Everything about Philately totally explained
Philately is the study of
revenue and
postage stamps. This includes the design, production and uses of stamps after they're authorized for issue, usually by government authorities, the most common one being
postal authorities. Although many equate it with
stamp collecting, it's a distinct activity. For instance, philatelists will study extremely rare stamps without expecting to own copies of them, whether because of cost, or because the sole survivors are in
museums. Conversely, stamp collecting is the acquisition of stamps, at times without regard for origin or usage.
Etymology
The coining of the word "philately" in its French form has been circumstantially attributed to Georges Herpin in the publication
Le Collectionneur de timbres-postes, Vol. 1,
November 15,
1864. It is formed from the Greek words
philos (friend) and
ateleia (exempt from charge, or "franked"), which is a stretch to relate to the study of stamps, but the alternatives of "timbrophily" & "timbrology" or "timbrologist" never caught on.
The origin of philately is in the observation that in a pile of stamps all appearing to be the same type, closer examination reveals different kinds of paper, different
watermarks embedded in the paper, variations in color shades, different perforations, and other kinds of differences. Comparison with records of
postal authorities may or may not show that the variations were intentional, which leads to further inquiry as to how the changes could have happened, and why. To make things more interesting, thousands of
forgeries have been produced over the years, some of them very good, and only a thorough knowledge of philately gives any hope of detecting the fakes.
One explanation for all the variation is that stamp printing was among the early attempts at large-scale
mass production activity by
postal authorities. Even in the 19th century, stamps were being issued by the billions, more than any other kind of manufactured object at the time.
Areas of philately
Basic or
technical philately, then, is the study of the technical aspects of stamp production and stamp identification. It includes the study of
Topical, also known as
Thematic, philately is the study of what is depicted on the stamps. There are hundreds of popular subjects, such as birds, insects, sports, maps, and so forth. Interesting aspects of topical philately include design mistakes (such as use of the wrong picture on a
US stamp honoring
Bill Pickett), design alterations (for instance, the recent editing out of cigarettes from the pictures used for US stamps), and the stories of how particular images came to be used (one US stamp from the 1920s shows a
Viking ship apparently flying an American flag, but this wasn't a mistake; the stamp depicted a modern replica).
Postal history concentrates on the use of stamps on
mail. It includes the study of
postmarks,
post offices,
postal authorities and the process by which letters are moved from sender to recipient, including routes and choice of conveyance. A classic example is the
Pony Express, which was the fastest way to send letters across the United States during the few months that it operated.
Covers that can be proved to have been sent by the Pony Express are highly prized by collectors.
Cinderella philately is the study of objects that look like stamps but aren't stamps. Examples include
Easter & Christmas Seals, propaganda labels, and so forth.
The results of philatelic study have been extensively documented by the
philatelic literature, which includes many books and nearly 15,000 different periodical titles.
Philately is basically an activity of reading and study, but the human senses typically need augmentation. The stamps themselves are handled with
stamp tongs or tweezers so as to preserve them from large, clumsy, and possibly greasy fingers.
A strong
magnifier reveals details of paper and printing, while the
odontometer or
perforation gauge helps distinguish a "
perf 12" from a "perf 13".
While many watermarks can be detected merely by turning the stamp over, or holding it up to the light, others require the services of
watermark fluid, such as
benzine (not to be confused with
benzene, which is toxic),
carbon tetrachloride or
trichloro-trifluoro-ethane that "wets" the stamp without dissolving gum or ink. Other techniques, such as using coloured light filters have been attempted in an effort to avoid the use of toxic substances.
Experts evaluating the authenticity of the rarest stamps use additional equipment such as
fluoroscopes. Some stamps are printed with ink which fluoresces when exposed to ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light sources are also used to examine stamps and postal history for signs of repairs or various types of faults.
Organizations
Fédération Internationale de Philatélie
Académie Européenne de Philatélie
American First Day Cover Society
American Philatelic Society
American Topical Association
National Postal Museum (USA)
Old World Archaeological Study Unit
Australian Philatelic Federation
British North American Philatelic Society
Cyprus Philatelic Society
Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand Inc
Thematic Collecting Group in South Africa
Royal Philatelic Society London
National Philatelic Society UK
Philatelic Traders Society (London)
Welsh Philatelic Society
Féderación Argentina de Entidades Filatélicas
Hellenic Philatelic Federation
Hellenic Philatelic Society
Federation of Norwegian Philatelists
The Rossica Society of Russian Philately
Odessa City Collectors' Society
Scouts on Stamps Society International
Wreck & Crash Mail Society
GEOPHILA Association of collectors of stamp territories around the world
Small European Postal Administration Cooperation
Indian Postal ServiceFurther Information
Get more info on 'Philately'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://philately.totallyexplained.com">Philately Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
