February 2020

Contents to Volume 50, Number 9

The latest philatelic news from around the world.

More reports from the nation’s Philatelic Societies.

Forthcoming fairs and auctions.

News of recent auction results.

Following his article on surcharged stamps in last month’s GSM, Hugh Jefferies discusses the reasons behind various other types of overprinted stamps, including those for official and emergency use, and for newly introduced services.

We discover what the latest British stamps have to offer as Royal Mail celebrates Britain’s contribution to the early video game industry.

Robert Galland FRPSL showcases Wilding mail sent to or from areas of conflict – from the Cold War era to the Indonesian-Malaysia Confrontation.

In this concluding article looking at the Francis Freeling correspondence, we highlight a selection of letters that either seek clarification of the rules for the Free Franking privilege or contain complaints from those who have fallen foul of them.

John Deering takes a moment to reflect on the past 12 months with an end-of-year round up of M19L Security Machins.

The latest supplement to the Stanley Gibbons Great Britain Specialised Catalogue.

The latest book and catalogue releases read and rated.

The volcanic island of Mauritius is this month’s destination for Noel Davenhill as he continues his series charting the philatelic history of colonial stamps up to the early Elizabethan period.

A detailed account of the first stamps issued by the cantons of Zurich, Geneva and Basel is given here by Marc Burgess of the Helvetia Philatelic Society.

The first groundbreaking flight from England-Australia and the mail connected to it, in particular those with an Indian connection, is illustrated by Pradip Jain FRPSL.

George James, Head of Commonwealth at Stanley Gibbons, dips into a rogue’s gallery of fakes and forgeries to show readers how to avoid the pitfalls of buying covers.

Alan Wishart FRPSL takes a look at the German overprinted stamps used for the first issues of the Free City of Danzig.

With several printers and numerous papers used, the stamps of the first South African Republic are notoriously difficult to identify. Lars Jorgensen RDPSA explains how to differentiate the stamps produced by the five different printers involved.

Michael Peach examines the philatelic legacy left behind by Hugh Vallancey, a driving force of philatelic literature during the first half of the last century and an important figure in contemporary organised philately.

In his regular look at the philatelic marketplace, Nimrod highlights the stamps of Northern Rhodesia that are worth keeping a collector’s eye out for.

Mike Dovey of the TPO & Seapost Society outlines the pioneering technological developments of the late 1920s used to make the earliest attempts at transferring mail from ship to shore.

In another article on ‘dead’ countries, John Moody takes us to Africa to trace the philatelic history of two very different ex-French Colonies – Mauritania and Ubangi-Shari.

A summary of recent and forthcoming issues.

We highlight the latest new issues from the Isle of Man, Alderney and Jersey.

Alison Boyd investigates the stories behind some of the latest stamp issues from around the world.

Win a £50 Stanley Gibbons voucher.

Hugh Jefferies offers more collecting advice from the Catalogue Editor’s chair.

A 11-page update to the Stanley Gibbons Catalogue.