XANTHE'S
STAMP MAGAZINE

I attended Stampex last week (two days, Friday and Saturday) and it was my fifth time there. I have looked back over my review of last year's Stampex and I noticed that I ended by saying "I don't think I had enough time at Stampex but hopefully next year, when it is held during half-term week, I will be able to spend more time talking to people, looking through all the exhibitions and visiting more of the dealers." I also added that "I think Stampex is a very important event

I ask all the important questions here at Xanthe's Stamp Magazine. For example... Is Royal Mail too interested in the commercial side of things? Why are Polish stamps so good? What are the best ways for young collectors to get their stamps? And are some stamps just not worth the money? (If they're gold stamps with a cartoon picture of Garfield, then the answer is they're definitely not.) I have been looking at German stamps this week and one of them raises an even more imp

Here is a remarkable new issue from Norway. The stamps show bees - the first is the Tree Bumblebee (bombus hypnorum) and the second is the Western Honey Bee (apis mellifera). Both of these are very common bees in Norway and across Europe. Have you ever thought how beautiful bees are? Design Quality: The design is basic and depends on photographs. But these are excellent examples of macrophotography that are very "up close and personal" with the bees. They are fantastically