Ship Of State

Recess-printed, lithographed, typographed and overprinted, the attractive Lakatoi issues of British New Guinea and Papua are a complex series with myriad varieties

The Finest Cuts For This Year's Christmas Fare

Royal Mail’s Christmas stamps, released on November 5, take a religious approach this year, featuring classy biblical scenes created by paper-cut artists Hari & Deepti.

Roaring Success?

The first stamp issue for Kenya, Uganda & Tanganyika in 1935 might have united three postal administrations, but its design and printing were far from uniform

Man Of Peace

Karl bickel not only transformed and rejuvenated Swiss stamp design in the mid-20th century but also built a monument to peace in his spare time

‘Oh Help! Oh No! It's A Gruffalo!'

A Royal Mail stamp issue on October 10 marked the 20th anniversary of the publication of The Gruffalo, the popular children’s picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.

Day Of Reckoning

However painstakingly compiled, your collection is destined to be broken up and recycled. It’s not a question of if, but when, and how?

Beasts Of Burden

Animals harnessed for postal purposes have come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the choices and some of the scenarios might surprise you

King And Kaiser

Johann Kaiser engraved only three stamp designs, but they were the first issues of the Netherlands and Dutch colonies, so his place in philatelic history is secure

Whisper Of Wilberforce

A centenary with particular resonance for Sierra Leone inspired one of the finest colonial issues of the 1930s, even if the key protagonist was barely acknowledged

Try, Try Again

With the rugby World Cup currently underway in Japan, what better time to investigate the growing potential for a rugby union thematic collection?

If The Cap Fits... Now

75 years old, the proud and defiant marianne definitives of France have been through 17 contrasting incarnations. They make great collectables, as stamps or postal history

Beep, Beep, Beep

The sound of the first artificial satellite orbiting the Earth shook the world in October 1957. You couldn’t miss the philatelic echo either, as Sputnik was lavishly celebrated by stamps from the Soviet Union and its allies

Early Prototype

The elegant first issue of St Christopher in 1870 can lay claim to being an inspiration behind De La Rue’s later key-type designs

Delivering The Goods

From street furniture to sorting office, from transport to technology, postal services have long been a recurring theme on british stamps

Imperial Splendour

India’s definitives issued to celebrate the coronation Durbar of 1911 were the first to portray a King-Emperor in full regalia, and a personal triumph for the new Viceroy.

Comic Potential?

Some of Britain’s proposed stamp issues for 2017 look a little desperate. Will September’s set praise or parody Ladybird Books?

Trade Surplus

Despite comprising only two stamps, the EFTa issue of 1967 is one of Great Britain’s most collectable commemorative sets, with multiple missing colour errors and more besides

Occupation Octagonals

Produced for use by an occupying army which was already in full retreat, Thessaly’s one and only issue comprised the world’s first octagonal stamps

House of Windsor's Home in Windsor

A set of six stamps and a miniature sheet to be issued on February 15 will feature one of Britain’s most recognisable and historic landmarks, Windsor Castle.