​To celebrate this prestigious anniversary, The PTS will be showing two of the largest Mint Blocks of Penny Blacks.   These blocks are both held in a private collection and are worth an estimated £1 million each.   The Karl Louis Index states that there are only three blocks recorded.  Two from plate 1b and one from plate 4.    We will be displaying one block from Plate 1b and one block from Plate 4.   These are amongst the most valuable Great Britain items in the world. 

The Penny Black, invented in Britain, was the first ever adhesive stamp. It revolutionised modern communication and went into circulation for the first time on 6th May 1840.  ‘The World’s First Postage Stamp’ was created due to the need for messages to be transmitted rapidly and for an affordable price.  The Penny Black inspired a revolution in the postal service led by Sir Rowland Hill & changed the way we communicate.
Hill and his colleagues led a campaign in the late 1830s to abolish the old system, where postal charges were normally paid for by the recipient.  Hill helped slash the cost of posting a letter. As a result, the pre-paid Uniform One Penny Post was introduced in the UK on 10 January 1840. It was an immediate success as the volume of mail being sent rose rapidly. To show the postage had been paid, Hill introduced adhesive postage stamps, using the skills of Perkins Bacon & Co who were leading printers of cheques and banknotes at the time, that could be stuck on the front of a letter. This proved to be such a simple and useful innovation that it spread around the world. Despite all the changes that have taken place in communications technology since, it remains in general use today – 180 years later.
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The Philatelic Traders’ Society will be at London 2020.   London 2020 is held at the Business Design Centre in Islington from 2nd May - 9th May 2020. Entry is free apart from the first day when there is a £10 charge.   For more information on THE PTS head to www.thepts.net 

We recently announced that the dates for Autumn Stampex International have changed this was done for several reasons, but primarily to capture a wider philatelic audience as people come back from their Summer holidays.     The new dates are 30th September 2020 – 3rd October 2020.   We look forward to welcoming everyone to the show. 
 
The show already has around 30 traders signed up and paid so if you want to join us please do get in touch as general sales have opened.   We are delighted to have Samwells, JC Stamps, Heinrich Kohler, Grosvenor, Richie Bodily, Edmonds & Turner, Mayfair Philatelics, K & K Halls, Classic Phil, Bridger & Kay, The Stamp Centre, Argyll Etkin, Candlish McCleery, Anthony Baker, Alliance Auctions, Embassy Philatelics, Robert Uden, Mint GB Stamps, BB Stamps, Art Stamped, Martin Appleton, Christoph Gaertner, Stephen Taylor, John & Mark Taylor, Beckett Philatelics, Martin Townsend and Mark Harvey all in attendance this year. 
 
The exhibition committee at the ABPS is working hard behind the scenes to create a wonderful exhibition with one of the key focuses being presented by the British Thematic Society.   Stampex & the ABPS are working hard to increase the awareness of competitive exhibitions as we aim to get more people to write up, show & overall celebrate their wonderful collections.   
 
We are delighted to confirm that after the success of Stamp Talks in September 2019, we will be hosting a new series at Stampex 2020.   The full host of talks will be launched on our Stampex newsletter, to sign up for the newsletter please head to the Stampex International website. www.stampexinternational.com
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We are delighted to let you know that The PTS Membership has opened for new members this year. 
 
Membership is a great way to protect your business, you get listed on The PTS website and have the ability to connect with other traders. Members can also access a private Facebook group, are listed as an IFDSA member, can access the ‘red call’ service and receive advice and support within 24 hours.
 
PTS Council Chairman Suzanne Rae says, ‘Amongst collectors, The PTS shield is instantly recognisable as a symbol of honesty and integrity. We thoroughly vet our members meaning collectors have trust and confidence in Traders who display the shield’.
 
We have also opened a new way to pay, a direct debit scheme allowing people to pay just £12.50 per month.   For more information or to become a PTS member visit www.thepts.net or email megan@thepts.net