The design is based on that set, but the color is not correct. That's what leads me to suspect these purple stamps are either special issues or Cinderellas. Also, the perfs include the bottom label with the design.
I've not seen these before but I'd guess they're from the time of the 1971 UK postal strike when lots of local services sprang up to delivery mail (and many more people just printed stamps for collectors).
In 1971, postal workers in Great Britain went out on strike over a pay demand. The strike began on the 20th January and lasted for seven weeks, finally ending with an agreement on Thursday 4 March. After voting over the weekend, the strikers returned to work on Monday 8th March 1971.
A wide range of officially licenced and unlicenced private posts operated during the strike to fill the gap left by the withdrawal of official postal services. Most of these companies only operated a local commercial service but some provided national and international deliveries, while others were set up by philatelic groups to provide material for stamp collectors.
The strike also overlapped with the introduction of the new Decimal Currency on the 15th February 1971.
The small sheet I posted is also perfed. I don't have a value of this sheet; it was among the goodies I am uncovering from an inheritance. My Godfather died in August and I received all his stamps. He didn't catalogue anything and was very eclectic in his tastes.
They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin 11 Jan 2015 02:31:35pm
re: Anyone able to help me identify this QV set?
Must be a trick of the light or maybe the scan is off kilter, because it looks rouletted to me also. However, as I have cataract surgery scheduled for tomorrow, could be my old, faulty eyes also, Ken.
I cropped a corner of the image and enlarged it.
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"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. -Edmund Burke"
Here's another type, with a close up following. Unfortunately this is the best quality image I could get.
Finally, this a rather unusual scouting themed international 'label'. Rather attractive I think. This and other values and colours of this type are available from a seller in the States:
There are many, many types of strike mail stamps, including used on cover:
I've just bought this curiosity, related to the 1971 Strike Mail in the UK:
According to one online source:
"To try to break the strike, the postal monopoly was suspended. Any company who wanted to "run" a service got a licence. A few actually offered a service (some in London couriered mail to the continent where they were posted), although many were purely philatelic."
Randall seems to have extended this strike mail service internationally. What puzzles me is the overprinted Malawi stamp, which has both the local currency 30t (Tambala) and the British 3/- (Shilling) postal rates.
This seems to suggest that there was some approval by the Malawi postal authorities to co-operate with licenced operators. However, I can't find if this was a specially produced stamp, or if it was an overprinted regular postage stamp?
As for the blue Randall label; this is denominated in the new decimal currency '10 pence'. The new currency came in on 15th February 1971. So we have the Malawi stamp 'overprinted ?' 3/- (the old currency) and the Randall label at the new 10p currency.
I'm just guessing that the S.A.D.S label might refer to Special Air Delivery Service. Perhaps someone knows for sure.
Although this is obviously philatelic, it is one of the more interesting strike mail offerings.
The surcharged stamp is SG 369 from 8th February 1971. It was the only value surcharged like this.
The SG catalogue says:
"No. 369 was issued for use on letters carried by an emergency airmail service from Malawi to Great Britain during the British postal strike.
The fee of 30t. was to cover the charge for delivery by a private service, and ordinary stamps to pay the normal airmail fee had to be affixed as well.
The strike ended on 8 March, when private delivery services were withdrawn."
A majority of these items are philatelic contrived even though a genuine usage.
I don't think we should knock them for this, but salute the ingenuity and enterprise of those who organised these "services" at short notice and in difficult times. I was working in London at the time of the strike (in an office) and was unaware that these services were available. Some judicious marketing could have meant more commercial use but frankly I don't think that it was the purpose.
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