The best new stamps of 2025

For the last few months I've been reviewing new stamp issues from Great Britain, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and occasionally anywhere else that has an eye-catching or interesting new release.

At the end of the year, I've looked back over the scores I have given and created a league table. It is definitely interesting! Because of my ratings give a score in six different categories, it doesn't always follow that the stamps I like least are at the bottom - there was one set I really didn't like but it would have been unfair not give it full marks for "cultural and historic relevance" and so it had a higher score than some others I thought were all right if not very exciting.

However, the stamps I liked most did come out near the top. Before I announce the top three, I would like to say it has been very tough picking an overall winner (two were tied on 54/60) and even third place (three were tied on 50/60). The top spot was decided by which issue I was most impressed with, which was pretty tough. I decided that all three issues tied on 50 points should share third place. So, which 2025 issue wins the Xanthe's Stamp Magazine Gold Award?

GOLD AWARD

First place goes to Sark for it's wildflower definitives.

It was a very tough call but I eventually opted to go with these fantastic stamps, which are the first ever definitive issue for the island of Sark. Well done Guernsey Stamps, which issued this brilliant set. SILVER AWARD

Second place is awarded to Jersey Post for this amazing issue celebrating Jersey's shipbuilding history.

I am sure you will agree this is an incredible set. I love the artwork and the sense of history. This is, in my view, the best commemorative issue of the year and definitely one of the most interesting that I have reviewed. BRONZE AWARD

Joint third place goes to:

Domesticated Animals (Norway)

Brewed on Mann (IOM)

The Butter Croissant (France)

As a shout-out to some of the other great issues of 2025, here are my top ten of the year alongside their scores out of 60:

54 Shipbuilding (Jersey)

54 Definitives (Sark)

50 Domesticated Animals (Norway)

50 The Butter Croissant (France)

50 Brewed on Mann (IOM)

49 Coins of the IOM (IOM)

49 Children’s Welfare Stamps (Netherlands)

48 History of Black Butter (Jersey)

46 Royal Air Force Association of Jersey (Jersey)

46 Jimmy Carter (USA)

It's interesting that Jersey and the Isle of Man are well represented, perhaps because of their focus on local history and culture. There were no Royal Mail issues in the top ten. At the other end of the table, the bottom two were both from Royal Mail - The Stamps of Queen Victoria (15/60) and Monopoly (16/60). This was mainly because I thought they lacked creativity. They were not my least favourite stamps, but they were certainly the most uninspiring.

So, well done Jersey Post, Guernsey Stamps, Posten, Isle of Man Stamps and Coins and La Poste. I'm looking forward to what you will create in 2026.