![Stamp UK Penny Red pl148](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Stamp_UK_Penny_Red_pl148.jpg)
Philately (; ) is the study of
postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...
s and
postal history
Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of the use of postage stamps and covers and associated postal artifacts illustrating historical episodes in the development of postal systems. The term is att ...
. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just
stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps. For instance, the stamps being studied may be very rare or reside only in museums.
Etymology
The word "philately" is the English transliteration of the French "", coined by
Georges Herpin in 1864. Herpin stated that stamps had been collected and studied for the previous six or seven years and a better name was required for the new hobby than ''timbromanie'' (roughly "stamp quest"), which was disliked.
[Williams, L.N. & M. ''Fundamentals of Philately''. State College: The American Philatelic Society, 1971, p.20.] The alternative terms "timbromania", "timbrophily", and "timbrology" gradually fell out of use as ''philately'' gained acceptance during the 1860s.
Herpin took the
Greek root word
φιλ(ο)- ''phil(o)-'', meaning "an attraction or affinity for something", and ''ateleia'', meaning "exempt from duties and taxes", to form the
neologism
A neologism Greek νέο- ''néo''(="new") and λόγος /''lógos'' meaning "speech, utterance"] is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted int ...
"philatélie".
History
Nineteenth century
As a collection field, philately appeared after the introduction of the postage stamps in 1840,
but did not gain large attraction until the mid-1850s. In the U.S., early collectors of stamps were known as 'stamp gatherers'. The
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...
re-issued stamps in 1875 due to public demand for 'old stamps', including those from before the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
.
[''A Sharp Eye on collecting US Classics'' (Sharp Photography Publications, 2021) ASIN B091MBTGJ7 (read online)] Some authors
believe that the first philatelist appeared on the day of the release of the world's first postage stamp, dated to 6 May 1840, when the Liverson, Denby and Lavie London
law office sent a letter to
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
franked with ten uncut
Penny Black
The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was first issued in the United Kingdom (referred to in philatelic circles as Great Britain), on 1 May 1840, but was not valid for use until 6 May. ...
s, stamped with the
postmark "LS.6MY6. 1840." In 1992 at an auction in
Zurich, this envelope was sold for 690,000
francs.
Already in 1846, cases of collecting stamps in large numbers were known in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. However, without reason for collection, stamps at this time were used for pasting wallpaper. The first philatelist is considered to be a postmaster going by the name Mansen, who lived in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, and in 1855 had sold his collection, which contained almost all the postage stamps issued by that time. The stamp merchant and second-hand book dealer Edard de Laplante bought it, recognizing the definitive collector's worth of the postage stamp. Due to the boom in popularity and news of this transaction, stamp merchants like Laplante began to emerge.
Towards the end of the 19th century stamp collecting reached hundreds of thousands of people of all classes. Even some states had collections of
postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...
s, for example,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
, and
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
. In countries who held national collections, museums were built to dedicate that nation's history with philately, and the first such appeared in Germany, France, and Bulgaria. Allegedly, the first of these museums housed the collection of the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
, curated by MP
Thomas Tapling
Thomas Keay Tapling (30 October 1855 – 11 April 1891) was an English businessman and politician. He played first-class cricket and was also an eminent philatelist who formed one of the greatest stamp collections of his era.
Early life
Taplin ...
and bequeathed to the Museum in 1891. The Museum für Kommunikation Berlin also had an extensive collection of stamps. The largest collection of the time belonged to Baron
Philipp von Ferrary in Paris.
As the number of postage stamp issues increased every year, collection became progressively difficult. Therefore, from the early 1880s, "collector experts" appeared, specializing their collection to only one part of the world, a group of nations, or even only one.
Twentieth century
Philately as one of the most popular types of collecting continued to develop in the 20th century. Along with the "
Scott
Scott may refer to:
Places Canada
* Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec
* Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380
* Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saska ...
", "
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 ...
", and "
Yvert et Tellier
Yvert et Tellier is a postage stamp dealer and a philatelic publishing company founded in 1895 in the northern French city of Amiens, where the head office is still located. The logo is a circle divided into a snowflake and a smiling sun. It is a ...
" catalogs, the "
Zumstein" (first published in Switzerland, 1909), and the
"Michel" (first published in Germany, 1910) catalogs began publication.
In 1934, the idea to celebrate an annual Postage Stamp Day was suggested by Hans von Rudolphi, a German philatelist. The idea was adopted rapidly in Germany, and gained later adoption in other countries. Stamp Day is a memorial day established by the postal administration of a country and annually celebrated, which is designed to attract public attention to, popularize the use of, and expand the reach of postal correspondence, and contribute to the development of philately.
In 1968,
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
dedicated a postage stamp for Stamp Day with an image of G. Sciltian's "El filatelista".
In 1926, the
Fédération Internationale de Philatélie
The Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP) was founded on 18 June 1926, and is the world federation for philately based in Zürich, Switzerland.
Aims
The primary aims of the FIP are:
*To promote stamp collecting and philately.
*To mai ...
(FIP) was founded, where international philatelic exhibitions have been regularly organized since 1929.
The first World Philatelic Exhibition in Prague was held between August and September 1962; in 1976, the FIP brought together national societies from 57 countries, which held over 100 exhibitions, and in 1987, over 60 countries entered the FIP.
Since the middle of the 20th century, philately has become the most widespread field of amateur collecting, which was facilitated by:
* significantly expanded postal exchanges between countries,
* many countries' post offices issuing:
**
commemorative
A commemorative is an object made to memorialize something.
Commemorative may refer to:
* Commemorative coin, coins that issued to commemorate something
* Commemorative medal, a medal to commemorate something
* Commemorative plaque, a plate typic ...
emissions,
** multicolor series of stamps devoted to history, the most important events of our time, art, fauna, flora, sports, etc. .;
** individual stamps,
sheets
A bed sheet is a rectangular piece of cloth used either singly or in a pair as bedding, which is larger in length and width than a mattress, and which is placed immediately above a mattress or bed, but below blankets and other bedding (such a ...
(a sheet with one or more printed stamps and inscription on the margins) and items intended specifically for philatelists;
* widespread sale of collection signs of postage (including commissioned ones), albums,
stockbooks and other items of philately;
* publication of stamp catalogs;
* national and international exhibitions organized by philatelic societies, domestic and international exchanges, philately
propaganda
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...
through specialized magazines and other
periodicals
A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a Academic journal, journal ...
.
Philately magazines, at this time, were published as far east as Poland, and as far west as North America. In Canada
''Canadian Stamp News''was established in 1976 as an off-shoot t
''Canadian Coin News'' which was launched about a decade earlier.
Philately was largely advanced by the USSR and nations within its sphere of influence, and the United States, France, the UK, and Austria. The
British Library Philatelic Collections and the postal museums in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
,
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, and
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
had unique national philately collections at that time, and among the famous private collections are those of the
Royal Philatelic Collection
The Royal Philatelic Collection is the postage stamp collection of the British royal family. It is the most comprehensive collection of items related to the philately of the United Kingdom and the British Commonwealth, with many unique pieces. ...
, F. Ferrari (Austria),
M. Burrus (Switzerland),
A. Lichtenstein,
A. Hind,
J. Boker (U.S.), and
H. Kanai (
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
).
In the mid-1970s, national philately organizations and associations existed in most countries, and 150-200 million people were involved in philately during meetings established.
Twenty-first century
From 28 August to 1 September 2004, the World Stamp Championship was held for the first time in the history of world philately in Singapore.
Types
Traditional philately is the study of the technical aspects of stamp production and stamp identification, including:
* The
stamp design
Postage stamp design is the activity of graphic design as applied to postage stamps. Many thousands of designs have been created since a profile bust of Victoria of the United Kingdom, Queen Victoria was adopted for the Penny Black in 1840; some ...
process
* The paper used (wove, laid and including watermarks)
* The method of printing (engraving, typography)
* The
gum
* The method of
separation
Separation may refer to:
Films
* ''Separation'' (1967 film), a British feature film written by and starring Jane Arden and directed by Jack Bond
* ''La Séparation'', 1994 French film
* ''A Separation'', 2011 Iranian film
* ''Separation'' (20 ...
(perforation, rouletting)
* Any
overprints on the stamp
* Any security markings,
underprint
An underprint is anything printed underneath the main design of a stamp, banknote or similar item. Underprinting is used as a security measure to prevent forgery, or the cleaning of a postmark from a used stamp. Mackay, James. ''Stamp Collecting: ...
s or perforated initials ("
perfins
In philately, a perfin is a stamp that has had initials or a name perforated across it to discourage theft. The name is a contraction of perforated initials or perforated insignia. They are also sometimes called ''SPIFS'' (Stamps Perforated wit ...
")
* The study of
philatelic fakes and forgeries
Diversification
Expanding range of activity:
*
Thematic philately
Topical or thematic stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps relating to a particular subject or concept. Topics can be almost anything, from stamps on stamps, birds, trains and poets on stamps, to famous physicians and scientists, al ...
, also known as topical philately, is the study of what is depicted on individual stamps. There are hundreds of popular subjects, such as birds, and ships, poets, presidents, monarchs, maps, aircraft, spacecraft, sports, and insects on stamps. Stamps depicted on stamps also constitute a topical area of collecting. Interesting aspects of topical philately include design mistakes and alterations; for instance, the recent editing out of cigarettes from the pictures used for United States stamps, and the stories of how particular images came to be used.
*
Postal history
Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of the use of postage stamps and covers and associated postal artifacts illustrating historical episodes in the development of postal systems. The term is att ...
studies the postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of postage stamps and covers and associated material illustrating historical episodes of postal systems both before and after the introduction of the adhesive stamps. It includes the study of
postmarks,
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
s,
postal authorities
This is a list of postal entities by country. It includes:
*The governmental authority responsible for postal matters.
*The regulatory authority for the postal sector. Postal regulation may include the establishment of postal policies, postal rate ...
, postal rates and regulations and the process by which letters are moved from sender to recipient, including routes and choice of conveyance. A classic example is the
Pony Express
The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...
, which was the fastest way to send letters across the United States during the few months that it operated.
Covers that can be proven to have been sent by the Pony Express are highly prized by collectors.
*
Aerophilately
Aerophilately is the branch of philately that specializes in the study of airmail. Philatelists have observed the development of mail transport by air from its beginning, and all aspects of airmail service have been extensively studied and docu ...
is the branch of postal history that specializes in the study of
airmail. Philatelists have observed the development of mail transport by air from its beginning, and all aspects of airmail services have been extensively studied and documented by specialists.
*
Astrophilately is the branch of postal history that specializes in the study of stamps and postmarked envelopes that are connected to outer space.
*
Postal stationery includes
stamped envelope
A stamped envelope or postal stationery envelope (PSE) is an envelope with a printed or embossed indicium indicating the prepayment of postage. It is a form of postal stationery.
United Kingdom
The Sherborn Collection in the British Library Phi ...
s,
postal card
Postal cards are postal stationery with an imprinted stamp or indicium signifying the prepayment of postage. They are sold by postal authorities. On January 26, 1869, Dr. Emanuel Herrmann of Austria described the advantages of a ''Correspon ...
s,
letter sheets,
aérogrammes (airletter sheets) and
wrappers, most of which have an
embossed or
imprinted stamp or
indicia indicating the prepayment of postage.
*
Erinnophilia is the study of objects that look like stamps, but are not postal stamps. Examples include
Easter Seals,
Christmas Seals, propaganda labels, and so forth.
*
Philatelic literature
Philatelic literature is written material relating to philately, primarily information about postage stamps and postal history.
Background to philatelic literature
Philatelic literature is held by stamp collectors and dealers, philatelic soci ...
documents the results of the philatelic study and includes thousands of books and periodicals.
*
Revenue philately is the study of stamps used to collect taxes or fees on such things as legal documents, court fees, receipts, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses and newspapers.
*
Maximaphily
Maximaphily is a branch of philately involving the study and creation of maximum cards. It is one of eleven classifications of philately recognised by the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP) and therefore has its own FIP Commission.
...
is the study of Maximum Cards. Maximum Cards can be defined as a picture postcard with a postage stamp on the same theme and cancellation, with a maximum concordance between all three.
*
Letterlocking
Letterlocking is the act of folding and securing a written message (such as a letter) on papyrus, parchment, or paper, without requiring it to be contained in an envelope or packet. It is a traditional method of document security that utilizes fol ...
includes “the process of folding and securing of letter substrates to become their own envelopes” or to create a form of “tamper-evident locking mechanism.”
Tools
Philately uses several tools, including
stamp tongs (a specialized form of tweezers) to safely handle the stamps, a strong magnifying glass and a
perforation gauge (odontometer) to measure the perforation gauge of the stamp.
The identification of
watermark
A watermark is an identifying image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), caused by thickness or density variations ...
s is equally important and may be done with the naked eye by turning the stamp over or holding it up to the light. If this fails then ''watermark fluid'' may be used, which "wets" the stamp to reveal the mark.
Other common tools include
stamp catalog
A stamp catalog (or stamp catalogue) is a catalog of postage stamp types with descriptions and prices.
The stamp catalog is an essential tool of philately and stamp collecting. Stamp catalogs are part of philatelic literature.
Similar catalog ...
s,
stamp stock book
Stockbooks are storage books used by stamp collectors for storage of postage stamps placed in pockets, on pages, for easy viewing. Other philatelic items, such as plate blocks, miniature sheets, covers, lettersheets, etc., can be stored in stock ...
s and
stamp hinge In philately, stamp hinges, or mounts, are small, folded, transparent, rectangular pieces of paper coated with a mild gum. They are used by stamp collectors to affix postage stamps onto the pages of a stamp album. Mackay, James. ''Stamp Collecting ...
s.
Organizations
![Spring Stampex 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Spring_Stampex_2011.jpg)
Philatelic organizations sprang up soon after people started collecting and studying stamps. They include local, national and international clubs and societies where collectors come together to share the various aspects of their hobby.
The world's oldest philatelic society is the
Royal Philatelic Society London
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 ...
, which was founded on 10 April 1869, as the Philatelic Society. In North America, the major national societies include the
American Philatelic Society
The American Philatelic Society (APS) is the largest nonprofit stamp collecting foundation of philately in the world. Both the membership and interests of the society are worldwide.
History
The organization, originally named the ''American Phil ...
; the
Royal Philatelic Society of Canada
The Royal Philatelic Society of Canada is the premier philatelic organization in Canada. It is a member of the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (F.I.P.) and the Federation Inter-Americana de Filatelia (F.I.A.F.).
The Patron of the socie ...
; and the
Mexico-Elmhurst Philatelic Society, International.
Local clubs and societies have been established in many cities of the world. The
International Philatelic Federation was formed in 1926 which is originally based in Zurich, Switzerland but is now known to be the world federation for philately.
See also
*
List of notable postage stamps
*
List of philatelic topics
This is a list of philatelic topics.
__NOTOC__
A
*Acknowledgement of receipt
* Adhesive (stamp gum)
*Admirals
*Aerogram
*Aerophilately
*Affixing machine
*Airmail
*Airmail etiquette
*Airmail stamp
*Alexandria "Blue Boy" Postmaster's Provisional
...
*
List of philatelists
This is a list of philatelists, persons notable for their contributions to philately.
B
* David Beech MBE FRPSL, "Former President of the Royal Philatelic Society London, Head Curator of the Philatelic Collection of the British Library"
* Os ...
*
List of philatelic awards
This list of philatelic awards is an index to articles describing notable awards for philately. The list shows the country of the sponsor(s) of each award, but recipients are not necessarily limited to people from that country.
See also
* Lists ...
*
Postal history
Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of the use of postage stamps and covers and associated postal artifacts illustrating historical episodes in the development of postal systems. The term is att ...
*
Stamp collecting
*
Numismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals and related objects.
Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also includ ...
- the study and collection of coinage and currency
References
Further reading
*
Sefi, A.J. ''An Introduction to Advanced Philately, with special reference to typical methods of stamp production''. London: Rowley & Rowley, 1926. (2nd edition 1932) (Electronic facsimile edition
Royal Philatelic Society London
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 ...
2010.)
*Sutton, R.J. & K.W. Anthony. ''The Stamp Collector's Encyclopaedia''. 6th edition. London: Stanley Paul, 1966.
*
Williams, L.N. & M. ''Fundamentals of Philately''. State College: The American Philatelic Society, 1971.
External links
Can Plastic Films Damage My Stamps? Translated from an article by Ib Krarup Rasmussen published in Dansk Filatelistisk Tidsskrift Number 4, 2008.Stamps and Plastics – the Good and the Bad by Roger Rhoads, 2009.1948 Olympic Stamp - UK Parliament Living Heritage
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