2015, Guernsey Post joins 'Post & Go'. The Guernsey flag

After Jersey, Guernsey Post is the next postal administration to join the Royal Mail 'Post & Go' family. The new Intelligent AR philatelic kiosk of Guernsey Post, with the code GG01, appeared at London Spring Stampex 2015, from February 18th to 21st (images below and article in preparation).

	The equipment was installed on the 'Post & Go Services' stand, along with two Royal Mail kiosks (A003 and A004), the Jersey Post machine (JE01), plus the printer or 'Smiler' service for personalized stamps.

As with the other Intelligent AR kiosks, the new GG01 equipment can issue ATMs from two different rolls of labels. During Spring Stampex 2015, the kiosk issued stamps with the 'Guernsey flag' definitive design, and the UK 'Union flag' - The latter with the special imprint 'Spring Stampex February 2015'.

Following in the Royal Mail and Jersey Post footsteps, the first 'Post & Go' design by Guernsey Post is dedicated to the national flag. It is a design by the Guernsey based Two Degrees North graphic design studio. As with the other 'Post & Go' issues, the rolls of labels were manufactured by Walsall Security Printing. The flag of Guernsey consists of the cross of St. George, (red on a white background), with an additional gold cross within it. The flag was first used on May 9th 1985, to mark the 40th anniversary of the liberation of the island after the German occupation during World War II.

On the date of issue, February 18th 2015, the new Guernsey flag design could be obtained with three different variations (depicted below). The Philatelic Service sold two different sets or 'Collectors strips' of six values, issued by the internal use printer B002. One of these sets includes the special imprint 'Spring Stampex February 2015'. Finally, the stamps issued by the new GG01 kiosk, with any values programmed into the machine.

The current Guernsey Post postal system has three postal rate zones - (1) Local / Domestic, (2) United Kingdom, Jersey and the Isle of Man, and (3) international. It was decided to make up the set or 'Collectors strip' using the first two 'Letter' and 'Large Letter' postage rates for each zone - 'Local Letter' & 'Local Large', 'UK Letter' & 'UK Large', and 'Intl Letter' & 'Intl Large'. The stamps bought in the kiosk that was installed in London were surcharged 20% on the face value (receipt on the right), because of the VAT on sales made by Guernsey Post in the UK.

B002 printer Philatelic service	B002 printer Philatelic service Spring Stampex 2015	GG01 kiosk Spring Stampex 2015

The first set, sold by the philatelic service in strips of 6 values, both mint and CTO, presentation packs and first day covers (right images), does not include any special imprint and all the stamps have the same code at the bottom - B2GG15 B002-1969-001. B is for the philatelic issue type, 2GG15 for the month (February), country (Guernsey), and year of issue. Then, the code of the printer (B002). 1969 is a fictitious session number taken from the year of issue of the first Guernsey stamps, and 001 indicates the first 'Post & Go' issue on this island.

For all the other variants, the lower code is unique to each stamp and has the same composition as the rest of the 'Post & Go' issues printed by Intelligent AR equipment. In the first block, 'GG' or 'GB' identifies the country of issue, the second block with the printing equipment (B002 or GG01, in the images above), followed by two blocks of 4 and 3 digits, corresponding to the session and stamp number, respectively.

As with the Jersey Post JE01 kiosk, the new Guernsey Post philatelic kiosk will travel to some of the international philatelic events, along with the Royal Mail 'Post & Go Services'.

The Guernsey Post kiosk at the 25th Essen Stamps Fair

Three months after the introduction of the new Guernsey Post Intelligent AR postal kiosk at the London Spring Stampex 2015 (see article, also published in VARIABLE 36), the machine was again in use at the 25th Internationale Briefmarken-Messe in Essen, Germany. Guernsey Post was represented at the stamp fair (right), sharing a stand with the French and Alderney philatelic services, situated directly behind the Royal Mail stand. (More information, see article dedicated to the 25th Essen Stamps Fair, published in VARIABLE 37).

The GG01 kiosk was in service from May 7th to 9th 2015, on the stand of the United Kingdom, as a part of the 'Post & Go Services', along with the Royal Mail A006 kiosk.

In its first international participation, the GG01 kiosk issued ATMs with the 'Guernsey flag' and UK 'Union flag' definitive designs, both with the same special imprint as A006 - Messe Essen 7-9 May 2015 Since the issue was released in Germany, the code at the bottom of the stamps issued during the stamp fair is B5DE15 GG01-. According to changes in the postal rates planned for June 2015, which increased the prices and introduced both a European and Rest-of-World tariff, Guernsey Post decided to change the last postage value programmed into the kiosk, and modify four of the indicators. Since May 1st 2015, the new six-values set ​​or 'Collectors Strip' consists of the values 'GY Letter' & 'GY Large up to 100g', 'UK Letter' & 'UK Large up to 100g', and 'EUR Letter' & 'ROW Letter up to 20g'.

Guernsey Post did not produce any special postmark for the Essen issues. But, on its stand, collectors could hand in letters and other philatelic material, for later cancellation and mailing from the island, as well as obtain a special postal mark.

The GG01 kiosk at the LONDON 2015 EUROPHILEX

Four days after the end of the Essen philatelic fair, in Germany, the Guernsey Post GG01 kiosk was again in service, in London !. Here, the capital of the United Kingdom hosted the largest philatelic exhibition in Europe, in recent years, with more than 20,000 expected visitors from around the world. No one wanted to miss this great opportunity of promotion and sales. The GG01 machine was installed on the large Royal Mail stand, as part of the 'Post & Go Services', along with five other kiosks (!) from the UK, Jersey, and Gibraltar postal administrations (right picture). (More information, see the article dedicated to EUROPHILEX 2015, also published in VARIABLE 37).

The kiosk was in service from May 13th to 16th, issuing ATMs with the 'Guernsey flag' definitive design and the special imprint 'Europhilex 2015 Penny Black 175' in two lines, plus the UK 'Union flag' design, without a special imprint.

The code at the bottom of all the stamps issued by the kiosk, in this philatelic event, starts with B5GB15 GG01-. As can be seen in the above first day receipt, the stamps bought at the postal kiosk were billed with a 20% surcharge on the face value, because of the VAT on sales made by Guernsey Post in the UK. Guernsey Post also sold 'Collectors strips' with the 'Guernsey flag' design and the same special imprint, but issued by the internal usage printer B002.

At the booth of Guernsey Post in Europhilex, collectors could obtain a special postal mark, and hand in letters and other philatelic items for later postmarking and shipping from the island.

The new GG02 kiosk at Envoy House

The GG01 philatelic kiosk was well received and its first special 'Post & Go' issues for the three philatelic events aroused great interest among collectors. So, Guernsey Post decided to follow the footsteps of Jersey Post with the installation of a second kiosk on the island. The new machine, with the code GG02, was installed on September 2nd 2015 at Envoy House, Guernsey Post’s headquarters, located north of Saint Peter Port, the capital of Guernsey (images). The kiosk was temporarily installed in the entrance of the postal company offices, on the upper floor. Certainly not the most appropriate location for a postal kiosk, and the more so bearing in mind that the ground floor houses one of the main post offices on the island, ... an ideal location for the machine. In any case, it is expected to transfer to another location in the future, ... possibly when the kiosk can issue only Guernsey stamps.

According to the conditions laid down by Royal Mail, the promoter of the 'Post & Go' project, the two Guernsey Post kiosks should temporarily issue stamps with the UK 'Union flag' design from one of its two printers. This poses no particular problem when the equipment is used for philatelic purposes but, as happened with the machine installed in the Broad Street post office, in Jersey, issuing stamps of two different postal administrations from the same kiosk can lead to errors and confusion for postal users.

The new GG02 kiosk can issue variable value stamps printed on labels with the 'Guernsey flag' and 'Union Flag' definitive designs, with the six postage rates programmed according to the corresponding postal administration’s rates. All the stamps issued by the machine include the identifier 'Envoy House', printed under the face value indicator.

The GG01 kiosk at the AUTUMN STAMPEX 2015

The fourth participation of the Guernsey Post GG01 kiosk in a philatelic event was during Autumn Stampex 2015, held from September 16th to 19th, in the Islington Business Design Centre, in London. The machine was installed on the large Royal Mail stand, as part of the 'Post & Go Services', along with five other kiosks from the UK, Jersey, and Gibraltar postal administrations. (More information, see the article dedicated to AUTUMN STAMPEX 2015, also published in VARIABLE 38).

During the four days of Stampex, the kiosk allowed the purchase of variable value stamps with the 'Guernsey flag' definitive design and the special imprint 'HM The Queen Longest Reign', plus the UK 'Union flag' design, with no special imprint.

The code at the bottom of all the stamps issued by the kiosk during this philatelic event is B9GB15 GG01-, followed by the session and stamp numbers. As can be seen in the above first day receipt, the stamps bought at the postal kiosk in the Autumn Stampex had a 20% surcharge on the face value, because of the VAT on sales made by Guernsey Post in the UK. The Guernsey Post philatelic department also sold sets with the six postage rates programmed, or 'Collectors strips', with the 'Guernsey flag' design and the same special imprint, but issued by the internal usage printer B002.

Christmas greetings from Guernsey Post

Three months after the installation of the GG02 kiosk at Envoy House, St. Peter Port (see article and VARIABLE 38), Guernsey Post decided to send its particular Christmas greetings to all the collectors with the inclusion of a 'Merry Christmas' imprint on its kiosk. This special seasonal imprint was available from December 8th to 24th 2015, on all the stamps issued with the 'Guernsey flag' definitive design.