Buckingham's Royal Flying Corp Cover Enigma

Earlier we had alerted to a change in sheet design adopted for the Buckingham Covers Royal Flying Corps stamp sheet issued recently.  Here is the pre-issued artwork and the as-issued image.

 

         

I recently received a letter from Buckingham Covers asking me to return the Commemorative Cover issued by them for this issue as they had inadvertently failed to add a King George V 2d stamp and cachet that had been included in the pre-issue artwork for this cover.  

       

As I was preparing to return it as requested I noticed a strange thing. The Smilers and stamp and label affixed to the cover was not a Smilers stamp as advertised but a privately produced label affixed alongside a Union Flag stamp to look like a Smilers stamp/label.  To say I was surprised would be an understatement. 

So I wrote to Tony Buckingham and asked him how why they had changed the stamp design, why they had chosen to use a privately produced label in lieu of a Smilers stamp and label and whether they had ever done anything similar before,  because the cover is still being advertised as follows:

Our cover commemorates the centenary of the formation of The Royal Flying Corps. It features a stamp and label from our sheet and is postmarked on 13th May 2012. It also features a two pence stamp and cachet.

I received a reply from one of Tony's employee's as follows:

I've been forwarded your email and have looked into the matter for you. I'm afraid the sheets themselves were delayed and didn't arrive in time for us to be able to use the stamps from them on our covers. As this was the case, all of the covers were stuck with the Union Jack stamp and reproduced label as unfortunately we didn't have another option.
I hope that answers your question and apologies that you have been disappointed on this occasion.

Whilst Buckingham have side-stepped the questions of why the change in stamp design and whether this has ever happened before (I am still pursuing these so hopefully I can update you on their response later this month), I can not accept that this was a credible response to this problem. They completely ignored the personalised Smilers service which for the price of five personalised stamp sheets would have netted them 100 stamps/labels for their cover production run. 

What do you think?  

Personally I was quite shocked that a reputable company such as Buckingham Covers could take such actions without telling their customers and their response left a number of questions unanswered.  But perhaps it is just me feeling somewhat "sold short" on this cover (I have since returned it for a full refund). I would like to hear what you think so I have posted this article on the Smilers Blog and encourage you to have your say so that appropriate feedback can be given directly to Smilers cover producers in general. If we do not reject such practices the next step will be home produced Smilers labels and stamps!!. 

For Your Eyes Only - New Commemorative Sheet from Royal Mail

Whilst no official details of this sheet have been released we spotted a competition run by Royal Mail  inviting the public to choose the label designs for a new Commemorative Stamp Sheet, to be issued c. 1st May 2012 celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the James Bond movies. 

A selection of bond posters are illustrated and the public are requested to choose their 10 most favoured designs (we thought the above most appropriate!?) to appear on labels to be printed adjacent to the Union Flag Smilers stamp, in what looks to be a complete rip-off of the idea that George Kriesler used for a clutch of overprinted themed sheets featuring the very same movie posters.  

Is there anyone left at Royal Mail with a creative spark that can come up with an original idea that will keep us coming back for more? I just despair at the current creative team and at their apparent ignorance of their own stated policies.

When these commemorative sheets first appeared in 2008 we were told that they would be used to commemorate significant anniversaries of national importance that did not quite make it into the stamp issuing programme. Last year we saw this format used to promote the Olympic Games - not an anniversary but at least a significant event of national interest.  Now we hear that will use this format be used to promote the 50th anniversary of the first James Bond film - hardly a significant anniversary and certainly not of national interest!

Royal Mail would be well advised to look at the pubic have turned against the Bankers in their masses who are now seen as crooks, rip-off merchants and generally  not nice fellows more interested in their fat bonuses than providing a valued service to the public who they say they serve.

Does this strike a cord? Have your say here at the Keep Smiling Blog spot!  

Plumbing New Depths

Having covered just about every railway line and steam engine imaginable during the past 10 years of Smilers, I was looking forward to a period of returning sanity as the various sheet producers refocused their attention on more meaningful subjects for future Smilers sheets.   You can therefore perhaps understand my reaction when the I learned that the next Benham sheet due in November will feature, wait for it, British Railway Tunnels, apparently the first in another long line of anarchical Smilers sheets!!



I suppose we should be thankful for small mercies in that the theme is limited to the British Isles - a series on European Tunnels could have kept their order books full until Spring 2020 at least - or am I being a tad cynical here? No, I don't think so! Why on earth does the 125th Anniversary of the Seven Tunnel warrant a souvenir Smilers sheet? But no doubt we will all buy one just to add to our growing room full of Smilers sheets. I started this website to encourage this branch of philately but this has much to do with philately as stale British Railways ham and cheese sandwich. Hang on, you have got me thinking now ....

 

What next? Why not have your say. Can you be as creative as a Smilers Sheet producer? I have added a Smilers blog entry so that you can have your say. Here's a few ideas to get you going. (24/10) 

• British Railway Stations
• British Railway Lavatories
• British Railway Cafe's
• British Railway Car Parks
• British Railway Uniforms

Gulliver's Travels

Last month I mentioned that Adrian Bradbury was considering a new direction for his Business Customised Stamp Sheets and at the time he very kindly provided me with a sneak preview of the future.  At STAMPEX Adrian gave me his permission to share this image with readers of this web site and we are delighted to be able to share this potential new sheet with you. We think its great but it would be great if you would take a minute and let us and Adrian know what you think. To this end I have set up a blog entry over at the Keep Smiling Blog to enable you to have your say.

Please let Adrian know what you think and help shape the future of our hobby. (09/03)

....and now for something completely different!!

I note, with some disappointment, that Benham have continued to pursue the thematic Royalty and Railway subjects represented by their their latest two sheets. Given the vast possibilities available to sheet designers it never ceases to amaze at the sheer lack of imagination and originality that goes into the production of some sheets on the market.


There can be no doubt that popular thematic themes help broaden the appeal of these customised sheets so the subjects may, in part, be selected with one eye on profit. Nothing wrong with this. However, once in a while someone produces something fresh and imaginative and it stands out from the crowd. Planet Prints are distinctive in this area and are to be commended for their diverse range of sports and pastimes represented in their sheets.

Given this background I thought it was time to engage the Smilers collecting community in a debate on the direction of the hobby - content, frequency of issues, print runs, etc., etc., by way of feedback for to sheet producers such as ourselves.

Here's some statistics to think about. In 2008 64 new sheets were produced, this increased to 76 sheets in 2009 and dropped back to 61 sheets in 2010. At around 60 sheets a year this represents five new sheets a month - more than one a week at a minimum cost of around c. £150 per month. Is this sustainable?

To get you going here's just a few prompters...

- What are your ideas for new sheets for 2011/12?

- What do you want more of?

- What do you want less of?

- What is a sustainable annual production of of new sheets - 50, 60, 70 or something much smaller?

It's time to have your say!

Bletchley Park Cricketing Sheets - Rained off!

At the end of September 2010 Bletchley Park Post Office contacted its customers advising them 

" ..... a  decision has now finally been made to cancel the issue of these two (cricketing) sheets." 

Customers were advised to contact Terry Mitchell (terry@ltmp.co.uk) who would be able to give a more detailed explanation, if required. At least one customer was offered alternative personalised sheets produced at Autumn Stampex in lieu of a full refund (in this case in excess of £100 ) against funds paid out by him as far back as July 2009.  Shortly before this announcement we received feedback from another keen collector who wrote to us and said...

 "I am not too impressed with BPPO - they announce sheets, collect the money and then more than a year goes by and the sheets have not yet appeared! They have been holding on to my £100 all this time!". 

We are interested to hear from other collectors concerning their experience - are you experiencing similar delays in obtaining a refund from Bletchley Park Post Office or was this just an isolated case?  In any event here is your opportunity to have your say. 

The Future of Smilers - Your Feedback for Royal Mail and Business Sheet Producers

A new sheet from Benham Covers has been announced celebrating the 175th Anniversary of Great Western Railway. Surprisingly, at least for me, the number of sheets printed was 1000. The appeal of these sheets must be based on thematic interest and may explain why Benham and others continue to focus on trains, boats and planes.

This sheet bucks the trend of lower production runs of c. 300-500 sheets, seen in recent months. I am not surprised by this trend as interest in the sheets seems to be down as producers ignore the basic rules of supply and demand - producing more and more sheets does not necessarily mean people will buy more and more. It is a well known principle of consumer marketing that people tend to become more selective when given more choice. In my view we are perhaps seeing a re-positioning of the Smilers sheet market from one with broad appeal to one where collectors are selective about what they collect. As a result, the hardened Smilers sheet collectors will loose interest and probably focus on other less expensive areas of collecting (perhaps commemorative machine labels - whatever next!) and as a consequence demand for these products will continue to decline effectively killing off the goose that laid the golden egg.
 
Sheet producers take note - be more creative and innovative with your products - if you want your business to survive. Planes, boats and trains are no doubt interesting if you like that sort of thing but what about the rest of us? Bradbury has focused on the History of Britain but will one day run out of kings and queens and although very well designed the sheets are very "samey". The brightest star on the horizon this year for me was Phil Stamps but Steve has just announced he is shutting up shop at the end of the year so we will be deprived of a potentially interesting source of these sheets. I am not advocating radical change just a modicum of creativity to match the producers desire for profit. What about a circular label design, a horizontal format self adhesive business sheet, some sporting events covered - the possibilities are endless unlike the mindless pursuit of thematic and historical topics.