A Horizon label is an adhesive postage label that is a type of

variable value stamp A variable value stamp, is a gummed or self-adhesive postage stamp of a common design, issued by a machine similar to an automatic teller machine (ATM), with a value of the user's choice printed at the time the stamp is dispensed. The value may be v ...

. The labels were introduced in the United Kingdom in 2002"GB Postal Stationery, Postal Labels and Postmarks: Horizon Labels" by John Holman in ''

Gibbons Stamp Monthly ''Gibbons Stamp Monthly'' (GSM) is a leading British philatelic magazine which can trace its roots back to 1890. GSM is published by the famous stamps and collectables firm of Stanley Gibbons and each issue includes updates to their various catalo ...

'', February 2008, p. 43. as part of the computerisation of the counter services of the

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

network of

Royal Mail , kw, Postya Riel, ga, An Post Ríoga , logo = Royal Mail.svg , logo_size = 250px , type = Public limited company , traded_as = , foundation = , founder = Henry VIII , location = London, England, UK , key_people = * Keith Williams ...

using the Horizon System.

Reception

The labels received a frosty reception from

philatelists Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...

initially as they were seen as replacing postage stamps, but as they have become more complex and more stamp-like, collectors have warmed to them and they have now become a popular collecting specialism in the U.K. and an established part of modern British

postal history Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of the use of postage stamps and covers and associated postal artifacts illustrating historical episodes in the development of postal systems. The term is at ...

Timeline

The first labels were large plain labels composed purely of text but later labels are of a gold colour with a Machin head and a repeating pattern of the words ROYALMAIL in order to prevent forgery. The principal events in the development of the labels were: *14 February 2002 - First labels used in about 1000 post offices. Plain white with straight edges. *30 April 2002 - Security slits added to prevent reuse. *August & September 2002 - Labels rolled out nationally. *April 2009 - Labels with simulated perforations appear. *8 June 2009 - First gold labels appear featuring the Machin head for Special Delivery only from the

Camden High Street The A400 road is an A road in London that runs from Charing Cross (near Trafalgar Square, in London's West End) to Archway in North London. It passes some of London's most famous landmarks. The Northern line (Charing Cross and High Barnet ...

P.O., London. Gold labels gradually introduced nationally. *20 April 2010 - First labels with dual English-Welsh language inscriptions available from Welsh post offices. *23 August 2010 - Straight-edged labels reintroduced first at

Old Street Old Street is a street in inner north-east Central London that runs west to east from Goswell Road in Clerkenwell, in the London Borough of Islington, via St Luke's and Old Street Roundabout, to the crossroads where it meets Shoreditch Hi ...

then nationally. *29 September 2011 -

Value Added Tax A value-added tax (VAT), known in some countries as a goods and services tax (GST), is a type of tax that is assessed incrementally. It is levied on the price of a product or service at each stage of production, distribution, or sale to the en ...

codes added. *May 2015 - "Pre-cancelled" labels trialled at the Europhilex exhibition with corner "Single Use Only" wording. Colour changed back to white. Subsequently used nationally. *September 2015 - Barcode added to the design.

Post Office training

The training of postal workers includes the use of voided horizon labels, noted as early as 2003."Horizon Training Labels"
in ''Dummy Stamps'', Issue 25, Quarter 2, 2012, p.12
Archived here.
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References

{{Reflist

External links

Horizon Postage Labels~Full List
Philatelic terminology Philately of the United Kingdom Royal Mail