New Issue: Chameleons of Namibia (Namibia)

Here is a set of stamps I meant to review a few weeks ago and didn't get round to because I've been in Scotland and then at Stampex. However, I thought I would come back to it even if it's a bit late because I find these stamps very interesting.

I am very interested in nature as some of you will know. There have been other chameleon stamps (e.g. France 1971, Madagascar 1973 or Zambia 1984) but they're not the most common animal to be found on stamps. What is more interesting is that these chameleons are native to Namibia. They're not endangered in south-west Africa but they're not animals I knew much about. The flap-necked chameleon is found widely in sub-Saharan Africa but the Namaqua chameleon can be found only in Namibia and parts of South Africa and Angola.

Design Quality: The stamps use plain backgrounds, which makes sense because chameleons change colour to blend into the background... if you used more realistic, natural backgrounds you might not see the chameleon! The miniature sheet adds a picture of a chameleon catching a spider, which I think helps the overall design. 7/10 Theme and Subject Choice: Local wildlife is a safe theme and heavily-used but it's not a bad one. 7/10 Historical and Cultural Relevance: Chameleons are popular and well-respected animals in Namibia. 8/10 Innovation and Creativity: The use of the miniature sheet background is quite creative and it really adds something. 6/10 Collectability: People definitely like wildlife stamps and these are quite affordable. Chameleons are also quite unusual making these a little different. 7/10 Personal Appeal: I think that these chameleon stamps are very interesting as you don't usually see any stamps related to animals such as chameleons. I also think that the background on the mini sheet is quite interesting; the only negative I have is that the chameleons are on a plain background but as I point out there might be a reason for this. 7/10 Overall Score: 42/60