In 1890,
Charles James Phillips bought the business of
Stanley Gibbons. Phillips was already producing and editing a philatelic journal called
The Stamp Advertiser and Auction Record but that was soon replaced with the new
Gibbons Monthly Journal. In 1905, a new magazine was introduced,
Gibbons Stamp Weekly, and in June 1908 the
Journal was discontinued. However, producing a quality weekly magazine was too much, and in December 1910, the
Weekly ceased and
Gibbons Monthly Journal returned from January 1911 until it ceased with the outbreak of war in 1914. Stanley Gibbons did not produce a journal during the First World War, but in September 1919,
Stanley Gibbons Monthly Circular was introduced, which lasted for 49 issues. In October 1923,
Stanley Gibbons Monthly Journal returned once again. The new
Journal lasted until September 1927, when it was replaced by
Gibbons Stamp Monthly from October 1927. GSM did not close during the Second World War, although it was much reduced in size, and the whole of the May 1941 issue was destroyed by enemy bombing, leading to an "Emergency Issue" being produced. Post-war paper rationing and electricity cuts were also a problem, and the staff sometimes had to work by candlelight. The first all-colour cover was introduced in September 1963. In 1967 an American sister journal, the
Gibbons-Whitman Stamp Monthly, was introduced but this ceased publication in 1969. In June 1970, the word
Gibbons was dropped from the title so that it became just
Stamp Monthly but the old name was reinstated in June 1977. Apart from minor changes the magazine has continued in the same format since then. == Availability ==