The International Philatelic Union, formed 1881, was an early international philatelic organisation formed for the study of stamps and the promotion of philately generally.Rogers-Tillstone, Capt. B. ''The Royal Philatelic Society London 1869-1969''. London: Royal Philatelic Society, 1969, p.41. Its office was located in London. The society survived to see its jubilee in 1931, and an exhibition was held to celebrate the fact, but its later history is unclear.
Stamp exchanges
The Union was notable for establishing a stamp exchange section, the ''Amateur Collectors’ Exchange'', thus originating the exchange packet system common in philatelic societies today.
Competitions
On 23 February 1901 the Union held an important competitive exhibition at the premises of the
Royal Philatelic Society
The Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) is the oldest philatelic society in the world. It was founded on 10 April 1869 as ''The Philatelic Society, London''. The society runs a postal museum, the Spear Museum of Philatelic History, at its he ...
in Effingham House, Arundel Street, London. Competitors were allowed up to fifty stamps in their entry which could be in one of five classes, 1) Great Britain or a British colony, 2) A country or colony not in class one, 3) Fiscals, 4) Envelopes and Postcards, 5) Stamps not listed in the
Stanley Gibbons
The Stanley Gibbons Group plc is a company quoted on the London Stock Exchange specialising in the retailing of collectable postage stamps and similar products. The group is incorporated in London. The company is a major stamp dealer and philat ...
catalogue. The winner was Vernon Roberts for early
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.
A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...
stamps. The catalogue for this exhibition is available in the
Crawford Library
The Crawford Library is a library of early books about philately formed between 1898 and 1913 by James Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford. By the time of his death in 1913, Crawford was thought to have amassed the greatest philatelic library of his tim ...
Fiscal Philatelic Society
The Fiscal Philatelic Society (11 January 1902 – 1928) was an early twentieth-century British philatelic society that is seen as a predecessor to today's '' The Revenue Society''. The principal object of the society was the study of fiscal stamp ...
started to struggle, it came under the wing of the I.P.U. as their ''Fiscal and Local Stamp Section''.
Liverpool Philatelic Society
The L.P.S., one of the first philatelic societies in the United Kingdom, was formed on 29 November 1888 as a branch of the I.P.U."The Liverpool Philatelic Society 1888-1988" by Richard Stevenson in ''Philatelic Paraphernalia'', No. 16, July 1988, p. 209.
Membership
A number of distinguished philatelists, often members of the Royal Philatelic Society as well, were members of the I.P.U., including:
*Franz Reichenheim
*Vernon Roberts (Vice-President)
* James Benjamin Seymour RDP (President)
* John Kercheval Sidebottom RDP (President)
* Walter Beckton RDP &
Lindenberg Medal
The Lindenberg Medal is an award given to those who provide “conspicuous service to philately” because of their investigations and contributions to philatelic literature.
It is considered by some as the Nobel Prize of Philately.Horst Hille: ' ...
*George Bishop (Hon. Secretary 1885)
*
Lionel Fulcher
Lionel William Fulcher B.Sc. (3 January 1866–11 May 1945) was a British philatelist who co-edited, with Stanley Phillips, Gibbons Stamp Monthly, was Vice President of the International Philatelic Union and was a key figure in the Fiscal Philat ...
The official organ of the Union was ''The Philatelic Journal of Great Britain'', published from 1891. As of 1938 the journal was also the official publication of the Manchester, City of London, Herts and Birmingham Philatelic Societies. In 1956
Robson Lowe
John Harry Robson Lowe (7 January 1905, London – 19 August 1997, Bournemouth) was an English professional philatelist, stamp dealer and stamp auctioneer.
Life and career
Lowe is regarded by philatelists as the father of postal history, ha ...
acquired the firm of P.L. Pemberton & Co., which included the Philatelic Journal, and eventually it was incorporated into Lowe's ''The Philatelist''.Schofield, Brian. ''Who Was Who in British Philately''. London: