tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8996059393005999296.post8144626732366533437..comments2019-10-07T01:06:02.608-07:00Comments on Keep Smiling Blog: Do Smilers have a future?smilers-info.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12552690478001858584noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8996059393005999296.post-89915335171694961272015-09-12T11:07:25.905-07:002015-09-12T11:07:25.905-07:00...... part 2 .....
Graham noted the surprising ......... part 2 .....<br /> <br />Graham noted the surprising lack of interest in the TS/personalised sheets. Clearly the artwork on a BC sheet looks much more professional than a TS sheet. I can understand why TS sheets might be looked on as the poor relation but I agree with Graham. For some time, I have felt that one way interest in smilers can be maintained/enhanced is through the TS sheets. More specifically by using the labels on the sheets to print images of highly collectible events and anniversaries. I have tried with very modest success to persuade companies and organisations to allow me to use logos and corporate images on personalised sheets. Say an anniversary logo. Or some image that is associated with a notable current event. I guess it is hardly surprising that most organisations are very reluctant to release their precious copyrighted material to someone who wants to use it on something they’ve never heard of (no matter how many times I cite Royal Mail’s role in the production). But imagine if one could get permission to use the Ladybird books centenary logo (a flat ‘no’); or the Rolling Stones 50th anniversary tour logo on a TS sheet (never heard back); or a still from the upcoming Star Wars film (just no point asking). OK, maybe the Rolling Stones was and Star Wars is a bit fanciful but that sort of thing would in <br />time be quite a draw given their broad collectability. Maybe there are one or more collectors who might be in a position to expedite such sheets more capably than me at a reasonable cost.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07898714059847752138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8996059393005999296.post-2111603296477021712015-09-12T11:06:49.665-07:002015-09-12T11:06:49.665-07:00It is almost the 10th anniversary of the sheets th...It is almost the 10th anniversary of the sheets that really sparked the whole genre – the London Boat Show sheets in January 2006 – and when I look at how much I’ve spent since ….. gulp! So I completely understand Jon’s concerns. Graham’s response is lucid and well thought out as always.<br /> <br />For all Ian’s sterling and excellent work on the norphil website, I don’t think he has ever “got” the smilers genre. If smilers sheets are merely colourful posters, then what are FDCs if not just glamorous envelopes. And as for ‘Post & Go’ stamps and the multitude of overprints and errors … arguably horrendous !! But rather they are all legitimate arms of philately which attract collectors striving for something unusual and different. <br /> <br />I feel that the smilers market will be best served by a steady number of new BC sheets being issued (but not railway station platforms or rail signalling equipment !!). Yes, the “3 Bs” (Benham, Buckingham, Bradbury) have not necessarily helped the market over the years given the number of sheets they have produced but they are capable of producing some excellent sheets; and of course they are currently the most capable people to promoting the sheets as a collector’s product. Westminster do the market no favours by their erratically available sheets (more so if wasted by being stuck on card). The Racing Post and Art Russe sheets show the potential of the BC product (especially at the reasonable price Unicorn/Graham are selling the Art Russe for). I also think the new Royal Mail Dangermouse sheet is great. It’s different, the artwork is striking and at £20, a good price. It is just what is needed to keep the product in the wider philatelic world’s eye. Similarly the RM’s commemorative sheets are at least an entry point for people to discover the smilers market. <br /> <br />Talking of RM and the question “what can be done to broaden the customer base”, once upon a time, the Philatelic Bulletin used to publish a list of BC sheets. Perhaps the volume of BC deterred the PB editors from continuing with such articles. But if RM do want the smilers product to continue, such lists were great publicity. I wonder if they could be persuaded to resurrect such listings.The narrow customer base is a problem at the moment. I hope that as the economy recovers, in time collectors (new or lapsed) will come in to the smilers market. <br /> <br />But I do agree that the cost of accumulating even a half decent collection must seem daunting. Current collectors will probably need to grit their teeth as the ‘second hand’ ebay market will have quite low prices for some time. But maybe if this encourages some new collectors then perhaps in the long run it may widen the base.<br />But what I would say is that it is absolutely vital that the current cataloguing by Graham continues so that when new collectors do appear, they can access a comprehensive list of what is available. Having an up-to-date catalogue will be a draw in itself. And that also probably goes for the smilers-info website. It is an important window on to the market and lends it priceless credibility. So I wholeheartedly agree with Jon that some sort of succession to Graham is in place. Or simply to share the load now. And with Graham about his comments to explore other means of distributing a catalogue.<br /><br />.......<br /> <br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07898714059847752138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8996059393005999296.post-81222949649535261522015-08-10T12:36:40.641-07:002015-08-10T12:36:40.641-07:00Andrew, what do you mean. Any comments posted her...Andrew, what do you mean. Any comments posted here are not edited by me!<br />smilers-info.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12552690478001858584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8996059393005999296.post-19162096727069604202015-07-30T11:57:05.766-07:002015-07-30T11:57:05.766-07:00A pity that comments are not published in full.A pity that comments are not published in full.PJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17883805455292884274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8996059393005999296.post-64479295224436563402015-07-29T04:30:12.615-07:002015-07-29T04:30:12.615-07:00..... perhaps it was the wrong strap line, and it........ perhaps it was the wrong strap line, and it is a reoccurring theme/concern expressed over the years. I am very much where you are in that I just enjoy collecting them! Not for the financial return or gain, buy the enjoyment it brings me. If I want to invest I think there are better options on the stock market - at least they pay dividends (well the majority perhaps...). I guess the real question is are you satisfied as to where this branch of collecting is today or is there more we should be doing to promote this particular area of collecting. I am a bit surprised that no one has sort to set up a collectors club for customised stamp sheets as I would have thought that such a club would have provided a focus for these issues and generated an information exchange between collectors. I suppose the real challenge is how do we keep on smiling? If interest drops any further we may not be smiling for much longer .... smilers-info.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12552690478001858584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8996059393005999296.post-79035521200404579832015-07-29T04:17:24.445-07:002015-07-29T04:17:24.445-07:00..... so is it your view that nothing can be done ........ so is it your view that nothing can be done to reverse this trend or do you think there are things we could collectively or individually do to <br />a) stimulate, b) promote c) grow interest in this branch of philately? If so <br /><br />1) How do we encourage new entrants to the business customised market place and ensure the continued supply of independent products other than Royal Mail issues from the likes of Benham, Buckingham and Bradbury recognising that some of them are not getting any younger? <br /><br />2) What can be done to broaden the customer base?<br /><br />3) Can we improve the capture current knowledge and ensure on-going support for the collecting community? smilers-info.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12552690478001858584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8996059393005999296.post-56504542582491964392015-07-28T15:18:29.641-07:002015-07-28T15:18:29.641-07:00The opening question to this blog is ‘Do Smilers h...The opening question to this blog is ‘Do Smilers have a future?’ Clearly this is open to debate but for starters it might be useful to look at some numbers. In the peak years 2008-2010 there were 202 ‘Business Customised’ sheets issued of which 137 (68%) were from the 3Bs (Bradbury, Buckingham, Benham) stables. Over the next 4 years (2011-2014) there were just 121 sheets issued, with 102 (84%) from the 3Bs. This tells us two things over that period– a 45% decrease in issues per year and an increase from 68% to 84% market share for the 3Bs, due mainly to the falling away of the 2nd rank of producers (Westminster, Bletchley Park Post Office, The Stamp Centre, Ridgewood and Planet Prints). Issues are now around 25 to 35 per year, so a decline yes, but maybe not terminal (unless of course RM decide to pull the plug on private producers).<br />There certainly remains a dedicated bunch of core collectors, but whether as many as 200 as suggested may be a bit optimistic. It is a bit unfair to suggest that everyone collects for investment – some of us actually enjoy collecting these sheets and whilst the cost/return is a factor to be considered, it is far from the only one. As collectors we probably all aim for ‘completeness’, but whatever we collect (GB, Commonwealth, Foreign, Thematic, Post & Go etc), how many of us ever get there? The enjoyment is surely as much in the process and the study aspects as much as the end point. <br />The future I would not presume to predict. Whilst it’s good to see some occasional new producers (eg Racing Post, C&S Covers, FEPA, Art Russe) these one-offs clearly won’t sustain the market. Ridgewood have stimulated and maintained a loyal interest and following with their website and catalogue, but clearly resources and time are limited. A push by Royal Mail into the corporate market as they did in the early days may return dividends, but realistically I don’t see that happening.<br />In the end it’s probably down to those who wish to collect and/or take a chance to produce a refreshing new sheet or two as to whether there remains a realistic possibility for this aspect of philately to continue. I for one hope it does. Keep Smiling!<br />Trelantishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04537566448394951396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8996059393005999296.post-18620319439193008122015-07-28T13:19:50.807-07:002015-07-28T13:19:50.807-07:00The market will always find its own level and what...The market will always find its own level and what to many seemed like a good investment has proven otherwise - we now see many Sheets (especially Business ones) selling at a fraction of even their original issue prices. Only a handful have increased even modestly in value and very few increased significantly.<br /><br />On balance I tend to agree with Ian's comments - the 'golden goose' has been over-cooked and Collectors have literally paid the price. BFDC, Benham and Buckingham have made huge profits and probably still have a fairly broad Collector base as many people still want to obtain each new issue but Planet Prints who only ever produced 100 Sheets have seemingly now ceased and 'Artizan' who produced many high quality 'Art' Series Sheets also ceased some years ago - the market has been historically flooded and for new Collectors to obtain full Collections is now just about impossible.<br /><br />I am aware of a number of serious Collectors who have ceased and are selling just about everything and cutting their losses. I only see prices declining further.PJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17883805455292884274noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8996059393005999296.post-9566459508816682752015-07-28T00:13:58.427-07:002015-07-28T00:13:58.427-07:00Graham, you raised similar concerns in April 2011....<i>Graham, you raised similar concerns in April 2011. At the time I wrote the following in <a href="http://blog.norphil.co.uk/2011/04/whos-smiling-now-business-smilers-take.html" rel="nofollow">my blog</a>, and may have put it on here as a comment as well. The situation has not improved, it has only worsened and my thoughts remain the same!</i><br /><br />"Business Customised Sheets were originally intended by Royal Mail to be created for businesses to customise their mail. They even promoted the use of customised coils, though none have ever been produced as far as we know. The first were produced for Eagle Coaches of Bristol in small numbers and under 10 are thought to be in collectors' hands. The next batch appeared for major football clubs, and the England Rugby squad, and soon stamp dealers realised that they could make money by producing 'collectibles' with images of Elvis, steam locomotives, Dr Who, and royalty - in which the stamp element was purely incidental. Some were produced with different perforations or by different printers, which was why they were initially of interest to collectors. But they were never going to be listed in stamp catalogues.<br /><br />"The stamp dealers, in conjunction with Royal Mail, were producing - in effect - <b>glossy colourful posters</b>, which happened to have 10 or 20 1st class stamps in them. Purely money-making, not even philatelic. Then Royal Mail took to selling some of these private productions through their Philatelic Bureau adding some sort of legitimacy to them, with the inevitable next step being that Royal Mail produced similar sheets under their own name at a much lower selling price but still over 3x face.<br /><br /><b>What was potentially a good idea for business advertising is probably the worst thing that has happened to British stamps in recent years.</b><br /><br /><i>My view now is that far from widening the output, Business Customised Sheets should be <b>dropped</b> from Royal Mail's portfolio of products. This would produce a finite end and might encourage new collectors of BCS and RMCS to buy what is already out there. At the prices they are, why would anybody start now, knowing that there are several years of (sometimes expensive) back issues to collect, and an unlimited future? To the philatelist, or even the stamp collector, there is nothing at all appealing about these posters which happen to have stamps in, save that they can be broken up and used for postage.<br /><br />If you want to add something interesting to your collection, <a href="http://machins-on-cover.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/more-modern-british-postal-history.html" rel="nofollow">modern postal history</a> is the answer, I think.</i>Ian - Norvichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16436130277706268046noreply@blogger.com