Philately is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. While closely associated with stamp collecting and 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.
Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is an area of philately, which is the study of stamps. It has been one of the world's most popular hobbies since the late nineteenth century with the rapid growth of the postal service, as a stream of new stamps was produced by countries that sought to advertise their distinctiveness through their stamps.
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 attributed to Robson Lowe, a professional philatelist, stamp dealer and stamp auctioneer, who made the first organised study of the subject in the 1930s and described philatelists as "students of science", but postal historians as "students of humanity". More precisely, philatelists describe postal history as the study of rates, routes, markings, and means.
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.
This is a list of philatelic topics.
Airmail is a mail transport service branded and sold on the basis of at least one leg of its journey being by air. Airmail items typically arrive more quickly than surface mail, and usually cost more to send. Airmail may be the only option for sending mail to some destinations, such as overseas, if the mail cannot wait the time it would take to arrive by ship, sometimes weeks. The Universal Postal Union adopted comprehensive rules for airmail at its 1929 Postal Union Congress in London. Since the official language of the Universal Postal Union is French, airmail items worldwide are often marked Par avion, literally: "by airplane".
An airmail stamp is a postage stamp intended to pay either an airmail fee that is charged in addition to the surface rate, or the full airmail rate, for an item of mail to be transported by air.
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 documented by specialists.
A crash cover is a philatelic term for a type of cover, meaning an envelope or package that has been recovered from an air crash, train wreck, shipwreck or other accident. Crash covers are a type of interrupted mail.
A philatelic cover is an envelope prepared with a stamp(s) and address and sent through the mail delivery system for the purpose of creating a collectible item. Stamp collectors began to send mail to each other and to themselves early on, and philatelic mail is known from the late 19th century onward. While some collectors specialize in philatelic covers, especially first day covers and cacheted covers, others regard them as contrived objects that are not reflective of real-world usage, and often will pay a higher price for a cover that represents genuine commercial use. However, mail sent by stamp collectors is no less a genuine article of postage than is mail sent with no concern of seeing the mailed item again. Philatelic covers include mail from first airmail flight and first day of stamp issues ceremonies. Over the years there have been numerous Expositions where special postmarks are made and where a post office is set up where mail can be sent from on the given date of the Expo'. Like any other genuine item of mail these covers include postage stamps and postmarks of the time period and were processed and delivered by an official postal system. Often a philatelic cover will have more historical significance than randomly mailed covers as philatelic covers are also often mailed from the location on the date of an important or noteworthy event, like an inauguration or a space launch.
Astrophilately is a branch of philately which deals with the collection of stamps and postmarked envelopes related to spaceflight. It is the intersection of space and postal history. Covers cancelled on the date and at a post office near the controlling agency are used in postal exhibits to share the development and conquest of the cosmos.
Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Aérophilatéliques, more commonly known as FISA, is the umbrella association for aerophilatelic societies. FISA represents and promotes aerophilately and astrophilately for its collectors within the international world of philately. The FISA Bulletin is an online only philatelic newsletter. Every other year FISA holds an annual Congress, usually during a major national or international philatelic exhibition. Several exhibitions are run under the auspices of FISA where air mail material can be exhibited. Members include several philatelic societies such as, the American Air Mail Society.
Henry M. Goodkind of New York City, was a distinguished American philatelist who specialized in the study of air mail postage stamps of the world, and published numerous articles and studies on the subject.
Philip Silver (1909–1999), of New York City, was a philatelist who specialized in the field of air mail stamps, known as aerophilately. He studied air mail stamps and postal history, and wrote extensively on the subject.
Nicolas Sanabria of New York City, was a philatelist concerned primarily with the field of aerophilately. His name is familiar to philatelists because of his Sanabria Catalog.
Walter J. Conrath, of Pennsylvania, was a stamp collector who specialized in aerophilately, the study of air mail stamps, and wrote extensively on the subject. His career was cut short when he died in an automobile accident at the age of 35.
Nancy B. Clark was an American philatelist who served the philatelic community by her pioneering work with the Boy Scouts of America and her dedication to work at the American Philatelic Society. Clark died on January 29, 2024, at the age of 77.
Lloyd B. Gatchell of New York City, was a philatelist who was named to the Hall of Fame of the American Philatelic Society. He was known as “Bart” to his philatelic friends and acquaintances.
Everett C. Erle, of Oakland, California, was a promoter of philately in the San Francisco Bay area.
In aerophilately, a branch of philately, a first flight cover, also known by the acronym FFC, is mail that has been carried on an inaugural flight of an airline, route, or aircraft, normally postmarked with the date of the flight often of the arrival destination proving it was actually carried on the aircraft and may have a special flight cachet and/or an arrival postmark. Because many first flight covers are essentially made as collectables they can be considered philatelic mail though others consider them to be postal history.
