SPAIN. ATM issues 2017

2017. The 'Philately' and 'Tourism' issues

On Monday, January 2nd 2017, without any advance notice and as a complete surprise, the Correos philatelic service released two new label designs in the so-called 'ATM. Punto Filatélico'; the philatelic kiosk permanently installed in the lobby of the Chamartín mail processing centre, in Madrid (more information, also published in VARIABLE 41).

The two new issues are dedicated to Philately and Tourism, with symbolic designs that depict several 'traditional' stamps issued by Correos in recent years.

The 'Filatelia, seña de identidad de España' (Philately, symbols of Spanish identity) issue emphasizes one of the great values of philately i.e. the ability to promote and 'project' the image of a country internationally. In this case with the map of Spain that includes and 'projects' several stamps issued in 2016 (with the exception of the Tourism stamp at the bottom, issued in 2012).

The Tourism issue commemorates the United Nations declaration of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. This is also the subject of another two Correos 'traditional' stamps issued in February 2017. In this case, the issue includes a beach umbrella in the design, 'projecting' various stamps. The three in the foreground were issued in 2013 and 2014, two of them not specially related to tourism, but these stamps were selected to be included in the Correos thematic book 'Marca España 'published in 2014.

Although with a very different design from that of 2016, these two new issues (and the other six planned for 2017) are also by Juan Antonio González, a designer in the Correos philatelic department.

The rolls of 1,500 self-adhesive thermal labels are manufactured by Cartor Security Printers, printed digitally and with the same size and characteristics as earlier issues. All the labels are numbered on the back, on silicone paper, for inventory control.

The two new designs replaced the earlier 'definitive' designs featuring postal motifs - 'Postbox' & 'Telegraph' - and can be obtained at the philatelic kiosk throughout this year with the 'Madrid Chamartin' permanent imprint.

Like the earlier issues, the two designs can only be obtained with the four face value indicators A, A2, B and C, making up the four-value set or 'Tira de 4 Tarifas' (see images below). These indicators correspond to the domestic postal rates for letters up to 20 and 50g, and the rates to European countries and the rest of the world up to 20g, respectively.

As can be seen in the image, there is a poster next to the kiosk with comprehensive information and instructions on how to operate the machine together with the various purchase options.

In addition to the face value indicator and the 'Madrid Chamartin' imprint, the kiosk prints a unique alphanumeric code at the bottom of each stamp, in four blocks. In the first block, 'B' indicates it is a philatelic issue, '1' is for the month of issue (January), 'ES' for the country of issue i.e. Spain, and '17' for the year of issue. The second block corresponds to the machine code (ES01). The third block of four digits corresponds to the session number, followed by a block of three digits indicating the stamp number within that particular purchase.

Incidentally, during the first week of issue, receipts produced by the kiosk along with the stamps, included the wrong text 'Trarifa' instead of 'Tarifa' (Tariff).

A new special postmark 'ATM Punto Filatélico' produced by the philatelic service was also available from October 1st 2016 and used to postmark the new issues.

The JUVENIA 2017 issues. The ES01 & ES02 equipment

The Correos philatelic service has announced the issue of eight designs of 'etiquetas franqueadoras ATM' (ATM franking labels), in 2017. Two 'definitive' designs to be on permanent sale at the philatelic kiosk installed at CCP Chamartín (see previous article, also published in VARIABLE 44), plus another six temporary specials, on the occasion of the three main national philatelic events: JUVENIA 2017, the national stamp fair, and EXFILNA 2017.

	JUVENIA 2017, the 25th National Youth Stamp Exhibition was held from May 10th to 13th 2017 in Avilés, Asturias. It was organized by the Grupo Filatélico Avilesino and the Spanish Federation of Philatelic Societies (FESOFI), with the collaboration of the Sociedad Estatal Correos y Telégrafos. MAXIESPAÑA 2017, the first European exhibition of Maximaphily organized in Spain, was also held in conjunction with JUVENIA. In addition to the launching of new variable value stamps, Correos issued a commemorative 'traditional' stamp depicting the facade of the Avilés City Hall, issued in a sheet together with special postmarks (images at the end of the article).
	The first JUVENIA was held in Barcelona, in 1971, and since 1973 has been held every two years. Since 1997, Correos has dedicated a stamp to the city hosting this exhibition.

Although most of the exhibition and institution stands were located in the Palacio de Camposagrado (images below), a beautiful Baroque building, the organizers had the wisdom and foresight to take the exhibition to other parts of the city, so it was more visible and accessible. Among them, the Casa de Cultura, exhibiting the collections of MAXIESPAÑA 2017, the Museo de la Historia Urbana de Avilés, with an exhibition of the designs which formed part of the Disello stamp design competition, and even the Plaza de España, in the historic city centre, with a dome with various projections representing the 'universe of stamps'.

As part of the objective of this philatelic event, the local philatelic group organized visits to exhibitions, and provided different activities and presentations for schoolchildren.

Focusing on our topic of study, the philatelic service moved its ES01 philatelic kiosk to Avilés.
During the four days of JUVENIA, the machine issued variable value stamps with two special designs for this exhibition. Unlike the previous year, Correos decided not to issue stamps with definitive designs during philatelic events.

The two issues are designs by Juan Antonio González, a designer in the Correos philatelic department. With a design and graphics that seeks to be attractive to the young, the model wrongly called 'Patín' (skate) by Correos is actually a skateboard with a picture of the Avilés Centro Niemeyer on top. The 'Videojuego' (video game) design shows the Calle Rivero arcades in Avilés on the screen of a video games console (see maximum cards at the end of the article).

Fortunately, although a green background was initially planned for the entire label (images below), like the first issues of 2017, the final released version included a large blank area on the left of the preprinted design, allowing for a better and more permanent thermal printing of the stamp information.

The rolls of 1,500 self-adhesive thermal labels were manufactured by Cartor Security Printers, printed digitally and with the same size and characteristics as earlier issues. All the labels are numbered on the back, on the silicone paper, for inventory control.

In addition to the face value indicator, the kiosk printed the special text ' 10-13 mayo Avilés ' on the stamps. The last software update finally allowed the inclusion of tildes or written accents in the texts printed on the stamps and receipts.
In addition, all receipts issued from February 27th 2017 include the S.M.E. acronym (Sociedad Mercantil Estatal) after Correos name, in the heading.



A unique code for each stamp is printed on the bottom of the stamp. The first block of all stamps issued in Avilés is B5ES17, 'B' indicates that it is a philatelic issue, '5' the month of issue (May), 'ES' for the country, and '17' for the year of issue. There follows the machine code, the session and stamp numbers.

Both designs could only be obtained with the four programmed basic postal rates - A, A2, B and C, making up the four-value set or 'Tira de 4 Tarifas' (see images below). These face value indicators correspond to the domestic postal rates for letters up to 20 and 50 g, and the rates to European countries and the rest of the world up to 20g., respectively.

For collectors the great surprise in Avilés was the display of new desktop equipment, printing variable value stamps, very similar to those issued by the kiosk. This computer system has been developed by the Correos philatelic service and will be mainly used for the production of single and standing orders. By using this new equipment, the philatelic service staff will no longer have to go to the kiosk, or temporarily move the equipment from its location to produce larger orders.

This new computer system, for internal use only, includes a tablet, with a program specially created and designed to cater to the needs of the philatelic service thus enabling the management and control of the whole process of variable value stamp printing. The computer application is also accessible through a screen and a keyboard. The system includes three Brother TD-4100N direct thermal printers, two for stamps and one for receipts.



The new computer system uses the same rolls of thermal labels, is programmed with the same values and, as can be seen in the images, the information printed on the stamps is almost identical to the ES01 kiosk imprint; same format, size and printing fonts. Only the code of the printing equipment (ES02 in Avilés) shows the origin of the stamps. The receipts issued by this new equipment, also printed on thermal paper, include the same information, although the size is much larger than those issued by the kiosk. They can only be obtained together with the stamps issued during those exhibitions or philatelic events in which the philatelic service participates. No receipts will be issued for the stamps produced for single or standing orders.

Like in 2016, the philatelic service produced a pictorial covers for the ATM issues.
In the image, the cover includes four Tarifa A stamps issued by the two machines (ES01 and ES02), with the two JUVENIA 2017 commemorative postmarks.

JUVENIA 2017 special first day cover and the two-colour commemorative postmark for the JUVENIA - MAXIESPAÑA 2017 show

	The Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Center is a great project of the Brazilian architect of the same name, built between 2008 and 2011. The cultural complex is formed by five elements, an open square, an auditorium, a dome, a sightseeing tower and a multipurpose building.

The historical centre of Avilés has been included in the heritage listing since 1955. The city has streets with buildings with arcades, some of them dating back to before the XVII century and covered passageways in front of the shops or for the use of market stalls. This motif also illustrates the tourist postmark.

The ATMs at the XLIX Feria Nacional del Sello 2017. Equipment ES01 & PM17

Only two weeks after the Avilés Youth Stamp Exhibition, the second major philatelic event of the year was inaugurated in Spain, the Feria Nacional del Sello in Madrid.

In 2017, the 49th stamp fair was held from May 25th to 28th, again in the Plaza Mayor of Madrid, which commemorates its fourth centenary. It is a fair organized by the Sociedad Estatal Correos y Telégrafos, S.A., with the collaboration of ANFIL (the national association of stamp and coins dealers) and Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre (the Spanish Mint).

Like the previous year, the fair was held in a large temporary pavilion, opposite the Casa de la Panadería, with 18 commercial stands, plus the stands of Correos, ANFIL, the Real Casa de la Moneda - FNMT, and a guest country, Israel.

After the previous fair, which commemorated the 300th anniversary of postal mail in Spain (see article, also published in VARIABLE 41), the 2017 event was dedicated to the world of cinema and stamps, with different exhibitions and activities for visitors.

Walking on the traditional red carpet, the entrance to the fair was dominated by the large scale reproduction of the statuette of the bust of Goya given to winners of the Premios Goya, the annual awards sponsored by the Spanish Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas, the organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the Spanish cinema.
Around the pavilion, there were photo calls with movie characters. And inside, a movie theatre with an audiovisual devoted to cinema stamps issued by Correos, together with a 'chroma' zone allowing the visitor to appear in scenes from '¡Bienvenido, Míster Marshall!' or 'Belle Époque'; two well-known Spanish films.

During the fair, Correos launched various philatelic products related to the world of cinema, which aroused great interest among the visitors. In particular, a stamp sheet printed with 'lenticular' technology and various products dedicated to the films 'Star Wars' in commemoration of the 40 years of this series. Also a thematic book and two new stamps dedicated to Spanish cinema icons.

Following its appearance at the 2016 stamp fair, Correos again installed the ES01 philatelic kiosk at the 2017 show.
In just one year, the 'ATM Punto Filatélico' project has been fully rolled out, with a conservative and successful issuing policy, and a very good acceptance by collectors.

Unlike 2016, in which the use of special and definitive designs were alternated, during the four days of the 2017 fair, the machine issued variable value stamps with only the two special designs for this event.

The design called 'Película' (Film) on the receipts is dedicated to the Sunday philatelic market of the Plaza Mayor, which in 2017 turns 90 years old. The plaza first became the meeting point for collectors back in 1927.
The design 'Claqueta' (Clapperboard) features Las Cuatro Torres, the modern skyscrapers of the business area next to the Paseo de la Castellana, north of Madrid, which have transformed the capital's skyline in recent years (see maximum cards at the end of the article).
The logo of the fourth centenary of the Plaza Mayor is also included in both designs.

Both designs are by Juan Antonio González, who also designed the pictorial cover released by Correos, and the special postmarks 'ATM Punto Filatélico' and the fair’s general postmark.

	The general postmark was also available, for the first time, as an embossed postmark, with a raised design on paper.



During the Madrid Fair, the kiosk printed the special text ' 25-28 mayo Madrid ' on all stamps, under the face value. The unique code on the bottom of each stamp has the same first block as Avilés, B5ES17, since both fairs were held in May. Both designs could be obtained with the usual four-value sets A, A2, B and C (images below).



In addition to the kiosk, Correos also installed the new "internal use" computer system presented in Avilés, on its stand (see previous article). But, unlike Avilés, the stamps issued by this equipment do not have the ES02 code, but PM17 ! (Plaza Mayor 2017). The new Correos procedure stipulates that the code printed on the stamps and receipts issued by this equipment will change depending on its location. No doubt, a strange decision that goes against the usual criteria elsewhere in the world which has each machine linked to a fixed identifier or code. This decision by Correos will undoubtedly cause great confusion among collectors. And still another change; The first block of the code on the bottom of the stamps issued by this equipment will start with a 'P' (Production), unlike the kiosk, which starts with a 'B', the original letter programmed by the manufacturer to identify stamps issued by the equipment for philatelic use/sales.

The image shows the pictorial cover produced by the Correos philatelic service, franked with four Tarifa A stamps, issued by the two machines (ES01 and PM17), with the two postmarks commemorating the 2017 National Stamp Fair.

The importance of a written accent ...

An appropriate software update of the ES01 kiosk finally allowed the inclusion of the written accent (tilde), where necessary, on the words of the stamps and receipts issued by the machine, during the Avilés JUVENIA exhibition.
After the Madrid stamps fair, when the kiosk returned to the lobby of the Chamartín mail processing centre, the philatelic service staff decided to add the written accent to the issues at its permanent location also.



The change was programmed on June 1st 2017. Starting from this date, all the stamps include the text ' Madrid Chamartín ' instead of ' Madrid Chamartin '. Also some words on the receipts included the required written accent ... although not all of them, as can be seen in the right image (Articulos, Sesion - Correct words would be Artículos, Sesión).

The ATM issues at EXFILNA 2017. Equipment ES01 & EX17

The fourth and last series of ATM issues, in 2017, is dedicated to the main annual philatelic event in Spain, the National Philatelic Exhibition or EXFILNA.

EXFILNA 2017 was held from October 9th to 15th in Portugalete, Bizkaia, in the Basque Country, northern Spain on the left bank of the Estuary of Bilbao. Since 1963, this exhibition has ben organized by the Spanish Federation of Philatelic Societies (FESOFI), with the sponsorship of the Sociedad Estatal Correos y Telégrafos - the Spanish Post.

	The 55th national philatelic exhibition was organized by the Asociación Filatélica de Portugalete, the local philatelic association. The different exhibitions and activities were set up at two main sites. The Centro Cultural Santa Clara hosted the Master Class collections and exhibitions dedicated to other collectibles, like old postcards and Scouting themes.

The large philatelic exhibition, the Spanish Philately Championship, was set up a few meters away, at the Zubi-Alde sports center, along with the usual institutional stands of Correos, the Real Casa de la Moneda - FNMT (the Spanish Royal Mint), ANFIL, and the organizers. Next to the Correos stand there was a very interesting exhibition of various selected pieces from the Spanish postal museum (image below). The last four days of the exhibition, from October 12th to 15th, the sports hall also hosted a small stamp fair, attended by 12 national dealers and the participation of Deutsche Post.

During the EXFILNA, Correos presented various special philatelic issues. Among them, a stamp dedicated to the Portugalete tide gauge and a nice folding sheet featuring the Vizcaya (hanging) Bridge, inaugurated in 1893 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
And, of course, focusing on our field of study, two new label designs for the issue of variable value stamps, illustrated with photographic compositions of the main monuments of the city; the Basílica de Santa María, with the hanging bridge in the background, and the Torre de Salazar, with the statue of Lope García de Salazar.

Below. The Basílica of Santa María was built at the end of the 15th century in Gothic-Renaissance style. The construction of the tower began in 1691. Right. Torre de Salazar is a tower house built at the end of the 14th century, belonging to the Salazar dynasty. Throughout the centuries it was used as a dwelling, prison, and is currently a museum. In the park in front of the tower, is found the statue of Lope García de Salazar (1399-1476), feudal lord and historian, who was also the subject of one of the special EXFILNA 2017 postmarks.

Like the JUVENIA of Avilés (see article, also published in VARIABLE 45) and the 49th Madrid stamp fair (article and VARIABLE 45), visitors were able to obtain variable value stamps with both designs, from the ES01 public accessible philatelic kiosk (image below) and also at the counter of the Correos stand (right), equipped with the new desktop computer system presented in Avilés.

During the EXFILNA 2017, both machines were programmed with the usual four postage rate indicators, which make up the sets or 'Tira de 4 tarifas', Tarifa A, A2, B and C. All stamps issued with both designs include the commemorative imprint ' 9-15 octubre Portugalete ' below the face value.



The first block of the unique code at the bottom of the stamps printed by the philatelic kiosk is BOES17, next the machine code ES01, and the session and stamp numbers.



The first block of the code printed at the bottom of the stamps issued by the desktop computer system installed in the Correos stand is POES17, ('P' for Production, unlike the 'B' printed on the stamps issued by the kiosk). There follows another machine code, EX17 (EXFILNA 2017), as per the new Correos procedure which stipulates that the code will change depending on the machines location (see table with the machine codes at the end of the page), and finally the session and stamp numbers.

Correos produced eleven different postmarks (!) for the Portugalete EXFILNA, all of them available to visitors and collectors. Seven were commemorative postmarks (among them, a special one for the ATM issues, 'ATM Punto Filatélico', with a strange design bearing little relation to the issues, and the exhibition general postmark in two colors - images below), plus two presentation and two first day postmarks for the 'traditional' stamps.

	The permanent Portugalete tourist postmark was also available at the Correos stand depicting the hanging bridge a recurrent and omnipresent image (left).

		The Correos philatelic service produced two large size pictorial covers, one for the ATM issues and another for the 'traditional' stamps. In the upper image, the cover is franked with four Tarifa A stamps, issued by the two machines (ES01 and EX17), and the two main EXFILNA 2017 postmarks.

The issues of the Philatelic Service - 2017. Codes B004 & CH17

As in 2016 (see article, also published in VARIABLE 42 & 44), and until May 2017, the philatelic service used the philatelic kiosk, from time to time, to print the stamps corresponding to single orders received for the two definitive issues, 'Philately' and 'Tourism'.
Strips with the four-value set were also issued with these designs, and were sold at the philatelic service booth, at the 27 Internationale Briefmarken-Messe in Essen, Germany (images).

Unlike the stamps usually printed by the philatelic kiosk, with the code ES01, the machine code printed on these stamps is B004. On the other hand, this code at the bottom of the stamps does not include the session, nor the stamp numbers.

Starting from June 2017, the stamps purchased via single orders for collectors and dealers, stamps sold by the philatelic service at international exhibitions, as well as those included in annual standing orders, are issued/dispensed by the new back office computer system first displayed at Avilés (see previous article).
The first block of the bottom code starts with the letter 'P' (Production), followed by the month, country and year of issue.
As per the procedure stipulating the need to change the equipment code according to its location, the machine code printed on these stamps is CH17 (not Switzerland, but Chamartín 2017).
And, after this change, the stamps include the session and stamp number.

	For the second year running, the Correos philatelic service produced a nice pictorial double page foldout presentation pack with all the designs issued throughout 2017 together with information about the different issues. Unfortunately, even after more than 30 years of issues, Correos continues to erroneously refer to this type of stamp as 'etiquetas' (labels) ...
The eight 2017 designs appear in mint strips with the usual four-value set (Tarifa A - A2 - B - C), placed in protective stamp mounts, with the permanent or temporary imprint programmed in the kiosk on the first day of issue. Printed in December, the first 2 blocks of the code at the bottom of all the stamps in the folder are PDES17 CH17, followed by the session and stamp numbers.

Spain ATMs (2016 - 2017) - Machine codes table
Machine code	Equipment	Operating period	Location
B004	IAR philatelic kiosk	From September 2016 until May 2017	CCP Chamartín, Madrid
CH17	Computer system	From June 2017	CCP Chamartín, Madrid
ES01	IAR philatelic kiosk	From April 21st 2016	CCP Chamartín, Madrid and philatelic events
ES02	Computer system	From May 10th to 13th 2017	JUVENIA, Avilés
EX17	Computer system	From October 9th to 15th 2017	EXFILNA 2017, Portugalete
PM17	Computer system	From May 25th to 28th 2017	Feria Nacional del Sello, Madrid

ATEEME, in collaboration with GALERIA ATM, offers to you the opportunity to subscribe an standing order for all the new Spain ATM issues (sets, first day covers, varieties) at low prices. Contact us for more information.

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