The Kaluski Collection is a collection of stamps of Poland that forms part of the British Library Philatelic Collections. It was formed by Janusz Kaluski and donated to the library in 2003 and includes 46 volumes detailing the stamps and postal history material of Poland from 1835 to 2002. [1] [2]
Notable items include:
The collection is the most important holding of Polish philatelic material at the Library and complements the existing holdings in the Bojanowicz Collection of Polish postal history 1938–46, and parts of the Fitzgerald Collection of airmails to 1946, the Tapling Collection and the Universal Postal Union Collection. [3]
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.
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 postage stamps and postal history of Israel is a survey of the postage stamps issued by the state of Israel, and its postal history, since independence was proclaimed on May 14, 1948. The first postage stamps were issued two days later on May 16, 1948. Pre-1948 postal history is discussed in postage stamps and postal history of Palestine.
Percival Stuart Bryce Rossiter was a renowned British philatelist and postal historian who wrote extensively about British postal history and postage stamps of British colonies in Africa and was involved in numerous philatelic institutions. In his Will he created The Stuart Rossiter Trust which has become a leading publisher of books on postal history.
Poczta Polska, the Polish postal service, was founded in 1558 and postal markings were first introduced in 1764. The three partitions of Poland in 1772, 1793 and 1795 saw the independent nation of Poland disappear. The postal services in the areas occupied by Germany and Austria were absorbed into those countries' postal services. In 1772 the area occupied by Austria was created into the Kingdom of Galicia, a part of the Austrian Empire. This lasted till 1918. The Duchy of Warsaw was created briefly, between 1807 and 1813, by Napoleon I of France, from Polish lands ceded by the Kingdom of Prussia under the terms of the Treaties of Tilsit. In 1815, following Napoleons' defeat in 1813, the Congress of Vienna, created Congress Poland out of the Duchy of Warsaw and also established the Free City of Kraków. Congress Poland was placed under the control of Russia and the postal service was given autonomy in 1815. In 1851 the postal service was put under the control of the Russian post office department regional office in St Petersburg. In 1855 control was restored for a while to the Congress Kingdom but following the uprising in 1863 again came under Russian control from 1866 and continued until World War I. In November 1918 the Second Polish Republic was created.
Mirosław Artur Bojanowicz was a Polish philatelist who settled in England after World War II and became a recognized expert on the stamps of Poland. He frequently served as a judge at international exhibitions and in 1966 was invited to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists; Bojanowicz was one of very few professional philatelists to be accorded this honour.
The British Library Philatelic Collections is the national philatelic collection of the United Kingdom with over 8 million items from around the world. It was established in 1891 as part of the British Museum Library, later to become the British Library, with the collection of Thomas Tapling. In addition to bequests and continuing donations, the library received consistent deposits by the Crown Agency and has become a primary research collection for British Empire and international history. The collections contain a wide range of artefacts in addition to postage stamps, from newspaper stamps to a press used to print the first British postage stamps.
The Crown Agents Philatelic and Security Printing Archive was deposited with the British Museum from the 1960s, though the first recorded deposit from the Crown Agents was in 1900. The archive consists of a range of philatelic and written material which were the Crown Agents' working records. It is the most comprehensive record of British Colonial and Commonwealth stamp issues of the last 100 years.
The Fitzgerald Collection is an extensive philatelic collection of air mail stamps donated to the British Library and announced in 1951.
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 time. Today, the library is part of the British Library Philatelic Collections.
Janusz Marja Stefan Rogala Kaluski (1924–2010) was a sapper in the Polish Army who took part in the D-Day landings of World War II and who later won the Cross of Valour. In later life, Kaluski devoted himself to the philately of Poland, eventually becoming a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London and donating his stamp collection of fifty years to the British Library Philatelic Collections in 2003.
The Bailey Collection is a collection of philatelic material relating to the Spanish Civil War that forms part of the British Library Philatelic Collections. The collection was donated to the Library by the Spanish Study Circle in 2007.
The Burnett Collection is a collection of Hyderabad stamps, postal stationery, and postal history material formed by A.H. Burnett and given to the British Library by his sons A.D. and R.G. Burnett in 1991. It forms part of the British Library Philatelic Collections.
The Chismon Collection is a collection of Croatian philatelic material formed by Harvey John Chismon and given to the British Library by his son Joseph Chismon in 2009. It forms part of the British Library Philatelic Collections.
The Blackburn Collection is a collection of philatelic material relating to the Spanish Civil War that forms part of the British Library Philatelic Collections. The collection also includes 17th century letters from Kings Philip II, III and IV of Spain and correspondence delivered by the Message Carriers of Cadiz. It was donated to the Library by Tony Blackburn and is in 35 volumes.
The Shelley Collection is a collection of philatelic material relating to the Spanish Civil War that forms part of the British Library Philatelic Collections.
The Murray Collection is a collection of philatelic material relating to China that forms part of the British Library Philatelic Collections.
The Walker Collection is a collection of philatelic material relating to the Second World War German occupation issues of the Channel Islands that forms part of the British Library Philatelic Collections. The collection is mainly of Guernsey material. It was formed by G.L. Walker and donated to the British Museum in 1948.
The Row Collection is a collection of philatelic material relating to Siam that forms part of the British Library Philatelic Collections. The collection covers the period 1883 to 1918 in 22 volumes. It is mainly of unused material with many blocks, and strong in the various provisional surcharges. It also includes some postal stationery and issues used in Kedah and Kelantan. It was formed by Harold Row and presented to the British Museum in 1919 by Row's mother, Mrs Eliza Row.
The Bojanowicz Collection is an important collection of Polish stamps and postal history of 1938-1946 that forms part of the British Library Philatelic Collections where it complements the Kaluski Collection. The collection was formed by Mirosław Bojanowicz and donated in 1966.