Stamp Collector

Stamp Collector gives you all the information, news, expert advice, market insight and inspiration you need to build your stamp collection and get the most from your hobby. Every issue features the latest prices, expert collecting advice, in-depth guides giving you the lowdown on classic stamp sets, new stamps, postal history, first-day covers and much more. Our stamp stories shed light on intriguing stamps and why they were produced, and our stamp sidelines pages provide an insight into postmarks, first-day covers, Cinderellas, Post & Go and Europa stamps.

Stamp Collector

WELCOME TO STAMP COLLECTOR

WRITING IN THIS ISSUE

IN MEMORIAM

France honour Queen with stamps

A star on stage and screen

New life for old language

Malta pay homage to Queen

IN BRIEF

Royal Marines • Royal Mail commemorate the elite fighting force, the on a new set of eight stamps and a four-stamp miniatures sheet. Discover more about the stamps and the related souvenirs in our stamp guide

Time to take stock • The end of the Elizabethan stamp era gives collectors a chance to take stock and reassess their approach to collecting GB, writes Richard West as he reflects on the loss of the monarch and the anticipated changes to British stamps

The artists behind an icon • The iconic images of Queen Elizabeth II are familiar to millions of people around the world, but less is known about the artists that created these ubiquitous images

QEII Classics • The presence of the Queen on our stamps has been as constant as her service to the nation. The 'Wilding' designs issued in the first years of her reign led on to the iconic Machin, hundreds of stamps celebrated the Queen and her family, and countless others commemorated her position as the head of the Commonwealth. In this special feature collectors and experts select their favourite stamp as the seventy-year reign comes to an end

STAMP COLLECTOR • Join Stamp Collector and receive an exclusive Queen Elizabeth II souvenir set

The definitive story • The many definitive stamps issued during the long reign of Queen Elizabeth II have been seen, admired and used by millions of people. Their purpose as 'everyday’ stamps seems apt, reflecting how the Queen remained a constant part of our lives for so many years. In this special guide we look back on the evolution of definitive stamps around the Commonwealth.

The face of a nation • Over the long years of her reign, stamp collectors are well aware that an image of Queen Elizabeth II appeared on every British stamp. But what about the stamps that commemorated special events in her eventful life as a working Royal? In this thematics guide, Tina Jackson looks at the way the much-loved monarch’s life can be charted through GB stamps issued at various momentous moments

A high profile stamp image • Richard Scott Morel FRPSL, Curator, British Library’s Philatelic Collections describes how Lord Lichfield’s portrait of the Queen has been used extensively, including on a series of Commonwealth postage stamps

Elizabeth II Coronation Date of issue: 3 June 1953 • As we await the first stamps of King Charles III, we look back to the last time a new monarch graced our stamps, focussing on the set of four issued to celebrate the Queen’s coronation. Using the official records held by The Postal Museum, we discover the debate, decisions and designs that led to the release of the first commemorative stamps of the QEII era

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A stamp coronation • In recent weeks we have seen sombre ceremony as the nation mourned the loss of the Queen, but there have been many happier times, including the Queen’s coronation in the summer of 1953. William Silvester looks back on the ceremony using stamps depicting the grand...