All these news stories, and others, can be read in full in the April 2005 Philatelic Exporter

Charles and Camilla wedding gets royal stamp of approval

ROYAL Mail is to issue two stamps to commemorate the forthcoming royal wedding of HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, and Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles.
The stamps will be issued on April 8 2005, the day of the wedding, which will take place in Windsor.

Manning acquires John Bull

GREG Manning Auctions Inc expanded its philatelic empire in March with the outright purchase of John Bull Stamp Auctions Ltd of Hong Kong.

Site earmarked for British Postal Museum

Record profit for SG

STANLEY Gibbons returned a record profit of £1,743,000 for the year ending December 31 2004, 42% up on the 2003 figure of £1,227,000. This was achieved on sales of £10,051,000 (2003 - £8,622,000).

Four more tsunami issues

FOLLOWING San Marino's tsunami relief stamp (March 2005 PE), Belgium, France, China, and Qatar have since announced issues.

Also this month:

Advertise! Advertise! Advertise!
By Peter McBride
THE transfer of the recent Hong Kong Stampex 2005 from the City Hall in Central to the Chinese YMCA next to the fabulous International Exhibition Centre did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm and expectations of the organising committee ... total attendance was probably somewhere in the region of 1000, an understandable but regrettable far cry from the days when 250,000 for a Hong Kong show was the norm.
For decades I have advised show organisers that the three main aspects of promoting an exhibition are:
1 Advertising!
2 Advertising!
3 Advertising! ...

Regulars

Back Stamps:

Forthcoming Auctions:

New Issues:

Trade Diary:

Around the Rooms:

Your Letters:

People:

Stampex bodes well for the future

WINTRY weather and the resulting travel disruptions failed to deter collectors from attending Spring Stampex on February 23 to 26. Although some regular visitors did fail to appear, the overall attendance of over 6750 was the third highest at the Business Design Centre since 1997, indicating that the popularity of Stampex - and the hobby of stamp collecting - continues to flourish.

Castles refurbished

FIFTY years after they were first issued, Royal Mail has marked the anniversary of the first 'Castles' high value definitive stamps.
The stamps were reissued on March 22 2005 and, true to the originals, were printed using the intaglio process, and feature the perforations used at that time (11 x 11.5).

Barrington Smith returns with new list

MAKING a welcome return to these pages is Barrington Smith, the collectables accessories wholesaler who occupied the inside front cover of the PE for several decades.
Reason for the return is the publication of the new Trade List 2005-2006 which contains 204 pages - the largest ever - and, for the first time, hundreds of colour illustrations.

British Legion charity issue

THE Royal British Legion, the registered charity which offers support to former and current British servicemen and their dependants, has produced a fund-raising sheet of stamps. It commemorates the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Bath Postal Museum is sorted

AFTER many months' concern about its future, the Bath Postal Museum has been offered new premises - the basement of the redeveloped Post Office at the corner of Broad Street and Green Street in Bath.

Treskilling Yellow book

A LUXURY 186-page 'coffee table' book chronicling the fascinating story of the Swedish Treskilling Yellow stamp error has just been published.

From our contributors

Otto Hornung - In My View:

James Skinner - Great Britain:

Albert Boerma - Europe:

Glen Stephens - Australasia:

Liz McKernan - Postcard World:

David Rennie - New Books: