Great Britain Machins by Adminware

Machin Head and Symbol Types

Head Types

Various Head types (referring to the portrait of the Queen) have been required over the years. This is due in part to the different printing methods employed and the amount of room available on the stamp to print the image (due to regional symbols, value size, etc.).

A few stamps do exist with more than one head type. The differences can be subtle. The discussions here are limited to those stamps that require Head-type identification.

These descriptions are summarized from The Complete Deegam Machin Handbook (simply the best Machin handbook available anywhere), © D.G.A. Myall - click for details.

Head A	base of bust is "flat"
Head B	base of bust is "rounded"
	Stamps that exist with both Head A and Head B: 1d yellow ochre 3d spectrum violete 4d olive sepia 4d vermilion 5d stewart blue 6d purple

Head B1	the 6th dot from the lower left corner is missing
Head B2	the dot is present (i.e. no break)
	Stamps that exist with both Head B1 and Head B2: 1p crimson 2p dark green 3p rose red 4p turquoise 6½p cerulean blue 7p reddish brown 8p blood red 11½p drab

Symbol Types

Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales

This refers to the symbol found in the upper left corner of Regional Machins.

Three of the four countries have a few stamps that exist with two different symbol types (only the Isle of Man does not have symbol types).

A magnifying glass may be required to spot the subtle differences in the symbol types.

These descriptions are taken from The Complete Deegam Machin Handbook (simply the best Machin handbook available anywhere), © D.G.A. Myall - click for details.

Northern Ireland
Stamps that exists with both types: 17p blue grey 28p bluish violet 31p lilac
Type 1: the left side of the hand is curved throughout. the white line of the hand is thin and faint (sometimes absent altogether). the bottom pearl underneath the orb is detached from the central cross.	Type 2: the left side of the hand is straight but curves in sharply at the wrist. the white line on the hand is thick. the bottom pearl underneath the orb is joined to the central cross. There are two subtypes of Type 2. In Type 2a, the pearls along the crown are all separate from each other. In Type 2b, the second pearl on the left is joined to the crown, and the last three on the left are joined to each other.
Scotland
Stamps that exists with both types: 13p reddish brown 17p blue grey 22p moss green 31p lilac
Type 1: the eye is usually open, with a white centre. It is not joined to the background. the mane is generally lightweight. The three tips at its base are pointed, and there is a wide space between it and the body. the body and legs are thick.	Type 2: the eye is always solid. It is joined to the background. the mane is generally thicker. The three tips at its base are heavy and rounded. The space between mane and body is thin. the body and legs are thin.
Wales
Stamps that exists with both types: 13p reddish brown 17p blue grey 28p blueish violet
Type 1: the eye is usually open, with a white centre. It is not joined to the background. the arrowhead tongue and tail have thin stems. the claws are small. the hooks on the wings are small and separate. There is one in the space formed by the curve of the tail. the upper front foot is joined to the neck. There are two subtypes of Type 1. The principal difference is that in Type 1a, the vertical line down the body is broken; in Type 1b, it is continuous.	Type 2: the eye is always solid. It is joined to the background. the arrowhead tongue and tail have thick stems. the claws are large. the hooks are attached to the wings and are large. There is none in the space formed by the tail. the upper front foot is separated from the neck.

Disclaimer: We apologize for any errors of information that might be present. Your feedback is appreciated.

For even more varieties on Machin stamps, check out The Complete Deegam Machin Handbook (simply the best Machin
handbook available anywhere) by Douglas Myall - click for details.

Booklet pane numbers used courtesy the Modern British Philatelic Circle
who publish 'The Bookmark' Catalogue