Philately is the study of postage stamps and postal history. 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.
Philatelic literature is written material relating to philately, primarily information about postage stamps and postal history.
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.
Timbres Magazine is a French monthly magazine about philately and stamp collecting. It was established in 2000 by the merger of three previous publications: Timbroscopie and Timbroloisirs, both from the philatelic publisher Timbropresse, and Le Monde des philatélistes, from the Le Monde group.
The Académie de philatélie is a French philatelic voluntary association created in 1928. Its goal is to promote philately and philatelic studies.
Robert Granville Stone, was an American philatelic scholar who devoted over fifty years to the study of certain specific segments of philately.
The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists (RDP) is a philatelic award of international scale, created by the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain in 1921. The Roll consists of five pieces of parchment to which the signatories add their names.
Mary Ann Aspinwall Owens, of New York City, was an advocate of thematic collecting of postage stamps, such as collecting stamps showing birds, butterflies, ships, famous art, and so on. She was successful in her effort to officially help introduce thematic collecting into national and international philatelic exhibitions.
Peter P. McCann, of University Park, Florida, is a philatelist who has supported the hobby of philately on a national scale. For his varied services to the American Philatelic Society (APS) over several decades, he was awarded in 2008 the Luff Award for outstanding service to the society.
Victor E. Engstrom was an American philatelist known for his knowledge and collections of stamps of Nordic countries.
David Richard Beech MBE was the curator of the British Library Philatelic Collections from 1983–2013. He is a fellow and past-president of the Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL). In 2013, it was announced that Beech was to receive the Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award for outstanding lifetime accomplishments in the field of philately.
Richard McPherren (Sandy) Cabeen was a well-known philatelist in the Chicago area, and one of the foremost writers of philatelic literature. He married Blema Eulaila Meagher on October 28, 1910.
A philatelic exhibition is an exhibition of stamps and postal history where stamp collectors (philatelists) compete for medals. The displays are shown in glass frames, and the exhibition is normally accompanied by stamp dealer bourses and post office stands where stamps and other philatelic items may be purchased.
Henry Robert Holmes was the president of the Royal Philatelic Society London 1961-64 and signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in 1953.
The Greek god Hermes, messenger of the Gods in the Greek mythology, is the representation chosen, in 1860, by the Kingdom of Greece to illustrate its first postal stamps.
George Ernest Barker was a British philatelist who in 2009 signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. From 1983 to 2001 he was Editor of The London Philatelist. He was a specialist in the stamps of France and its colonies.
Dieter Bortfeldt FRPSL was a graphic designer and award-winning philatelist who was a specialist in the philately of Colombia. He designed the "Famous Colombians" and "Tourism" postage stamps of Colombia issued in 1993.
Georges Herpin was a French stamp collector who in 1864 coined the French word philatélie, which in English became "philately".
Alfredo Frohlich is an American venture capitalist and philatelist who has won numerous medals at philatelic exhibitions for his postal history collections of Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. He is an accredited philatelic judge and has been a fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London since 2010. In 2021 he received the Luff Award of the American Philatelic Society.
