Harrisons - reputation and reality

Anything relating to British stamp books and booklets.
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Robinr
Posts: 155
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 6:00 pm

Harrisons - reputation and reality

Post by Robinr »

This is directed primarily to Robin Tibbenham, but of course anybody is very welcome to respond. I posted it on KGVI but no reply, and suspect that Robin only checks "Booklets" ;>).....

Dear Robin, I've just finished reading a report from the National Postal Archives on the production of the 1937 Coronation stamp. From mid-December when it was thought to be virtually impossible to produce any commemoration stamps to the actual sheets going into distribution two weeks before the Coronation is a fascinating story. Time and again, deadlines were missed, and delays were caused by the most minute details being discussed - by people who apparently did not really understand what they were doing. It reads like an episode from "Yes Minister".

It appears that Harrisons received the artwork from which to make the stamps, two weeks late. The limited supplies of stamps on sale - on request - on the 13th of May had obviously been produced under great pressure. The number of errors and flaws in the stamp are certainly greater than in any stamp before or since, and bear witness to a quantity-before-quality tactic by Harrisons.

Having some insight and sympathy into Harrison's dilemma, your comments about the progressive loss of quality by Harrison, in your postings to the Discussion Board came to mind.

I'd like very much to know a little more of your conviction in this matter, and hope that you'll be able to reply with some examples, or other evidence. Can do?

Best wishes and thanks in advance,

Robin Restall
robinT
Posts: 88
Joined: Fri May 08, 2009 6:00 pm

Transfer from previous board: original post 1513

Post by robinT »

I am in the process, again, of getting out of stamps and check posts less often.

I take an interest in succulents, cactus are much more friendly than stamp collectors
robinT
Posts: 88
Joined: Fri May 08, 2009 6:00 pm

Transfer from previous board: original post 1514

Post by robinT »

another PS

Post Office files and yes minister
An example

In the files from the Jersey Stamp Committee - when discussing the designs in 1968.
'It was noted that the artist had drawn a Jersey cow with a curved back, when everyone knows Jesey cows have straight backs - where as Guernsey cows have dipped backs'!!!!!!!!!!!
robinT
Posts: 88
Joined: Fri May 08, 2009 6:00 pm

Transfer from previous board: original post 1565

Post by robinT »

I do not appear to have tidied this subject up!
Tiresome of me!!!!

Harrisons - in 1969 - were again under pressure - when they obtained the order from the Crown Agents, for Channel Islands stamps.

More and more stamps and booklets were required by those countries which had links with Harrison. The Crown Agents Requisition Book - now in the British Library - shows the demand from smaller territories, to be reaching very high levels, mainly due to the policy of selling mint stamps to collectors, who did not require a service for their purchase. This international demand from collectors could not easily be filled by any producers of photogravure stamps and led to the early introduction of Litho production.

My studies have been of the (mainly) channel island of Guernsey's stamps and in particular of the booklets. The show the undoubted decline in standards which obviously affected Harrison's productions of both stamps and booklets. This was also compounded by demands for quicker service from the islands postal boards.

Study of the stamps will show that the designs were not checked properly and there are many instances of multi-positive flaws, which, given normal circumstances, would have been eradicated.

Study of the 2/- booklets (later 10p) shows that these stamp flaws continued to show for ALL the issue, until their demise - an obvious instance of decline in standards.

Study of the covers shows a very considerable number of typo flaws on the first issue, with some lessening of flaws in the varied designs of covers which followed.

At this time there has been no study of Harrison's archives - but I know that their records were chaotic during their last years and I doubt whether much still exists.
The Crown Agents passed a small number of bog standard proofs to the British Library, but they tell us nothing. The written records of the times from the CA have disappeared into a black hole!
The Islands records are not available on line and access in person is limited - there was much scull-duggery there which their civil servants want to hide for as long as possible.

I have partial, censored, records from Jersey, with very little mention of booklets - however Guernsey's were two months late and the similar 2/- booklets for Jersey could also have been late (although there is nothing seen to support that at this time)

The whole thing indicates a failure in standards and a study of the stamps involved in the early issues confirms this - but those who supposedly study booklets of the British Islands are completely ignoring this last gasp, pathetic creation from HARRISON and SONS
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