XANTHE'S
STAMP MAGAZINE

Here's another new issue, this time from Finland. It celebrated friendship and shows people doing different things together. The pictures speak for themselves. These have been issued with Valentine's Day in mind (maybe a bit early?) and you can see why. They were designed by Pietari Posti, who says: "The stamps are cheerful and warm images of friendship, spending time together and shared moments. The themes of the stamps center around the different dimensions of friendship

Here's another new issue, Wild Isle of Man. This issue is a set of ten stamps, which are available in this eye-catching miniature sheet. The stamps show island landscapes, wildlife and coastal heritage. They were designed by Andy North, a photographer who is also the author of Wild Guide Isle of Man . They're not just landscapes though - we see people in all of these stamps interacting with nature and the countryside and enjoying being outdoors in the Isle of Man. Some are w

Royal Mail has confirmed the special stamps issues for the first half of the year. I was looking forward to seeing what they had to offer this year. I don't like every stamp issue but usually there is something a bit different each year. Last year there were stamps about the Royal Armouries, the Royal Observatory, Monty Python and Peanuts. Some were better than others but at least these were good attempts and "something completely different". (See, I learned a lot about Monty