Just towards the end of July this year (2023) I thought it would be nice to see if I could use up as many of the old Machins (the definite Royal Mail stamps bearing just the late Queen’s head) as possible so set about sending as many as I could. Coupled with some lovely black envelopes kindly donated by Emily Ludgate I had a wonderful time sending out letters to people far and wide, and especially to those who might appreciate a bit of philatelic end-of-an-era history.

It was wonderful to see one of them get a special mention in Graham Beck’s Exploring Stamps recent video.

Click HERE to watch the episode. We feature at about 41 minutes in.

Dinah