Barcoded country definitive use - show us yours!

As we all know, country definitive stamp usage was not high before the invalidation of the gummed ones and introduction of the barcoded self-adhesive ones. There was anecdotal evidence last year that the new ones were proving more popular.

I thought it would be useful to record non-philatelic use of these stamps in an attempt to get all of the 2nd & 1st class ones, at least, and find out how long it took to get the set of 8.  If I can get international use of any, including the airmail rate, then I'll add that.

These were issued on 11 August 2022, so this first use is over 12 months after issue.  If you have earlier ones that are not philatelically inspired, please send images and an explanation. 

Update 13 January 2025.  When compiling this post I overlooked an email from 2022 in which MM sent me this image of a Scotland 1st class barcoded usage on 5 October 2022.  Apologies - still not many though!

1st class Scotland barcoded country definitive used in October 2022.

MM also wrote:

We have just returned from a week-long trip to Mull and Iona, and I am happy to report that barcoded regionals are seeing a healthy usage there.

Tobermory post office had 1st and 2nd class.

Craignure had 1st and 2nd class AND the £1.85 “thistle”. The two staff there were just the most OBLIGING people EVER. They came round to my side of the counter to check where I wanted handstamps applying!

Fionnphort had 2nd class

Iona had 2nd class.

The very pleasant lady in Craignure told me that it had been hard work getting hold of the barcoded stamps as it was difficult to find them on the online order form.

This post was prompted by the receipt by my mother from my cousin of the first one I have seen, the 1st class Wales used from Ceredigion and postmarked Chester & N Wales 08/09/2023.

1st class Wales barcoded country definitive used in September 2023.

Update 5 October:

My thanks to JF for sending this clipping of a 2nd class Northern Ireland barcoded stamp used locally on 2 October 2023.

2nd class Northern Ireland barcoded country definitive used October 2023.

These 2nd class England & Wales examples were sent in for the postmark and was first shown on the main news  blog.

England 2nd class barcoded definitive used 16/02/204 in Birmingham - may be philatelic

Wales 2nd class barcoded definitive used 29/02/2024 in Lancashire - probably philatelic

UPDATE 1 February 2025.  On the other blog, Lars Tåders reports buying the 2nd class Scotland in Billericay Essex, when he went for the Royal Armouries new issue!

Any more non-philatelic uses?

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The 4d second class rate

The similarity in colour of the 5d dark blue and 4d dark brown caused some problems in manual sorting. Separating the two at lower light levels was difficult so a new 4d red was introduced on 6 January 1969. Despite this supplies of 4d brown - with 1 or 2 phosphor bands - and Wildings continued to be used in the run-up to the 1971 decimalisation.

4d red used December 1969


4d blue Northern Ireland (from the pre-Machin era: the colour matches the Wilding 4d) - obvious philatelic use, but there was a lot of using-up to do! The regional stamps were valid anywhere in the UK

4d red Scotland & Wales locally used. The Welsh stamp is postmarked Chester but North Wales received its supplies from Chester and some centralisation of postal sorting meant that some mail posted in north-east Wales received a Chester postmark.

1968: Two-tier post introduced

On 16 September 1968, in an attempt to give them greater flexibility in moving the mail by holding some back for later processing, the Post Office introduced 'Two Tier Post'. First class post would have a target of next-day delivery, while 2nd class would be delivered in 2-3 days, depending on location and volumes. Because most business mail entered the mailstream late in the day, it made sense to segregate out the less urgent and hold it over for processing when there was less volume entering the system. The printed paper and postcard rates were abolished at this time.

Postage rates 16.9.68 to 14.2.71
Up to 4 ounces, 1st class 5d (the 5d blue Machin had been issued on 1 July), and 2nd class 4d. The 4d brown Machin was issued on 5 June 1967 but that had two phosphor bands, and so a new 4d brown with a single phosphor band was issued on 16 September, when the new system was introduced.


The regional stamps were issued before the new system started, on 4.9.68. These continued with the existing Wilding designs.

Wales 5d regional postmarked Chester 2 June 1970. Some north Wales POs were supplied from Chester, and some north Wales mail was taken to Chester for sorting and postmarking.

Scotland 5d regional postmark Dundee 13 November 1970

4d brown centre band used 27 September 1969

4d brown (2 phosphor bands) with two ½d Machins to make the 5d rate on day one of the new system:

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