vol. 46(8): 1-178

Gibbons Stamp Monthly

Plot

NEWSDESK
7 Newsdesk- Catch up with all the latest news from the philatelic world.
16 Society News-More reports from the nation's Philatelic Societies.
18 Diary Dates- Forthcoming fairs and auctions.
22 Around the Houses- News of recent auction results.
BRITISH STAMPS
30 GB News- Royal Mail celebrates the 'greatest survival story of all time'. Plus, we see what the much-anticipated Star Wars p.s.b. has to offer.
33 Machin Watch- John Deering explains the complex story behind the recent 'Long to Reign Over Us' miniature sheet, highlights this year's Christmas issue and reveals the latest Post & Go developments.
38 Fraudulent Use of the £5 Orange-John Horsey FRPSL explains why the fraudulent use of the £5 Orange in Victorian times was not restricted to specimen examples.
40 The Philatelic Exhibitions of London: Europhilex 2015 (Part 4)- Derek Connell continues his series on the exhibitions of London. In this final instalment he highlights more souvenirs and collectables obtained from the London 2015 international.
46 British Private Posts- John Holman reports on recent developments in Downstream Access, End-to-End delivery, Christmas charity mail and the latest tourist, railway and island issues.
50 GB Specialised Supplement- The latest supplement to the GB Specialised Catalogue.
SPECIAL FEATURES
52 The Classic Pictorials of Liberia- The pictorial issues of Liberia were snapped up by contemporary collectors and are still highly desirable today. Christer Brunstrbm takes a closer look at their history, design and errors.
56 Chris Matthews: A Career in Engraving (Part 2) Glenn Morgan continues his profile on the career of Chris Matthews—from his first official engraving of The Queen in the mid-eighties, to his work on Royal Mail's 2015 'Long to Reign Over Us' miniature sheet.
68 A Round-up of Stamps from 2015-John Holman looks back on some of the key stamp issues produced by the world's bureaus over the past year.
70 Whitfield King & Co- Michael Peach gives an in-depth history of Whitfield King & Co—from its humble beginnings in the early 1 870s, to its position as one of the largest stamp dealerships in the UK.
108 Basil in Sri Lanka- Basil Herwald explores Sri Lanka's rich culture, famous landmarks and fascinating history—all of which are represented on its stamps.
114 George Odom and L Barrington Smith David Horry returns with an update on the life, philatelic enterprises and possible covert intelligence operations of George Odom.
122 The Postmarks of Benin: Part 3- Nicholas Pertwee highlights the machine cancellations, meter marks and dumb franks of Benin
126 Plight of the Bumblebee- Barry Floyd provides a thematic guide to the industrious and vital bee.
REGULAR FEATURES
24 New Collector- In a special edition of his monthly feature, John Holman looks at the career of stamp designer Jennifer Tombs.
55 Dear GSM- Readers have their say, courtesy of the GSM postbag
63 2015 Issues- The Faroe Islands, Guernsey, Jersey and Macao review their 2015 issues and reveal what's in store for 2016.
130 Competition- Another chance to win a £50 Stanley Gibbons voucher
131 Bookshelf- Reviews of the latest philatelic publications.
137 Stamp Hunting- Nimrod highlights some desirable stamps from Malawi.
138 The Unissued Stamps of King George VI More fun from the Hedley Adams Mobbs collection.
138 Catalogue Column- Hugh Jefferies reveals the first law of catalogue publishing.
NEW ISSUES
132 Stamp News in Brief- A summary of recent and forthcoming issues.
134 Panorama- Alison Boyd investigates the stories behind some of the latest stamp issues from around the world.
136 Shore to Shore Jersey and Guernsey celebrate the Chinese New Year, while the Isle of Man flies high with its latest issue.
139 Catalogue Supplement- An 18-page update to the Stanley Gibbons Catalogue.