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Philately is not just about stamp collecting. The subject is enormous and can be as detailed or as general as you, the student or collector (or both), likes to make it.
Strictly, a philatelist is someone who has an interest or a liking for stamps (and related material), so you don't even have to be a collector to be a philatelist - but it helps! And it isn't just about stamps or even postage stamps.
For example, Postal History is a popular area of collecting and study - in general terms this covers "routes and rates" - how a letter travelled to its destination, what it cost and the markings postal administrations along the way applied to it.
In the 19th Century as transport and shipping services opened up (the railways in particular), the transmission of the post and the routes it took are in themselves a social history of that period.
And of course there are postage stamps themselves, with all the myriad differences that can exist as to paper, watermarks, methods of printing, printers, shade and type of ink, perforation, gumming, usage, etc.
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You only have to look at a list of books on philatelic topics to realise just how wide a field it is. NPS Library But you don't have to be daunted by this; most people select a subject or country or issue which particularly appeals or attracts them and focus on that.
We are here to help you.
The United Kingdom has an extensive network of local philatelic societies and stamp clubs. It also has the most developed network of clubs and societies devoted to specialised areas of philately, which have meetings and publish newsletters dealing with their particular subject; many also have libraries. ABPS
There are also more general societies, such as the National Philatelic Society NPS.
Working with organised philately in the United Kingdom, the British Philatelic Trust BPT was set up in 1981 to promote the study of stamps and postal history. |
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| What Philately covers |
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| Today, philately includes such diverse topics as: |
| Basic Stamp Collecting |
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| Aerophilately - postal material and letters to do with transmission by air at some point in their journey; |
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| Astrophilately - material of a postal nature related to space research and programmes; |
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| Maximaphily - picture postcards bearing a stamp and cancellation related to the card picture; |
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| Postal History - described at left; |
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| Postal Stationery - pre-printed stamped material; |
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| Thematics - The development of a theme illustrated by postal and other material "telling a story"; |
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| Revenues - stamps used for revenue/tax purposes rather than postage; |
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| Locals - local, non-official postal services such as college stamps, local delivery and parcel services, private authorised or non-authorised services, etc; |
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| Railways - where these involve the transmission or carriage of mail; |
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| Cinderellas - stamps and related material of a non-postal nature - e.g. charity stamps, poster stamps, etc. |
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