Editor: Alastair Nixon, 7 Bramblegate, Edgcumbe Park, Crowthorne, Berks, RG45 6JA. Tel: +44 (0) 1344 775378
Email: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.nixon48.freeserve.co.uk
Meter of the Month
It is now two years since the take-over of Ascom Hasler by Neopost (see page 21-4) and,
since that time, no new Hasler machines have been produced – that is until now! The
highest number reached in the 300 series was previously HT33358T, the year suffix ‘T’
indicating the machine was produced in 2002.
My meter of the month clearly
shows HT38108 (dated 03.03.04)
with a year suffix ’Z’ - which is a
surprise to say the least!
This discovery begs the questions, “Are ex-Hasler machines still being produced?” and
“Why have year suffices, ‘U’, ‘V’, ‘W’, ‘X’ and ‘Y’ been omitted? Certainly, the number
38018 is consistent with a new machine following on from the previous series. It is possible
that this is a refurbished machine and effectively a one-off, rather than one coming out of a
standard production run.
Reports of any other ‘Z’ suffix numbers would be most welcome, together with any other
theories as to what is going on.
----Royal Mail’s new regulations on External Return addresses on metered mail came into
effect on 4th October, and a examples of the sender’s return address in the meter slogan
are now regularly seen. Some illustrations are shown on pages 3 and 4 of this issue.
Meanwhile, Peter Wood writes to say that he has noticed a large decline in the number of
franked envelopes and a large increase in the number of PPI’s obtained from the same
sources as previous months. Peter understands from the Philatelic press that this is going
to continue, together with fewer stamps ( the higher values) being issued by post offices and
more of the terrible sticky printed labels - the latter having no collectable value to many of
us. Peter asks whether other Meter News readers have noticed this decline in franked mail.
Acknowledgements
My thanks to David Aspinwall, Alan Godfrey, Ole Constantine, John Fowler, David Hardwick,
Peter Mantell, Robert Rowe, and Peter Wood for their reports / communications this month.
Meter News
Page 48-1 of 8
Oct 2004
Latest Numbers
Below is a list of ‘Latest Numbers’ as at 29th October 2004. Please could I have updates for
the next issue by 27th November, thanks.
Frama (UK)
EPSTSF251
Sensonic 2000
Mailspirit
Sensonic 2000?
FSC 225256
FSC 282800
FSC 701148
FSC 902463
08.10.04
10.08.04
07.09.04
09.09.04
[PM]
Static for 2 months
Francotyp-Postalia
EFS 2000/3000
Optimail
JetMail
JetMail
Mymail
Mymail
Ultimail 60
Ultimail 90
EFS 569363
T 569517
FJ0568154
FJ0709071
FM2111633
FM2500071
FU8000274
FU9000119
02.07.04
28.06.04
25.03.04
17.09.04
14.04.04
14.04.04
16.09.04
18.09.04
Static for 3 months
Static for 3 months
Static for 6 months
[PM] One-off / New series?
Static for 5 months
Static for 6 months
[AN]
[DH]
8NE 44164
N1138433
N1205925
N1312411
05.12.03
08.09.04
08.10.04
05.10.04
Static for 9 months
PBP83309
PB127798
PB140610
PB147549
PB263268
PB310612
PB324905
PB379512
PB442024
PB505028
PB758303
PB802946
PB980489
01.10.04
24.05.04
19.10.04
31.08.04
09.08.04
14.10.04
08.10.04
15.09.04
20.10.04
20.10.04
12.10.04
04.10.04
30.10.03
[PW]
Static for 5 months
[DH]
ST227200
ST424636
13.07.04
11.03.04
Static for 3 months
Neopost
8500, 8550/8750
IJ25
IJ65, 75
IJ35, 45
Pitney Bowes
Paragon
DP200?
DP400?
DP400?
Personal Post
DM 200?
DM 250?
DM 225, 300
Personal Post
DM 400 etc
Post Perfect
DM100?
B921
[DA]
[DH]
[DH] First for 6 months
[PM]
[PM]
[AN] Large jump
[PM]
[PM]
[AN]
Static for 9 months
SECAP
DP200
DP400
Thanks also to Robert Rowe for his report this month.
Meter News
Page 48-2 of 8
Oct 2004
External Address Slogans
Further to page 47-3, ‘External Address’ slogans have now started to appear. Illustrated below
is an example from Pitney Bowes – used on mail sent out to businesses.
The illustrations below show two pre-printed messages from the same envelope:
The illustrations below show Return Address examples done to the ‘Pitney Bowes’ standard, the
first example is courtesy of Peter Mantell.
Meter News
Page 48-3 of 8
Oct 2004
External Address Slogans continued . . . .
. . . and here are a couple of Neopost examples:
The following illustrations of EFS695169 (a Francotyp Postalia machine) show the
slogan before and after the ‘conversion’ – both examples coming from the same day,
the 18th October 2004. Thanks to Peter Mantell for these illustrations
Meter News
Page 48-4 of 8
Oct 2004
Ascom Hasler
Further to Page 37-1, a second example of the reversed ‘POSTAGE PAID / GREAT BRITAIN’
value die has surfaced, this time from HT06639P:
Thematic Slogans
Two London themes this month, namely the Tower of London and the House of Commons,
the latter thanks to Peter Mantell.
. . . and, thanks again to Peter Mantell, Christmas appears to be coming early this year!
Meter News
Page 48-5 of 8
Oct 2004
And now for something completely different . . . .
David Aspinwall kindly sends this topical ‘Boris Johnson advert’ from last week’s Guardian.
The interesting thing about it is the serial number ‘PB540971’ – is this an artificial number or
a new series, I wonder?
Index Of Main News Items (Issues 37 to 48)
Machine
Page
Comments
Ascom Hasler
FML5003
HF22054
HT20073K
HT38018Z
43-1,44-5
46-1
37-1,48-5
48-1
Blanking out of F88 machine serial number
BFPO58 – stamp cancelling machine
POSTAGE PAID – GREAT BRITAIN
Year ‘Z’ suffix
40-3,41-3
40-3
43-4
42-4
Registration letter
Ashcroft self-adhesive label
Value die dropped
Frama Specimen franks, including London scenes
Frama
FSC224486
FSC224486
FSC257927
Meter News
Page 48-6 of 8
Oct 2004
Machine
Page
Comments
Francotyp-Postalia
EFS558898
EFS 569738
EFS674828
EMD585006
FM2500071
FU8000144
FU9000038/9
42-1
42-3
47-1
47-1
47-1
42-1
42-1
46-1
45-1
Launch of the Ultimail 60 and 90
Missing town die
Blanked out town mark circle
Mis-spelt town name
Inverted town die
New series – FM25
New Ultimail 60 / 90 machines
Ultimail 60 machine frank
Ultimail 90 machine frank
39-1
46-1
41-1
43-4
37-4
39-5
39-6
39-6
38-3
Rare Neopost 205 meter
Use of meter as stamp cancelling machine
Spurious hyphen in serial number
Lower case ‘ne’
Mis-alignment of frank
Neopost IJ65 specimen frank
‘as requested’ pre-loaded message
‘NOT A CIRCULAR’ pre-loaded message
Neopost – early specimen examples
Neopost
BC5313
3NE41076
4NE113014ne20730
N1130711
N1200000
N1201533
N1303613
Pitney Bowes
PB000020
PB127798
PB140120
PB262795
PB504001
PB504001
PB540971
PB800435
0PB75825
PBP83044
The Netherlands
USA
Denmark, Germany
Botswana
Meter News
38-1
43-1
44-6
45-1
44-1
44-3
48-6
44-1
40-1,41-1
44-3
Early ‘PB30’ machine?
New series for Secap ‘ST2’ series machines
Different company names in slogan + ‘1 Class’
Application of blue ink
Item number 1
Registration letter
‘Boris Johnson’ advert from the Guardian
New machine – DM100i
Serial number engraving error
Registration letter
40-1
41-3
41-3
42-3
Decoding the Dutch Post Perfect security codes
Disappearing slogans in the US
Danish and German meter franking web sites
Botswana meter franking web site
Page 48-7 of 8
Oct 2004
Machine
Page
Comments
Thematic Slogans
PB304479
FSC252030
FSC901218
PB140547
PB309424
PB500951
PB726508
N1302360
N1307175
4NE14970
2N469K
PBK02950
N1204493
N1201222
N1204080
FSC225242
37-4
37-4
37-4
42-3
40-3
38-3
38-3
39-6
41-3
43-3
44-6
46-3
46-3
48-5
48-5
48-5
West Somerset Railway
Meter within a meter
100 Years of Flight
Printing mis-alignment
Dart board
Christmas / New Year
Christmas / New Year
Cow
Mad March
Fishing trawler
Hummingbird
Lighthouse
Butterfly
Tower of London
House of Commons
Christmas comes early
Misc.
-
Meter News
37-3
38-1
38-1
39-3
39-4
40-4
41-4,43-4
41-4,42-3
42-1,43-3
43-5
44-5,46-3
44-3,44-4
44-4
44-5
47-3
48-3
48-1
Suggestions for Meter News
Postage Due meter
Thoughts on meter series publication
Current models / systems
Statistics for 2003
Categorising meter errors
Smart Stamp franks
Pitney Bowes DM1000 bulk posting postmark
Pitney Bowes early essay – machine No. 5
Dead series
Dead series update
Registration letters – Royal Mail machine numbers
Models, bases and systems
Phase-out of machines
The external return address
External Address slogan marks
Decline in franked mail?
Page 48-8 of 8
Oct 2004