What led you to concentrate on collecting Machins? Why are they so special?

I lost a collection of stamps at sea during the war. It was basically a schoolboy collection added to by items picked up on my voyages from December 1941 until the incident that happened in September 1942.

In the late 1950s I had a chance meeting with a collector of modern GB stamps. He suggested that I take up the hobby again as an indoor pursuit to complement my range of outdoor activities. It was also affordable as the material could be purchased across post office counters at a reasonable cost.  

Initially I collected the special stamps as well as definitives [the standard variety], including first day covers, presentation packs and post office postcards. I later decided to concentrate on definitives, which by then had become Machins, including those of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. 

The special interest they hold for me is that they encapsulate the modern postal history of Great Britain, which has gone through significant changes over the years. An in-depth collection of Machins includes many differences: printers, print processes, papers, lettering, backgrounds, colours – and, of course, values, as postal rates have changed. Read more about collecting Machins here.

I do not invest in stamp errors, which attract investors and can be very expensive. However I do like to have at least one example of each type for illustration purposes.

How many hours per week do you spend collecting?

To keep up with developments requires continuous monitoring, visits to post offices, reading about new issues, and where possible talking to people who either share the interest or are involved in design and production.

Keeping up with the hobby requires at least seven hours a week, plus one day a week doing voluntary work (on the Machins) at the British Postal Museum and Archive.

What's the most rare item in your collection?

Probably a unique whole sheet of a very short run of four-and-a-half pence Machins. The cylinder was replaced by a new one because of the quality of the stamp reproduction. The stamps were never intended to be released, but a small quantity got out.

What item would you most like to acquire?

Another short run item, which is a plate block of the £1 large-size Machins, recess printed in 1970 from Plate 2. Plate 3 is not rare but Plate 2 is like the proverbial hen's teeth!  

Do you think Machin stamps are an icon of England - and if so, why?

Yes, because they are English in origin and contain an image of the Queen that has stood the test of time. The design seems to be as fresh today as it was when it was first issued. Ideas of replacing the Machin have been considered but rejected, probably because it cannot be improved on.  

It has been successfully printed in just about every colour you can think of, from black to gold. It is the visible face of the postal service and as such reaches most, if not all, homes during the course of the year. There are no signs of it being replaced in the foreseeable future, and I will not be surprised if it continues to be in use for as long as the Queen remains on the throne.

The collecting of Machins can be very complex, but can be simplified for the non-specialist. It is not a variety of pretty pictures, but the story of its development and progress throughout what will soon be 40 years is one of fascination and interest to both design and technically minded people.