Magazine Review: Stamp Collector

In the next few weeks I will be reviewing some stamp magazines. Although Stamp Magazine was discontinued last year there are still a few out there and I kick things off with a look at Stamp Collector.

The edition I am looking at is June 2026.

The first thing to say is that there is a lot in this. And I mean a lot. There is even a separate Coin Collector section.

There are a lot of different sections in this magazine, which is very well organised. I think it makes sense to go through these sections and give my comments. Stamp update: This is basically a section with recent news. There is information about the sale of a block of 24 Penny Blacks, known as the Seymour Block. This sold at auction or £500,000 which is slightly more than I could have paid for it. There was also news about the Letter Box Study group's 50th anniversary, the World' Best Stamp Competition for 2025 (which was won by China), ASPS Congress, a new South Africa catalogue, the 50th anniversary of the Faroese Postal Service and a tribute to Robin Pizer FRPSL.

New stamps / GB Stamps: This section lists new releases from New Zealand, Malta, the Isle of Man, Alderney, Spain and Estonia. There is also a brief look at the United Nations, USA and France. There are two pages taking a look at Royal Mail's latest stamps - the Centenary of the Birth of Queen Elizabeth II. Obviously the new GB stamps will always be covered but there was no obvious reason why the other specific countries's stamps are being put under the spotlight and not stamps from Jersey, Guernsey, the Netherlands and Italy (for example).

These write-ups just provide information about the new stamps. Unfortunately, unlike Stamp Magazine, they do not provide any analysis or opinion. I would like to see Stamp Collector provide some critical thought about these stamps instead of just providing the kind of information you find on the websites of philatelic bureaux. I think that my reviews are better because I try to engage with the stamps and offer an opinion, something that I really used to like about Stamp Magazine. I would really like to know what the experts at Stamp Collector think!

The two pages on Royal Mail's latest issue provide more detailed information but again there is a lack of opinion or expert analysis. There was, however, some useful historical information about the Queen's life.

View from Europe: Michael Burzan is a regular writer for Stamp Collector. In this edition he takes a look at Philately and Pentecost Traditions. I don't think this is a particularly common theme on stamps but Michael explores stamps from the Vatican City, Luxembourg, Moldova, Moldova, the Netherlands, Great Britain and the Azores. He looks at theological meaning, rural and folk traditions, season rituals, processions and festivities, and Whitsun traditions (such as Morris Dancing and Cheese Rolling on British stamps). There is clearly a lot more out there then you would imagine! Michael concludes by saying that "Communities across time and place have celebrated renewal, unity and the presence of the sacred in everyday life" and it is perhaps not surprising that this finds its way onto stamps.

Collecting GB: In this month's Collecting GB section Richard West MBE takes a extensive look at later self-adhesives. He writes well and shows how the use of self-adhesive stamps has changed from an experiment in 1993 to being widely used today. I thought this was a useful article about recent stamp history.

There are several pages dedicated to auction updates, which weren't of real interest to me but I can see how they are valuable to dealers and other collectors.

Market Watch: This month the focus is on Prestige and Imperfection, with a look at errors in the Wilding Series (1952-67) and early Commonwealth issues. I found the information about errors and how they happen interesting but I wasn't so interested in the focus on prices and values.

Postal History: This month's postal history section focuses on the 3d British Empire Card. This card was a short-lived (1889-1891) postcard that could be sent anywhere in the British Empire. Maurice Buxton explains the background, how the card was prepared and created, how it was used and why it didn't last too long. There are helpfully a lot of photographs of examples of this card, and some of these are really interesting from a historical perspective. I had never heard of this card before and I learned a lot from reading this. I have no idea how much these cards would be worth but if I found one at a stamp fair I would certainly be interested in adding it to my collection.

Stamp Story: This is a great section, where someone tells the story of a particular stamp. This month Chris West has chosen Japan's 2005 Pikachu stamp and takes a deeper look at the history of Pokemon. I really like this, not just because I'm interested in Pokemon but because some sections of the magazine can feel a bit geeky or academic, but this always feels like something anyone could read. Adults and young people would like this and I think even non-collectors would find it interesting. This history is fascinating but it is presented in a really easy to read way. Chris finishes by saying "this simple, jolly stamp turns out to be a tribute to originality, courage, trust and far-sightedness" and I couldn't agree more.

Collect by Country: This month the country is the Faroe islands, which is not really a surprise as it's 50 years since the first ever Faroe Islands official issue. The article takes a look at the history of Faroese stamps but also talks a lot about what makes the islands unique. Christer Brunström - a Swedish journalist - explains the importance of fishing to the local economy, tells us about the Faroese capital Tórshavn, takes us on a journey through the Faroes' history and introduces us to the island's birdlike and language. Christer also has some interesting information about the islands' provisional stamps from 1919.

The article contains lots of photography including one which is a stunning image of a beautiful landscape. The pictures of stamps are really helpful and we get a fantastic vintage vibe from some of the older ones.

I think 50 years of Faroese stamps is definitely worth celebrating. I have always liked Faroe Islands stamps which I think are very special and often say something about life in the islands.

Collecting by Theme: This is always an interesting section and you never know what to expect. This month the themes are Tomáš Masaryk and Cultural Capitals of Europe.

I'll start with Tomáš Masaryk. Have you heard of him? Me neither, which is a shame because he was clearly a very important person. He was the founding father of Czechoslovakia who did a lot to help his country gain independence in 1918. He was elected the country's first president. He helped build a nation and that takes a great amount of effort and vision.

The article by Alastair Gunn explores the history of Czechoslovakia and tells us about Tomáš's life, both before and after Czechoslovakian independence. He was an MP for the wonderfully-named Realist Party, which he founded, in the Austrian parliament. As well as being a politician he was a professor of philosophy with an interest in "practical ethics". Initially Tomáš wanted the Austro-Hungarian Empire to become a federal nation which would give Czechs and Slovaks semi-independence, but as time went on he became more committed to total independence.

A lot of early Czechoslovakian stamps showed Tomáš, which was not very surprising. Alastair tells us about these stamp issues - "from 1920 to 1939, Czechoslovakia always had at least one valid stamp bearing his image" - and talks us through them. He also tells us about later issues, including the 1947 issue to mark the 10th anniversary of his death. Pictures show interesting covers and postmarks. It's a great article that not only provides great insight into early Czech stamps but highlights the importance of one of its most important politicians.

The article about Cultural Capitals of Europe is written by Michael Burzan. Michael explores various stamps that have celebrated Europe's Capital of Culture since it was first designated in 1985. I didn't realise there were so many! Michael explains the origins of the programme, the significance of Glasgow 1990 (my dad definitely agrees) and then discusses various stamp issues. I think it is very important to celebrate Cultural Capitals on stamps and some of the issues are simply outstanding, especially the 2020 Croatia/Ireland joint issue and the 2022 Luxembourg issue. However, my favourite is the original 1985 Greek set celebrating Athens (where else?) being the first European Cultural Capital. There is something timeless about them.

As you might expect there are also pages of adverts .

That's my summary of the magazine. The best article, in my opinion, was Stamp Story and it is always something I enjoy reading. What is really good about Stamp Collector is the amount of detail and the variety of articles. At £6.99 it is pretty good value for money (especially if you happen to collect both stamps and coins). If I could change anything it would be to actually review new stamps.

Xanthe's scores: Expert knowledge: 5/5 Quality of articles: 5/5 Range of topics: 5/5 Magazine design: 4/5 Distinct identity: 5/5 Appeal to young people: 2/5 Quality of images: 5/5 Ease of reading: 3/5 Usefulness for collectors: 4/5 Historical interest: 5/5 Originality: 5/5 Value for Money: 4/5 Good for beginners: 2/5 TOTAL SCORE: 54/65