Product Description
17 September 2010A new series of pictorial Faststamps (issued from Post & Go machines) was introduced by Royal Mail at 31 locations around the country and at the Autumn Stampex show.
The first set has 6 designs. The labels can be obtained with 5 different service indicators: 1st class & 1st class Large up to 100gr, Europe up to 20gr, Worldwide up to 10gr and 20gr, singly or in strips of up to 5 of the same value or various values.
The pack produced for sale by Royal Mail's Philatelic Bureau contains 6 x 1st class stamps arranged in two rows of 3 on a backing sheet. The data string is an artificial one not related to machine numbers. The black printing is the same on all packs and was printed at the stamp printers not by a vending machine. These are, therefore, a different printing of both the service indicators and the basic stamps, to the ones on sale at the selected PO branches.
Designs:
House Sparrow - Passer domesticus
Small, noisy and gregarious, house sparrows often nest in buildings and feed on seeds and scraps. Males have a bold black bib and a distinctive grey cap whereas females are buff brown.
Goldfinch - Carduelis carduelis
Colourful and sociable, goldfinches gather in areas with trees, bushes or tall seed-producing plants. Widely admired for their delightful song, they have a bright yellow wing patch, red, white & black head.
Blue Tit - Cyanistes caeruleus
Common in gardens, woodlands and along hedgerows, these colourful tits have a blue cap above a black-and-white face and a yellow underside. Remarkably agile, they are frequent visitors to bird feeders.
Starling - Sturnus vulgaris
Black at first glance but with a purple and green sheen in the summer and light spots in the winter, starlings breed in urban and rural areas and can be recognised by their confident waddle.
Wood Pigeon - Columba palumbus
Found in woods, fields and city parks, these plump birds are largely grey, with a white neck patch, pink breast and white bars on the wings. They feed on seeds, grains and berries.
Found in woodlands and gardens, robins are easy to spot because of their distinctive orange-red breast. Traditionally associated with Christmas, these birds have round bodies and slim tails.
