XANTHE'S
STAMP MAGAZINE

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

A new issue from Canada has been released in time for Hallowe'en! Some of you will know from what I wrote last year that I am a big fan of Hallowe'en stamps! Do I like this set of three stamps? Last year I said that my favourite Hallowe'en themed stamps were the Haunted Canada stamps of 2014-2016. I don't know if these are quite as good, but I definitely like them. Design Quality: It's a very striking design and the use of colour and shadow is very effective. The three st