April 2026

Contents to Volume 56, Number 11

A collection of the latest philatelic news from around the world.

More of the latest reports from the nation’s philatelic societies.

Forthcoming fairs and auctions.

News of recent auction results.

Richard West introduces postal history for new collectors, explaining how covers and letters reveal routes, rates and real journeys and offering practical ideas for building meaningful collections from surviving mail across the centuries.

Royal Mail marks 125 years of Hornby Model Railways with four nostalgic se-tenant pairs, then blossoms into beauty with elegant rose stamps honouring Britain’s enduring love affair with flowers.

Robert Galland FRPSL explores the explanatory slips enclosed with returned British World War II mail, decoding their types, purposes and rare variants while revealing how censorship labels exposed the hidden rules governing wartime postal communication.

John Deering delves into Royal Mail’s retro Stranger Things prestige stamp booklet, uncovering ‘upside-down’ panes, hidden fluorescent surprises and discrete microtext printing that offers some useful production clues.

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

Michael Waugh FRPSL guides readers through the more elusive stamps of Malaya, from scarce postage dues and tricky surcharges to classic Straits Settlements rarities, highlighting the varieties, pitfalls and prizes that challenge even seasoned specialists.

Edward Barrow examines a remarkable postal relic from the 1924 Mount Everest Expedition—a publicity postcard that travelled from the Himalayas to Trinidad, that offers a tangible link to one of mountaineering’s greatest enduring mysteries.

Richard West and Christer Brunström explore how Britain and the Nordic countries are inspiring new collectors.

Neil Donen and Peter Gilmour turn to New Zealand mail from the failed 1935 Trans-Tasman flight, examining how preparation, routing, salvage and rare ‘Too Late’ items fit into the flight’s lasting postal legacy.

Christopher Moor offers an illustrated study of two charity teddy bear issues released by New Zealand in the 21st century, examining their design and production, the fund-raising impact they made and the public’s response to their issue.

Despite the Crown Agents’ reputation for frugality, pressure from Sierra Leone’s postal authorities eventually forced the expansion of its stamp issues. John Winchester explores the origins, production and collectability of the resultant 1872 defintives by De La Rue.

John Winchester marks 150 years of France’s ‘Peace and Commerce’ definitives, tracing their origins, design evolution and collectible varieties, from early Types and rare printings to colonial use, reprints and later philatelic revivals.

Discover how a tie on a 1986 Trinidad and Tobago stamp caused some unexpected controversy upon its release.

Geir Sør-Reime presents the first of his two-part annual survey of foreign stamp booklets.

A summary of recent and forthcoming issues.

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

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

Stamps to look out for from the Cayman Islands.

Guy Thomas discusses the golden age of postal communications and asks at what point did it come to an end.

Enter the GSM competition for the opportunity to win one of five SG catalogue titles.

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

The latest 17-page update to the Stanley Gibbons Catalogue.