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.
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. Then the stamp is affixed to the face or address-side of any item of mail—an envelope or other postal cover —which they wish to send. The item is then processed by the postal system, where a postmark or cancellation mark—in modern usage indicating date and point of origin of mailing—is applied to the stamp and its left and right sides to prevent its reuse. Next the item is delivered to its addressee.
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.
A postmark is a postal marking made on an envelope, parcel, postcard or the like, indicating the place, date and time that the item was delivered into the care of a postal service, or sometimes indicating where and when received or in transit. Modern postmarks are often applied simultaneously with the cancellation or killer that marks postage stamps as having been used. Sometimes a postmark alone is used to cancel stamps, and the two terms are often used interchangeably. Postmarks may be applied by handstamp or machine, using methods such as rollers or inkjets, while digital postmarks are a recent innovation.
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 on 1 May 1840 but was not valid for use until 6 May. The stamp features a profile of Queen Victoria.
Postage stamps and postal history of Great Britain surveys postal history from the United Kingdom and the postage stamps issued by that country and its various historical territories until the present day.
A revenue stamp, tax stamp, duty stamp or fiscal stamp is a (usually) adhesive label used to designate collected taxes or fees on documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses, firearm registration, and many other things. Typically, businesses purchase the stamps from the government, and attach them to taxed items as part of putting the items on sale, or in the case of documents, as part of filling out the form.
The Hong Kong Philatelic Society was established in 1921 and is the oldest philatelic organisation in Hong Kong. Members were mainly Europeans before the war and after 1946, more and more Chinese became members and the Society has grown in stature. Currently, the Society has over 350 local and overseas members.
Gary Sidney Ryan (1916–2007) was an eminent philatelist who specialised in the stamps and postal history of Hungary and later in revenue stamps.
The London 2010 International Stamp Exhibition, 8–15 May 2010 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, was a major international stamp exhibition that was granted FIP patronage.
Indipex 2011 was organized by India Post, Government of India in collaboration with the Philatelic Congress of India (PCI) under the patronage of the Federation Internationale de Philatelie (FIP) and the auspices of the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately (FIAP).
The Philympia 1970 International Stamp Exhibition was an international stamp exhibition held under Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP) patronage. It was held at the Empire Hall, Olympia, London from 18 to 26 September 1970. Special three-colour postmarks were used on each of the eight days of the exhibition. A 66 ft (20 m) octagonal tower of British stamps designed by Andrew Chadwick of Hulme Chadwick & Partners with graphics by Barry O'Dwyer, was the main feature.
Wolfgang C. Hellrigl was an expert on the philately of Nepal and Tibet who in 1994 was invited to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists.
Robert P. Odenweller is an American philatelist who is a member of the National Postal Museum's Council of Philatelists and a signatory to the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. He is a member of The Collectors Club of New York, and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London and the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand. From 1996 to 2000 he was President of the Grand Prix Club.
Alan Manfred Holyoake is a British businessman and philatelist who is a specialist in the stamps and postal history of Great Britain and a fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London.
World Stamp Show-NY 2016 was an international exhibition of stamp collecting held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City from May 28 to June 4, 2016. It was the first international stamp show to be held in New York since FIPEX in 1956.
Finlandia 2017 European Stamp Exhibition was an international stamp exhibition held 24–28 May 2017 at the Tampere Hall in Tampere, Finland. The exhibition was granted patronage from the Federation of European Philatelic Associations (FEPA) and the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP).
The Stockholmia 2019 Internationell Frimärksutställning was an international stamp exhibition held from 29 May–2 June 2019 at the Waterfront Congress Centre in Stockholm, Sweden. It was held to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Royal Philatelic Society London. The exhibition was granted patronage from the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP).
London 2022 International Stamp Exhibition was an international stamp exhibition held from 19 to 26 February 2022 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. The exhibition was granted patronage from the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie and was recognised by the Federation of European Philatelic Associations.
