Stamp Magazine - September 2021

In this issue

In our September issue we tell the story of greetings telegrams, which were introduced by the General Post Office in the 1930s to rehabilitate the grim reputation of the standard telegram, and added a little happiness to people’s lives and philatelic collections. We also focus on the Government Houses of the British Empire, the stately homes of the Queen’s representatives around the world. Many of these local seats of power have been illustrated on attractive stamps, and have a fascinating history behind them. Amongst our regular features, Commonwealth Classics recalls the rather amateurish overprints which followed the establishment of British rule in Fiji, while Great Engravers celebrates the work of Sem Hartz, and especially his superbly crafted portraits for Dutch stamps of the mid-20th century. Black Magic explains why the introduction of the Penny Black coincided with the increasing popularity of the envelope. Our news pages have full details of Royal Mail’s latest special issue, Wild Coasts, while the highlight of our auctions round-up is the world’s most expensive philatelic item!