GREAT BRITAIN - Stanley Gibbons Great Britain Specialised Vol 4 Pt 2 - QEII Decimal Definitive Issues 2010

Published by Stanley Gibbons. 222pp. Black and white. English

Inc self-adhesives, NVI stamps, non-Machin definitives, regionals, Greetings stamps, postage labels, postage dues, booklet panes, booklets, presentation packs, PHQ cards, FDCs

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Philatelic Exporter review, courtesy of David Rennie (October 2010):

This long awaited volume deals with the Machin Non Value Indicator issues, including the self-adhesives, the Decimal Castles high values and the £10 Britannia, Greetings stamps, the Wilding Portrait Decimal values, plus all the Decimal Regional issues; both Machin and Pictorial designs, value and NVI types, Postage Labels and Fast Stamps, and finally Postage Due labels.

Careful reading of the Preface and Introductory Notes to each Section is essential to understanding the order within the catalogue, and how the various sections are formatted.;

Since the publication of Part 1 the decision was taken to re-style this volume in the larger format, and to use more colour tables and background to assist the collector in using what is an extremely complex subject.; The move to generate more convenience sales using booklets via non-Post Office outlets has seen the proliferation of these items, both in single value, multi-value and Definitive/Pictorial combined format panes.; All the panes are illustrated, but regretfully not in colour, nor are any of the other illustrations, which whilst making the catalogue much easier to use, would probably have meant a prohibitive cover price, especially in the case-bound format.

To the publishers credit, the stamps with "U" shaped slits are already listed for the different printers, and some guidance given to the decoding of the apparently misspelt iridescent ink "Royal Mail" overprints enabling the original printer and product from which a stamp has come to be identified.; Watch this space!!

Although there is the obvious disparity between the volume 1 paperback and the volume 2 in ;hardcover, they are available as a set at the special price of £65.

Those collectors wishing to keep up to date with these issues are recommended to read John Deering's "Machin Watch" regular column in Gibbons Stamp Monthly.