We would also like to add some top tips to looking after a stamp collection:
Tip 1) Insuring your stamps is fundamentally the most important thing you can do, as although you would not be able to replace the collection you had, at least you would have the money to start a new collection. Tip 2) Keep your stamps in appropriate albums, in darkness, away from direct sunlight with suitable humidity (not in a loft or outbuilding) Tip 3) Ensure you keep details of your collection documented in a separate location to where your stamp collection is housed. Tip 4) Preferably, don’t keep your stamps in a safe, as this draws attention to thieves who will make this their first target, and more often will dispose of the collection as they have not got the knowledge to know what to do with them. Tip 5) Frequently evaluate the value of your collection as stamps do fluctuate over the years.
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Following the announcement made by Royal Mail earlier this year, November and December will be the final months that visitors and collectors will be able to make purchases from The Postal Museum’s two Post & Go machines. Please find the final schedule of Post & Go at The Postal Museum below.
From: 10am Wednesday 8th November to 5pm Thursday 30th November:
The familiar “Youth Zone”, sponsored by the Philatelic Traders’ Society, returned to Stampex, manned by volunteers from the Stamp Active Network.
Stamp Active had laid on a display of sports stamps and related activities, with youngsters winning points for the popular free children’s auction on Saturday or exchanging points for prizes. The “Lucky Dip”, “Guess the Number of Stamps in the Jar” and “Spin A Prize” games added to the fun. All young visitors received £20 in vouchers to spend at the show, financed by Stamp Active as a result of their fund-raising efforts and dealer patrons. Many dealers were also generous in giving big discounts to the kids on what they had chosen or free items, which were greatly appreciated. This was all very well-received and resulted in some exciting youngsters around the Show. The Show Zone also included a PostCrossing session in the auditorium on Saturday. The team were pleased to entertain a Year 3 School Group from St. John’s Primary School, Highbury, who listened to a presentation about the history of stamps. They then completed a range of activities including “Design a Stamp”, a “Quiz”, “Guess the Number of Stamps in the Sack” and created their own Greetings Card with “Stamp Art”. Overall, it was a busy session and the youngsters had to be persuaded to leave, such was their enthusiasm. Some returned on Saturday to take part in the activities and auction, showing that they had enjoyed their first visit. The auction was run again by Keith Burton of the Association of British Philateilic Societies (ABPS) who challenged the young collectors to choose from 30 lots to bid for their favourites. It was held in the Spink Auditorium, which provided a very professional atmosphere for the event. There was fierce competition for some of the more popular items. The kids roared their appreciation at the end for the generous donations from dealers and friends that made up the lots. At the end of the auction, there was a prize draw for a Penny Black, donated by Robin Cassell of Mulready Philatelics, which was won by Xanthe Page, aged 11, from St. Helens. The best overall entry in the British Youth Stamp Championships came from Dominic Beattie of Aylesbury, aged 17, for a 16 page entry on “Die Ziffernserie”. Commenting on the event, Chair of Stamp Active, Susan Henderson, said “Stampex exceeded our expectations, particularly as there was a rail strike on our big day. Feedback from the children and their parents was excellent and made all our effort worthwhile. There was lots of fun. The youngsters enjoyed spending their £20 vouchers and we believe some of the dealers were very generous on what they gave to them. Lots of happy young collectors!” Wardrop & Co. Ltd. are proud members of the PTS, and was founded in 1979 by John Wardrop, who had been arranging specialist insurances for philatelic and numismatic collectors and dealers for many years. Acting on behalf of Harmers Insurance Agency Ltd, whose insurance facility had originally been placed with certain underwriters at Lloyd's of London in the early nineteen seventies, by John's younger brother Tom.
In 1985, John resigned from the broking house that handled the facility and by that time, he had formed a close working and personal relationship with Bernard Harmer and Ray Haffner of Harmers of London. The Harmer family owned Harmers Insurance Agency ltd and ran it as a separate entity from the famous auction house. On John's departure from his previous company, he received a request from Bernard Harmer and Ray Haffner to continue to act on their behalf and manage a similar facility. Support was required from different underwriters, as his previous company continued to run their own facility, this was obtained and the vast majority of clients transferred to the new arrangement. It was Bernard who requested John to form the new company, he and Christopher Harmer served as directors of Wardrop & Co. ltd. for the first two years of its existence, to ensure a smooth transition of the client base and goodwill, Ray Haffner remains a director to this day. John's elder son, Chris, understudied his father for 11 years and was appointed to the board in April 2018, he has been responsible for the running of the company since his father's passing in 2019, and has grown the business by adding the Household and High Net Worth line, Dan Bates joined in 2012 and is responsible for accounts and claims, Naomi Court joined in November 2017 and is responsible for client relationships, liaison with underwriters and the LLoyd's broker, on whose behalf of Tom Wardrop, is authorised to place business. Want to find out more, why not pick up a leaflet and contact the team at Stampex on stand U1. Philasearch has launched an exciting online show space for Stampex to support the physical show taking place at the Business Design Centre, London, next week (27th September - 30th September). This new online space for stamp shows allows individuals access to all the benefits of the Philasearch platform and will enable collectors to search all participating dealers and then Click & Collect at the show.
Philasearch x Stampex will allow visitors
And finally, it's FREE to register and browse, so there is no reason why you shouldn't jump online now… philasearch.com Franz Fedra: "We are often asked what makes us so special. The main difference from other online sites is our usability. All visitors can shop on Philasearch through their favourite dealer and their area of expertise. They will also be able to click and collect directly to Stampex, and they will be able to chat with the dealer to make special requests. It also opens up the show to a wider audience, not just those who can attend but those individuals all around the world. I hope Stampex is just the first show to use this concept.' The Stampex online shop on Philasearch is available to shop now. www.philasearch.com change link to philasearch Stampex event About Philasearch Philasearch is the leading international online platform offering a unique 'One Stop Shop' for collectors to search and shop online. Their unique coding system enables collectors to find wanted items as soon as they are listed. www.philasearch.com The Glasgow Stamp Shop are delighted to announce the launch of two new wonderful collectors books. Each comes free with purchase of the relevant stamps. Worlds 1st 4 stamps, 1840 1d Black, 2d Blue, 1841 1d Red and 2d Blue. Penny Black book, which is supplied with the 12 x 1d Blacks, one from each plate
Unlike anything else produced before this book - free with purchases of the above stamps - can be personalised with your initials. It has taken Austin Carroll from The Glasgow Stamp Shop 18 months to create, write, patent and launch the book. It is available in several languages including English, German, French, Italian, Mandarin. There will be a full range of books available at Stampex. This is a wonderful collectors item. For more information head to stand 16 Great to see this headline https://www.sberatel.info/en/fair-collector/
Record number of exhibitors heading to the Sberatel fair this weekend.The largest gathering of collectors in Central and Eastern Europe will take place from 8 to 9 September at the PVA Expo Prague. This year, 35 companies are coming to Prague for the first time, joining more than two hundred exhibitors heading to the fair every year. The organisers are again expecting 10,000 visitors who will be able to buy stamps, coins, banknotes, postcards, minerals, precious stones, but also old stocks, advertisements, autographs, posters and other collectible material. Read more https://www.sberatel.info/en/fair-collector/ 1. I started stamp collecting at quite a young age, when my dad split his collection up between me and my brother. All I can really remember was that there were stock books and folders full of stamps. I am also fortunate to have family members dotted across the world, so when I was younger, the arrival of Birthday and Christmas cards would see the delivery of stamps on the envelopes. 2. I am a firm believer that every single stamp is a piece of physical history, and that they have the ability to teach us something. For a relatively small piece of paper, stamps can be full of information. Also, I love how stamps are a real connection between us the collector, the person that first used the stamp, the postal office worker that cancelled it, the postie that delivered it and the person that received it. It gives us the ability to time travel. 3. One of my favourite memories was again when I was younger. Back in the 80’s and early 90’s my parents used to care for an elderly lady called Sybil. At the weekends I would sometimes visit her too. One day we were talking about hobbies and I mentioned that I collected stamps. She said that she had kept all the stamps she had from years ago. A few moments later she appeared with a huge jar absolutely full of Penny Red’s, 2d blue’s and so on, it was an incredible sight, and I still have most of those stamps today. 4. Rather embarrassingly, although I have visited plenty of stamp shows, I have never attended a Stampex in London. This will change this year though, and I’m really looking forward to having a good look round. 5. My main collection consists of British Commonwealth stamps up to 1970, and South American countries up to the 1940’s. I also have a good GB collection. I absolutely love King Edward VII stamps, and they are definitely my weakness. There are so many stamps I could say are my favourites, but if I had to choose, I would say my full set of mint KEVII stamps from Hong Kong are definitely up there. Also I have to mention KGV head stamps from Australia, they were the first stamps that ignited my philatelic flame. Stampex, the UK’s largest annual stamp show, held in London, will boost a range of exciting activities and experiences across four full days, including a late Thursday opening. The show has something for everyone, including historians, collecting enthusiasts, postal history lovers, philatelic exhibitors and stamp collecting beginners. Stampex, proudly sponsored by Spink, is based in the beautiful Business Design Centre in central London from 27th September – 30th September 2023. With over 60 PTS members already confirmed, including Mark Bloxham Stamps, Stanley Gibbons, Michael Chipperfield, Glasgow Stamp Shop, BB Stamps, Trevor Pateman, Mulready Philatelics, Buckingham Covers, Lighthouse, Corbitts, Thematix and more, this is going to be an exciting show. The highly successful Table Top Zone will once again be hosted at the “clock end” of the main Mezzanine floor. This is the perfect area to sit, chat and meet dealers whilst hunting through boxes of wonderful artefacts and postal materials. The Stampex Auditorium, located on the Village Green, will be host to daily Stampex Talks and panel discussions. The full schedule will be announced at the end of August. There will be something for everyone, including learning “How to bid at Auction”, “How to set up or boost a stamp society”, “How to further your stamp collection” and more. The Exhibiting Experience will allow visitors to learn, explore and meet exhibitors and find out how to advance their collections. The Society Meeting Space allows societies to host meetings every day throughout the show, as well as take a table to promote their society and publications. To book a space, visit www.stampexinternational.com/societymeetings The Stampex Court of Honour for 2023 will display a number of Hidden Treasures for that once in a lifetime opportunity to see beautiful philatelic material up close. Thanks to support from the Stamp Active Network, the Youth Zone provides children and young adults with the opportunity to explore stamps and take part in fun and games and treasure hunts! Found some Stamps in the Attic? Visit Stampex and have verified PTS Members help you understand more about your collection, what stories it might tell and what it might be worth. Many dealers at Stampex will buy collections and auctioneers may offer to consign a collection for you. TICKETS Please register your attendance in advance at: www.stampexinternational.com/tickets All attendees will receive a free Show Guide. Tickets are £10.00 for entry on Day 1 (Wednesday). Free Entry Thursday – Saturday. Express Entry wristbands are available in advance of the show for all days (subject to small P&P fee). Stampex Patronage - £75 plus complementary Day 1 Ticket VENUE THE BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE, 52 UPPER STREET, ISLINGTON, LONDON N1 OQH Nearest Tube Station-Angel Islington (Northern Line) DATES/TIMES Wednesday 27th September: 10:30 – 17:30 Thursday 28th September: 10:00 – 18:30 Friday 29th September: 10:00 – 17:30 Saturday 30th September: 10:00 – 16:00 FOR MORE INFO, PLEASE VISIT www.stampexinternational.com About the Philatelic Traders’ Society Formed in 1929 by a group of established stamp dealers, The Philatelic Traders’ Society was created to act for and on behalf of its members for the good of philately. With a Code of Ethics and a service for dispute resolution, The Philatelic Traders’ Society is regarded as a reputable organisation within the industry, upholding the values of honesty and integrity. The PTS also organises Stampex – the UK’s leading philatelic exhibition. www.thepts.net The Stamp Active Network, the voluntary organisation that promotes stamp collecting for children in the UK, will be at Autumn Stampex providing free stamps and goodie bags for young collectors. There will be a range of free activities including Stamp Art fun with special prizes. The theme of the activities will feature Sport related stamps. The popular free children’s auction on the Saturday will take place in the Stampex auditorium at 2pm with a free draw for a Penny Black for the participants. Stamp Active will also be giving vouchers to fifty youngsters U18 that attend Stampex, worth £20 each, to spend with dealers at Stampex. Ten vouchers will be available on each of the first three days with a maximum of fifty vouchers overall to be given out during the show. The Kids Zone will be located at the far end of the mezzanine level (under the clock) on the right-hand side of the Hall. For further information, look at the Stamp Active website www.stampactive.co.uk The PTS were delighted to receive this blog post from member John Auld who along side being a member was also part of the council for over 20 years and chair for 6 years. Congratulations John from everyone at the PTS for your 50th Anniversary in philately. #cheers My 50 Years In The Trade by John AuldSo the 9th July is my 50th anniversary in the trade. When thinking about A levels wrote to several major dealers and auctioneers and had 3 introductory interviews. Two said they would offer me a job if there was a vacancy but SG said they would definitely offer me a job .So in June 1973 I wrote to John Farthing at SG to remind him that I was about to leave school and hoped I could start at SG perhaps in September. The very next day he phoned and offered me a job working in the Commonwealth rare stamp dept at £750 per year but he needed me to start asap. Two hours later he rang again to say he had just got my letter and had diaried me from 2 years earlier ! He said that as I was 18 he would increase the starting salary to £850. I asked if I could run it past my parents and they agreed so next morning I rang to confirm and it arranged that I would start on Monday 9th July 1973 complete with my flared beige suit and kipper tie (well John Farthing had a purple suit it was the 1970s after all !)
So I arrived and was introduced to Colin Whitehead the Commonwealth manager his assistant Michael Mayall and Chris Rainey who I already knew who was doing stamp fairs! The very next day I was asked to see my first client David Mortimer then a naval commander now of course in Australia. I was later told that it was because he was such a decent man that he was my first client! After 30 months I was moved to the buying dept with Barry Peachey ,the late Vic Walker and Chris Radley the GB buyer. I very soon met clients including Joe Saatchi, Phil Wilde of Western Auctions and Frank Stott of Vessey Auctions sadly all three have gone to the great philatelic bourse in the sky. I also met John Curtin of Royale who of course is very much with us . About this time outside SG I met John Hayward a leading medal dealer who was trying to sell his business to SG. Nobody apart from me knew about this apart from SGs directors. John wanted me to join him as his right hand man whilst he ran the business as part of SG. He loved ringing me up at work until Vic took the call and told him never to ring SG again! Negotiations fell through but he did sell the business to them a couple of years later but did not stay on and by that time I had left! After 5 years at SG a friend told me of a vacancy for a describer at City of London Auctions run by the late Brian Tyrrell a former PTS council member so I attended an interview which was a formality as I apparently already had the job! Whilst there I met Bjorn Mciver the office junior and coffee maker and Phyl Wills now company secretary at Argyll Etkin. So after 3 years there was an unpleasant personality clash with a colleague .I was already supplying lots of my own for the auction so it was time to go on my own for 2 years I supplied auction lots and wheeled and dealt .It was August 1983 my first marriage had broken up and I had an opportunity to take a table at Charing Cross market a bargain £4 for the table and £ 2 parking. My first client was Mike Pugh who bought all my covers which must have been absurdly cheap. In 1984 Stampex was expanding to 2 halls at the RHS and Ron Mead of RF Postcards said go for it. So I scrounged stock including Mike Pughs cover stock and made a modest profit and have been at every Stampex since. In 1987 Otto Hornung was looking for PTS council members I casually asked what was involved and found myself pressganged! I was on council for over 20 years and Chairman for 6 years I do little retail now apart from York and Stampex and concentrate on Alliance Auctions and have no intention of retiring! Amersham and District Philatelic Society announce STAMPERSHAM 2023 STAMP, POSTAL HISTORY and POSTCARD FAIR on SUNDAY 15 OCTOBER.
The show is supported by PTS Member Grosvenor Auctions and is held at Chiltern Lifestyle Centre. There will be a 16 sheet competition featuring the Thames Valley Federation. There will be a hall with dealers including several PTS Members. More information is online at www.stampersham.org.uk The Great Britain Philatelic Society
Press Release FORTHCOMING MEETINGS Saturday 30 September 2023 - Stampex MeetingThe first meeting the new season of the GBPS will be on Saturday 30 September 2023 at Stampex in the Business Design Centre, Islington from 2:00pm. The society meeting room will now be on the “Village Green” area (the area you first encounter in the hall when entering through the main doors from the BDC foyer and where the Welcome Desk is situated). At this meeting John Copeland FRPSL will be giving a display entitled “Bells – A Photographic Postcard Publisher 1902-1957”. John says, ‘’The display is an account of the history of the Bells’ Photo Company, Limited and its postcards. This company was a significant producer of topographical photographic picture postcards of Great Britain with these appearing under their own name, without a publisher’s name and a few under the names of other businesses from the early 1900’s to the mid 1950’s. Up to about 1920 they also produced a number of postcards showing ships of the Royal Navy and other naval topics, while just after World War II they produced some comic postcards. The display includes examples of all of these and also postcards and other documents which throw a light on the business and the production of its postcards.” Saturday 28 October 2023 – All Day Meeting (partly over Zoom) The GBPS meeting on Saturday 28 October 2023 will be held at the Royal Philatelic Society, 15 Abchurch Lane, London EC4N 7BW from 11:00 a.m. The morning session will consist of a display from Hugh Feldman RDP FRPSL entitled “The Mail Coach Age in Britain”. This will consist of an initial PowerPoint presentation available live via Zoom (and recorded for later offline viewing) followed by a traditional room only display. Hugh says “The Royal Mail, from its inception by Royal Proclamation in 1635 employed a network of “Post Boys” riding horse to carry the mails between London and the provinces and on cross post roads. The transmission of letters was limited to an average speed not much faster than a brisk walk and the mails were not secure. The post boys were frequently robbed of their pouches, or they themselves absconded with the mail as some mails carried either financial instruments or valuables. In the early 1780s the former theatre owner, John Palmer of Bath proposed the use of coaches to carry the mail. He suggested, in 1784, to William Pitt the Younger, the recently installed Prime Minster and Chancellor of the Exchequer that an experiment be conducted on the Bristol to London Road to prove the effectiveness of this form of transport. The first Royal Mail coach left Bristol on 2 August 1784 for London taking just 15 hours for the journey compared to the 48 to 60 hours taken by a horse rider. Palmer was appointed Controller of the Post Office and within two years had established a network of mail coach routes. For the next 50 years Palmer’s system carried securely an ever-increasing volume of mail, the coaches being accompanied by an armed guard. With the establishment of the railroads the mail was gradually moved from road to rail with the last mail coach being retired in 1857. The display illustrates the carriage of the mails on the principal post roads to and from London between 1784 and 1840.” The afternoon session starting at 2:15pm will be a display from Dave Simmons entitled “London District Postal History”. This will be a traditional two-laydown display. Dave says “My display is for the postmarks used in the London Districts - oval cancellers with the numbers in circles, from 1844 to the 1900’s this seems a long period, and it is, but the variants in canceller is quite interesting. I think so anyway! The collection starts with the 1st series and, to some, the best. These were first issued on the 20 May 1844 and continued for a long time for some offices (the latest I have seen used is 1889 of Bow12), there were recuts of these cancellers with some striking differences and other times subtle differences. There was a transition from the 10 rides or routes to the division of London into districts in 1857 and this gave rise to the use of district initials when addressing a letter. Then the 1861 series and the introduction of the letter B to the office numbers and generally these were all sub offices, their parent office holding the 1st series canceller. Finally, we lead to the 3rd series - vertical ovals, which in my opinion are much understudied and just as scarce as the earlier issues. As a conclusion there are examples of town office cancellers which are different in format so can be regarded in a different light also, unusually, some of these offices were issued duplex cancellers.” Full details of the Great Britain Philatelic Society can be found at www.gbps.org.uk For more information about membership, go to: http://www.gbps.org.uk/join 1. How did you get into the hobby? My first job after college was working shifts in Dover Docks. Being a lazy teenager all I did until it was time to go and work was lie in bed! I needed a change and Richard Kennedy, now owner of Folkestone Stamps said there was a job going at Benham. I was interviewed by Tony Buckingham and a lady called Sherry but by the time I started, a month later, she had told Tony where to stick his job; I was thrown in at the deep end and here I am nearly 40 years later. 2. What do you like about it ? It is a corny answer, but I think every day you discover something new, and not just a cover you have not seen before, it might be a signer for one of our covers or, more recently, learning about the ins and outs of our new website and how to get the best out of it. 3. Tell us your best stamp related memory / story ? I think I will split my answer in two. With new issue covers, and because it is local, I would say carrying lots of the Channel Tunnel covers on the first journeys. On one day I delivered covers to the Royal Train at Waterloo via dropping covers off to Major John Howard who took Pegasus Bridge during the raids on D-Day. On the older covers, we were offered our best ever collection just coming out of lock down. We did not make our fortune, but nearly every cover in it was the best one for that particular issue. 4. What is your favourite thing about Stampex? I always look forward to meeting our customers, some of them I have known since my first Stampex at the Horticultural Halls in the mid-1980s. I am always interested to see what they have been buying around the hall, I think it gives you a good feel of current trends. 5. Do you collect? If so, what do you collect & what is your favourite piece ? I have been in trouble for this answer before, but no not stamps, I don’t think you can be a dealer and collector, or at least I can’t, I need to keep things black and white. Personally, music is my passion and I have a wall filled with CDs and am never happier than cuddling a warm pint at the back of a strange gig. In stamps, I am very interested in the life of postmark collector George King from South London. It is not about listing all the postmarks he did, as there would lie madness, I am more interested in him. For example, I have been given access to the letters he wrote to his parents during World War I. I can only work on it as time allows, but I would love for it to become a book or website at some point. 1. How did you get into the hobby?
I got in the hobby a little over 4 years ago, when I started working here at HipStamp. I had family who collected before that, but working here got me much more immersed into the community, where I was able to grow and find more of a passion for philately. 2. What do you like about it? My favorite thing about the hobby is the way it connects people from all walks of life. There's something for everything in stamp collecting, no matter who you are or what your background is. In one day of my job, I can connect with members of the philatelic community in Australia, Singapore, Japan, France, and then with PTS in the UK. Stamps have a unique way of bringing people together and I appreciate that. 3. Tell us your best stamp related memory / story? I got married in 2021 and had the best time purchasing stamps to use on the envelopes. I decided to get topical stamps to use on invitations that were hyper-specific to each guest being invited. It was a fun way to share philately with my friends and family and personalize our letters to them. For example, I have some cousins with younger children and I used Sesame Street and Disney stamps on their envelopes. I was told the kids absolutely loved them! 4. What is your favourite thing about Stampex? Recently I had the pleasure of attending virtual Stampex. I really enjoyed the Roundtables hosted by various PTS members! The ability for everyone to gather and have stamp-related conversations in a virtual setting was great. Each person had a voice, and I appreciated the opportunities for conversations with people that I otherwise would not have had. I would love to see more of this in the future. 5. Do you collect? If so what do you collect & what is your favourite piece? I do collect! I am mostly a topical collector, but I also dabble in some of the more Classic US stamps as well. My favorite piece changes over time, but I really love a new addition to my collection I got, a ballet topical stamp, from Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet," a MNH Sweden #1141 (1975). It's nothing particularly valuable or expensive, but it's such a beautiful stamp! In this new regular feature. We ask PTS Members to choose three of their favourite things from their websites and why. Here Brian Austin, from Buckingham Covers shares his: 1. First, I need to choose a Buckingham Cover, which is tricky, I like it when everything clicks into place. So for the 2020 James Bond Issue, we worked with 007 Magazine and George Lazenby was our main signer. Getting people to agree to sign is incredibly difficult, and there is always a great buzz round the office when we get a yes. Via signers we have raised over £850,000 for charity since 2001, it would be great to get over £1,000,000 in the next few years. https://www.buckinghamcovers.com/james-bond-signed-george-lazenby 2. I like a mystery…who produced these illustrated covers? They’re always unaddressed with the Preston Brighton CDS. The covers are from Sanders, but whoever did the Brighton postmark knew what they were doing, but only seemed to do the Wilding issues. Why did they not do other covers? Not sure if I want to find out or not! https://www.buckinghamcovers.com/080254-9d-10d-11d-illustrated 3. With a new set of stamps every month, don’t forget the older issues. This is a lovely clean cover for the 1973 Parliament issue with a special postmark and just great value at £10, so half the price of a new cover. So, I won’t say it is my favourite but a great example of everything being right, including value and if you could get the Prime Minister to sign it, it would be worth £50 - £75.
https://www.buckinghamcovers.com/1973-parliamentary-ldn-sw1-pm A True Celebration of Philately
It’s been a week since the International Show was held in Essen. Our Chairman Simon Carson & Suzanne Rae attended the show to meet PTS Members, see the exhibits and to take part in the international celebration of stamps. In their show round up, Essen shared that around 13,000 visitors attended over the 4 days. There were 800 exhibits in the FIP Competition and countless chances to meet and connect with lectures, discussions and networking opportunities. Simon Carson, PTS Chair commented ‘I spent two days in Essen. The show had an amazing buzz about it. The size of the space and the number of people, dealers and exhibits was absolutely impressive. This was one of the best shows I have visited in a long time. It was jam packed with collectors enjoying searching through boxes and boxes of covers. The bourse had a continental feel to it and the show was a wonderful example, rather like Midpex, of how an exhibition can mix dealers, societies and collectors at the heart of the space. I was also very impressed with the Kohler stand, which stood out with their superb stand. All in all, it was wonderful to see so many philatelists in one space enjoying the hobby and finding treasures to add to their collection.” PTS Member Bill Barrell, commented ‘It was two years ago that i decided to commit to Essen as an International Show it was important for me to take a stand. I took a corner stand which i shared with three other dealers including PTS Member Doreen Royan. The show was very well attended there was a non stop buzz for the three days and we had lots of buyers coming to our stand. I took a curated collection of Bill Barrell stock with me which i drove over to the show. I now know a lot more about the customs and feel confident we can smoothly repeat the process to attend other European shows. It was a show well received and wonderful to attend’ The Philatelic Traders’ Society is delighted to announce that they have partnered with HipStamp to help highlight trustworthy sellers on this global philatelic platform. The initiative means collectors will be able to clearly see the PTS Shield against listings from PTS members so that prior to bidding or purchasing, collectors can buy with the knowledge that the seller has been vetted thoroughly by the leading international trade society, the PTS.
The PTS Shield is synonymous with not just trust and integrity, but with a membership community that cares about the future of the hobby. The membership fees paid by our members allows us to offer them a wide range of benefits, but also to invest in projects aimed at supporting the philatelic trade and future-proofing the hobby. The Philatelic Traders’ Society was established in 1929 and is the only trade society that extensively vets, references, and actively monitors members. All members must comply with the PTS’s Code of Conduct. We have some of the world’s leading brands as members including top HipStamp sellers Mark Bloxham Stamps, Cherrystone,1st4stamps, Samwells and Hardham Stamps. The PTS has robust processes and a highly experienced team of philatelic advisors so if a HipStamp Member feels they have been treated unfairly, we invite them to reach out to the PTS for advice. Likewise, if a HipStamp Member wishes to share their positive feedback from their shopping experience with one of our PTS Members, they can add a recommendation to the PTS’s Online Member Directory at https://www.thepts.net/members PTS Chairman, Simon Carson comments: ‘We are delighted to partner with HipStamp and are excited about the opportunities this presents our PTS Members to stand out as philatelic professionals, and for collectors to shop safe. This is not just about the transaction itself; this is about the relationship between reputable dealers and passionate collectors – from professional advice to active fulfilment of want lists.’ HipStamp’s Anna Taylor comments: ‘We are proud to showcase the PTS Shield on HipStamp, and to be working more closely with the PTS and its Members on new ideas to make buying and collecting experiences on HipStamp even more rewarding.’ More information about how to Look for the Shield on HipStamp can be found at: https://www.thepts.net/hipstamp Visit HipStamp on Booth C23 at Virtual Stampex to learn more. Live from the 4th – 6th May, and On Demand until 7th June 2023. Visit https://stampex.vfairs.com If you are interested in joining the PTS to be part of our journey with HipStamp, please contact [email protected] or apply online at https://www.thepts.net/benefits For all membership enquiries please email [email protected] This Earth Day, 22nd April, the Philatelic Traders' Society are delighted to announce they are planting another 500 trees for all our members and new member applicants this year. This is our commitment to invest in our planet. Suzanne Rae, Managing Director, comments: “As an organisation, we recognise that we have an impact on our planet – whether that be through travel or heating the office or printing and shipping PTS materials. We also recognise the responsibility we have to offset our own environmental impact, and help support and celebrate our 300+ members in their own green initiatives. It is important to question spend and activity to see if we can act smarter for our planet. For example, this year we are using more recycled material for packaging, we’ve swapped our supplier for Stampex stand holder passes to make these biodegradable, we’re replacing printed handbooks with online content, we’re carbon offsetting our travel... and this year, we have once again committed to planting 500 trees working with our partner, Ecologi.” Ecologi helps fund projects which plant trees for businesses all over the world, helping organisations to become climate positive. Their mission is to reduce 50% of global CO2 emissions by 2040 and responsibly plant billions of trees every year. By planting these trees, we are making a positive impact, taking personal responsibility and helping to tackle the biggest threat to our generation. Every little counts and it’s working together that will have a positive impact on our future. We are launching this on Earth Day, a day which has been a growing movement since 1970 and is recognised every year on the 22nd of April. Earth Day raises awareness of global environmental protection and gives the world an opportunity to come together and take action. On this Earth Day, we are planting 500 trees on behalf of our membership, and this is just one of the ways we are investing in our planet and helping both our present and future members invest in it too. Stamps in the Attic from Empire Philatelists
- Log on to Virtual Stampex head to Empire Philatelists to secure the WhatsApp number for your FREE valuation. This WhatsApp service is super easy, all you need to do is snap some pictures and send to the team. Empire Philatelists - Lots of offers from the team including 20% off, a 30/40% off Secret Sale and a Prize Draw PTS & Stampex - Launching a Commemorative Coronation Cover Busch Collectibles - 50% discount off the WHOLE Busch Collectibles website - Exclusive souvenir notes with a Virtual Stampex seal Olivier Stocker, CEO of Spink and PTS Member was appointed the President of the most elite philatelic club, The Club de Monte-Carlo. Here we find out more about the club and MonacoPhil the biannual stamp show:
Recognised by some as the TED Talks of the philatelic world, The Philatelic Traders' Society & Virtual Stampex are excited to offer one lucky individual the opportunity to host a Stampex Talk at Virtual Stampex. With just one slot left in the schedule, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. In order to have a chance to win, we ask that you fill in the form below. Things you'll want to think about before applying. 1. Think of a topic. You must be able to talk about this subject for 40 minutes and host a Q&A. 2. All talks are hosted in an online webinar - similar to zoom. This means your computer must have a camera. 3. To apply you must fill out the form below and submit it before the 9th April. 4. The lucky winner will be sent the date and time for a talk slot between 4th -6th May. 5. All talks are recorded and uploaded onto YouTube after the show. 6. The winner will be contacted w/c 10th April. 7. There is only one slot. The PTS MD and PTS Chairman will have the final say in who secures this space. Their decision is final. 8. Runners up may be contacted to conduct a Roundtable discussion at the event on their Talk topic. Enter here. This year, Virtual Stampex will be home to a number of Roundtables. In a dedicated room, Roundtables allow up to 16 people to connect via video in a fully integrated space to discuss key areas of interest, debate hot topics and meet in an informal session at the show. The 5 PTS hosted Roundtables are: 1. LEARN - a Roundtable schedule dedicated to education, including facilitated sessions on topics such as expertising, exhibiting, beginner guides and more. 2. CONNECT - a Roundtable schedule offering visitors a chance to meet key philatelic influencers and experts from around the world, as well as to meet Stampex Talks Auditorium speakers after a Talk. 3. EXPLORE - a Roundtable schedule focussed on the hot topics of the moment such as what philately looks like in 2035, the future of catalogue publishing, digital exhibiting, NFT/crypto stamps 4. SOCIETIES - a place for any philatelic society anywhere in the world to meet for a presentation, AGM or informal get together 5. MEET THE DEALER - any booth holder can book a 30 or 60 minute slot to present to a wider group of collectors together, or ask questions A full schedule can be found online here and will be finalised by 31st March.
We’re giving UK-based collectors the chance to receive the next issue of the hugely popular magazineStamp Collector in the post for free! Editor Matt Hill said: “We’re so proud of the magazine and really want you to see it for yourself, so simply complete the form below, making sure you sign up to the free All About Stamps newsletter, and we’ll pop a copy in the post for you when it is published.” “The May issue of Stamp Collector is packed full of collecting articles, news, tips and price guides. Features include a stamp tour of Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein; an in-depth examination of the Papua bi-colour issues of 1907-1911; an interview with Susanna Mills, the editor-in-chief of the American Philatelic Library; and a guide to Tonga’s 1953 definitives. Plus the usual mix of stamp news, new issues, opinion, and market updates.” How to receive the free magazine Simply complete the online form, making sure you sign up to the free All About Stamps newsletter, and we’ll pop a copy in the post for you when it is published (you should receive the magazine by 14 April). Please note, this offer is only open to UK residents who sign up to receive the free All About Stamps newsletter. The promotion closing date is 28 March 2023, so claim your copy today! |
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