional region of Wessex. This Victorian Prints No 51: Thomas Hardy, commemorates the 150th anniversary of his birth. Again the most relevant post office was selected for the postmark and registration: The reverse shows the small edition number of this type of cover, plus the additional registration fee: |
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Ryan
Member 
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,721
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on May 27, 2017 11:52:12 GMT
These tiny issue quantities fascinate me - it would seem that when only 20 were ever made there would have been a great clamour to get in line to buy one, with huge waiting lists for a place in the subscription queue. So I had a look at eBay and found a bunch of these covers available for under £10!! Any idea why these prices are so low? What did it cost to buy them when they were issued? I know today you'd expect any postal authority to be grabbing every dollar possible for something they issued for collectors in an edition of 20.
Ryan
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Anping
Departed
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 27, 2017 14:08:55 GMT
Those prices don't really surprise me. This perhaps illustrates that modern GB FDC's have become so undesirable. Royal Mail have effectively sealed the fate of collecting these, by their relentless new issue policy. They are now just a new issue factory; just look on their website. Aside from issuing maybe eight plus new 'special issues' per year, there's all the associated paraphernalia; mini sheets, booklet panes etc. One recent issue (it may have been Doctor Who, or Star Wars) comprised 27 different collectibles, including would you believe; a solid silver stamp box.
Whilst one would think that the limited edition FDC's shown would be more desirable, just imagine what prices the ordinary FDC's now command. A few months ago, a dealer at a local fair had 4 huge boxes of better modern GB FDC's. Now admittedly a lot were addressed, but he had most priced between 50p and £1.
I feel sorry for the ordinary collector of GB FDC's who relentlessly bought ordinary covers by standing order. I have seen the shock on their faces when they have brought them in to sell at fairs when the dealers don't even want to offer any money for them. Most dealers regard these as just an awkward bulk of philatelic phodder, that sit around for ever.
Of course the specialised FDC catalogues have also sealed their fate. Unless collectors pursue the much scarcer and earlier 'very limited' edition covers as described in these publications, they are effectively flushing money down the pan.
I myself got suckered into buying Machin FDC's around the same time, when I hadn't yet come up with a collecting strategy. Thankfully I stopped buying this dross within a year or so. I still have a box of this tedious material, which I don't know what to do with.
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,721
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on May 27, 2017 14:28:21 GMT
I'm a general worldwide collector but I don't collect FDCs. I do, however, get great joy out of finding FDC cutouts, as they invariably contain large amounts of stuff that I will never see otherwise in the mounds of kiloware I like to play with. I had a source for a few years here in Canada of kiloware made up largely of FDC cutouts and I was always thrilled with the goodies within. As I would be with Machin panes found in FDC cutout kiloware! ha ha
Ryan
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Anping
Departed
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Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 29, 2017 11:17:19 GMT
Here's a 1994 Victorian Print No 86: D-Day Landings. I'm not sure this cover really worked that well. To me, the images do not complement each other, in that an an issue commemorating D-Day using stark photographs, does not fit well with a 'Victorian Print'. This cover did not receive any additional post office handling: |
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Anping
Departed
Rest in Peace
Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 30, 2017 1:05:36 GMT
I've just found a different version of a D-Day landings FDC. Now this is the standard Royal Mail version, which I prefer. It just seems better balanced and more appropriate to me (apart from the poor alignment of the stamps). Perhaps Bradbury made it difficult for themselves trying to marry a wartime photographic study with a Victorian illustration. |
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Anping
Departed
Rest in Peace
Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on May 30, 2017 19:42:53 GMT
Here is one of my favourite of the series: Victorian Prints No 66 -Tennyson. Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular British poets. Born 1809 and died 1892, he had a home at Farringford House in the village of Freshwater, Isle of Wight.
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Anping
Departed
Rest in Peace
Posts: 533
What I collect: Hong Kong, Aden & States & odd stuff I like.
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Post by Anping on Jun 8, 2017 1:08:14 GMT
As a slight contrast to the previous Tennyson cover, here is one produced by Brian Reeve. One of a series of nine, Reeve managed to achieve a high standard both with his cover design and the commemorative postmarks. Brian Reeve had a dealership in Maiden Lane in London; a narrow street running behind Stanley Gibbons, where he had a large staff dedicated to servicing the huge quantity of incessant GB FDC's, for both commemorative and definitive issues: |
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Post by Bas S Warwick on Jun 8, 2017 8:59:34 GMT
...........very attractive covers......sadly the demand for FDCs seems to have dried up.....I can buy most countries at around 30c here in New Zealand
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator 
Posts: 5,654
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Jun 8, 2017 17:52:21 GMT
...........very attractive covers......sadly the demand for FDCs seems to have dried up.....I can buy most countries at around 30c here in New Zealand I agree with your observation on both counts, Bas. Not long ago, a family friend gave me a whole box full of FDCs (a couple hundred or so) purchased at a yard sale for just a few dollars. Also, Ryan posted on another thread about being able to get FDC cut-outs as part of kiloware purchases. It makes me wonder if I should preserve the ones I have received or just cut them up.... |
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