This is a list of all the major variations of the Machin series of

postage stamp A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...

s in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The complete list of all variations is vast and outside the scope of this encyclopedia. Note: the colours and the colour descriptions are to be used to give an idea only, as each catalogue and website will name the colours differently.

Pre-decimal issues

The first Machins were issued in 1967 and were in use until the UK changed to a decimal currency in 1971. These Machins came in two sizes, with the four higher value stamps being the largest.

Small size ()

Large Size

Decimal issues

The decimal Machins have been issued throughout Britain's period of decimalisation, and continue to be produced today. During the 1970s and 1980s, the

Royal Mail , kw, Postya Riel, ga, An Post Ríoga , logo = Royal Mail.svg , logo_size = 250px , type = Public limited company , traded_as = , foundation = , founder = Henry VIII , location = London, England, UK , key_people = * Keith Williams ...

issued 12 Machins in a larger format. Other major variations include: :''Elliptical Perforation'': In 1993 the Royal Mail started issuing Machins with two large elliptical

perforations A perforation is a small hole in a thin material or web. There is usually more than one perforation in an organized fashion, where all of the holes collectively are called a ''perforation''. The process of creating perforations is called perfor ...

, one on either side, as a security feature. Some Machins have ''both'' standard and elliptical perfs, but those issued after 1993 only have the ellipticals. :''EME Images'': In 1997 a new profile of the Queen was used on Machins. EME (or Electro-Mechanically Engraved) images are created by computer and therefore offer better detail in the image. :''Regional Issues'': These Machins were issued with a heraldic symbol in the top left hand corner. These represent the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

with the Three Legs of Man symbol;

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

with the

Red Hand of Ulster The Red Hand of Ulster ( gle, Lámh Dhearg Uladh), also known as the Red Hand Uí Néill, is a symbol used in heraldry to denote the Irish province of Ulster and the Northern Uí Néill in particular. However, it has also been used by other Ir ...

symbol;

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

with the Lion of Scotland symbol and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

with the

Welsh Dragon The Welsh Dragon ( cy, y Ddraig Goch, meaning 'the red dragon'; ) is a heraldic symbol that represents Wales and appears on the national flag of Wales. As an emblem, the red dragon of Wales has been used since the reign of Cadwaladr, King of ...

symbol.

Small size ()

Large size ()

NVI (non-value indicator) issues

NVI (or non-value indicator) Machins first appeared in 1989 in an attempt to negate the need to keep issuing new stamps after each postal rate change. They are marked ''1st'' and ''2nd'' for the two classes of post in the

. The ''E'' NVI stamp represented the standard letter rate to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Small size ()

Horizontal issues

Large size ()

Penny Black anniversary issues

In 1990, the

issued 5 stamps to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the

Penny Black The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was first issued in the United Kingdom (referred to in philatelic circles as Great Britain), on 1 May 1840, but was not valid for use until 6 May. ...

. They featured the machin image of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

overlaying the image of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

from the Penny Black. An NVI issue was released in 2000.

Small size ()

Airmail issues

Small size ()

Self-adhesive stamps

Since about 2009, virtually all Machins have been issued only as self-adhesive stamps. The primary exceptions have been stamps issued as part of Prestige Stamp Booklets or in souvenir sheets.

Barcoded series (2021–present)

Machin stamps with

Data Matrix A Data Matrix is a two-dimensional code consisting of black and white "cells" or dots arranged in either a square or rectangular pattern, also known as a matrix. The information to be encoded can be text or numeric data. Usual data size is fro ...

barcode A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, machine-readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths, spacings and sizes of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly referred to as linear or o ...

s were introduced in two stages, on 1 February 2022 (non-value indicators), and 4 April 2022 (other values). All barcoded stamps are self-adhesive. Existing definitive stamps issued from 15 February 1971 to 31 January 2022 remain valid until 31 January 2023: since 31 March 2022, they can be indefinitely exchanged for the barcoded series.

Pre-decimal issues

Small size ()

Large Size

Decimal issues

Small size ()

Large size ()

NVI (non-value indicator) issues

Small size ()

Horizontal issues

Large size ()

Penny Black anniversary issues

Small size ()

Airmail issues

Small size ()

Self-adhesive stamps

Barcoded series (2021–present)

2021 barcoded trial

2022 barcoded issues

Notes

Footnotes