XANTHE'S
STAMP MAGAZINE

Another new issue from Belgium is about a different kind of wildlife. Seaweed. That might not seem very exciting, but I think seaweed can be as interesting as anything else. It is full of life and it can be a refuge for other kinds of wildlife. We don't think much about seaweed but it is important. It helps fight climate change because it produces oxygen and also helps with carbon storage. It also helps absorb nutrients and so it prevents the sea getting too acidic. It's usef

A new issue from Belgium is called "Real Woodpeckers of Belgium", which makes you ask whether they have a "Fake Woodpeckers of Belgium" issue planned for next year. However, the strange title doesn't really matter. Here we have five stamps (two large, three small) depicting Belgium's native woodpeckers. These are the Eurasian Green Woodpecker (left, top), the Black Woodpecker (left, bottom), the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (right, top), the Middle Spotted Woodpecker (right, mi

Royal Mail's Christmas stamps for 2026 have been unveiled. I'm not going to review them yet because I leave that until December when I review the Christmas stamps from various countries together. However, I want to write something because of the reactions to these stamps and because I feel that Royal's Mail's choice of design is influenced by the fact it anticipates these kinds of reactions. What do I mean? Well, let's take a look at some of these. These are just a tiny numbe