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Postage Stamps

(12 Posts)
GrannyMac1945 Mon 24-Oct-16 20:26:22

In my local Post office today a tourist, excellent English, asked if she could buy just one stamp - seemed surprised and pleased that it was possible. She explained it was to send postcard to little girl back home, when she saw the v plain stamp with Queen's head enq if there were any prettier ones. No, she was assured, they only come in this colour. Now we all know what she meant, perhaps a commemorative one ? Perhaps she'd received one in the past. But the clerk was adamant, nothing else.
I was too cowardly to challenge him, I know they don't stock other stamps but they do exist. It's my local PO so I didn't want to antagonise him, but was told by a PO in another village, Oh they're in the safe but we don't get them out because if we sell a few, when we send them back we have to count them ! Sorry if this post is too long.

Swanny Mon 24-Oct-16 20:52:33

Ah! That explains why I never see any commemorative stamps on my personal mail. Not that I get a lot of personal stuff you understand, it's usually texts and emails these days - even the bills appear in my inbox grin

However, I have asked for 'special' stamps for youngsters' birthday cards and been told they don't have any. Must do my research in future to check what should be available and then insist they check the safe!

Hilltopgran Tue 25-Oct-16 00:38:06

Niece was delighted this week to receive a birthday card with a Mrs Tigglewinkle stamp on, sadly not on my card. I wonder why we are not all offered these celebration stamps, they cheer up the envelopes, so I will ask on future. There us not much point to in post office producing them if no one knows they are available.

BlueBelle Tue 25-Oct-16 06:47:32

Just a tip if you go to a post office that has a self help machine buy your stamps there they change every few months, at the moment they are 6 different stamps with different ladybirds on Not sure what you get for an ordinary internal letter as I buy for a global postcard group I belong to but prior to the ladybirds we have had union jacks, ships, heraldry etc etc they are long stamps They are very pretty and I get lots of good remarks from the recipients

Also all post offices have and will give you on request a little leaflet that tells you when various commeratives are out and on which date there are usually about 10 or similar related amount per year

FarNorth Tue 25-Oct-16 08:29:49

www.royalmail.com/mrmenstamps?PSID=Google_PPC&cid=EC1016_MRM_SM_01&gclid=Cj0KEQjwhbzABRDHw_i4q6fXoLIBEiQANZKGW4Mw1rzeYb6MPC1SsIzfFd232RwMEgJGF4cnCwlpkdkaAiXv8P8HAQ

I saw these advertised in my local PO yesterday, also the leaflets of commemorative stamps.

Not much you can do, though, especially if it's a small or sub PO, if they swear blind they have no such thing.

FarNorth Tue 25-Oct-16 08:31:45

.

felice Tue 25-Oct-16 08:50:08

Here you can buy cards which include a stamp with the same picture on it as the card. I buy the flower cards for my Mum and the carers in her care home even commented on how nice the stamps were.

Lona Tue 25-Oct-16 10:16:31

My dd sent cards with stamps that had photos of my gds on them. It was a few years ago, but they were lovely. I must ask her how she got them!

GrannyMac1945 Tue 25-Oct-16 10:28:13

Thanks for all the replies, I shall have another go at asking for them. I did ask for Beatrix Potter when they came out but was told, oh they only sent a few.
I did order them from Royal Mail, but don't get me started on how difficult that was, in end I had to order by phone. Lad in Glasgow office commented that the website was rubbish.

shysal Tue 25-Oct-16 11:35:29

The personalised stamps mentioned by Lona are called Smilers. I have some with pictures of my Bengal cat.
www.royalmail.com/personal/stamps-and-collecting/smilers

JackyB Tue 25-Oct-16 12:10:43

Why don't you buy 10 stamps - would it then be worth their while getting a sheet or a booklet out of the safe? You could share the stamps with a couple of other people - everyone has a birthday card to send now and again.

BlueBelle Tue 25-Oct-16 18:32:49

Small sub post offices don't usually have the commemoratives