Can I impress my friends with Machins?
Absolutely! The easiest way to impress them is to gather a collection of Machins of different colors. Since the original issue in 1967, dozens of different colors have been used. Because the design of every Machin is essentially the same, color is the main way people differentiate the various denominations available at any time. Over the years, Royal Mail has tried many colors. Some worked, some didn t. In the mid-1980s, they settled on a standard range of 30 colors created by Jeffery Matthews. In 1990, another shade of blue was added, making 31. That group is still in use today, with some additional ones added from time to time for special occasions. If your friends are more impressed with subtlety, get one copy of each of the 26 different 1p Machins (according to the Deegam Handbook) and form a mini-collection, writing up the characteristics of each. Your friends will bow down in awe of your philatelic knowledge.
