The PTS's Guide to the Best Philatelic YouTube Channels

With social media dominating so much of our free time nowadays it is easy to get ‘bogged down’ by the millions of accounts there are to choose from to follow. So, how do we know which one is the worthiest of our time? How do we know that by following a specific account that the content of each post will enrich our knowledge of the specific area of interest that individual account will give us? In this article we will guide you on which YouTube channels we feel are the most informative and helpful, not just from a personal perspective but also from a business point of view.
We start by wondering what type of content is useful. The answer to this is clear – what is it you would like to know? Is it perhaps improving the general look and feel for your brand? Is it to enrich the quality of the posts that you are sharing with your client base? Is it to show them the best material you have to offer? We can not only demonstrate verbally the importance of what it is we are introducing and sharing with the world, but also visually. A personal interaction does tend to get the best outcome as it puts a face to a name.
The PTS has put together some of what we feel are the most informative channels and would encourage you to familiarise yourselves with the content for your future philatelic reference.

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Exploring Stamps

Graham, the brains behind the Exploring Stamps channel, at time of writing, has almost 5,000 followers on YouTube, making him one of the biggest philatelic YouTube influencers. Graham frequently posts videos about specific stamps giving the audience a full break down on the stamps’ history and background in intimate detail. His videos are bite-size (between 6 and 12 minutes) and most have been watched thousands of times by audiences across the globe. Please read the comments on his videos to see what impact these videos are having on people’s love of stamps.
One of his most recent additions to his channel focussed on ‘The Apollo 15 Scandal’ and gave lots of information about a thematic stamp which featured the moon, a topical stamp for this year with 2019 being the 50th anniversary of the Moon Landing which took place in July 1969.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkeSM6aOWfaUPIGb5rPOGyA

Image Below: Graham from Exploring Stamps

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Royal Mail

This YouTube account has almost 2,000 subscribers with lots of videos featuring a wide range of content from what philatelic material Royal Mail is launching next to insights on their staff. This really is a varied and informative account which makes interesting viewing.
One of Royal Mail’s most recent clips shows their release of the world-famous Marvel stamps which is both vibrant and highly collectable and will hopefully entice younger audiences into the world of philately by using an identifiable product.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgt48mcbXHQGcec6FJS-SeA  

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The Postal Museum

Many people may not know about The Postal Museum, or even what they do so their YouTube channel, with over 300 subscribers, is a tool which will reach audiences who may not have thought too much about philately or what even happens to a letter once it is posted. You can find all this content on their channel.
There is a 6 minute video which shows the journey of a letter from being written to when it finally arrives at its destination which is a lovely piece to share with people of all ages as it really focuses on the art of writing a letter and then demonstrates how technology is used during transit and then takes us back to the personal aspect of the letter being delivered and the joy of receiving it once it has landed in the recipients’ hands.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWfPxfS5-K39cRyRwfK0v5Q

Image Below: The Postal Museum's Mail Rail

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Sandafayre

This channel boasts over 2,000 subscribers and has many videos detailing various collections that have been available to purchase through Sandafayre. This ‘video viewing‘ is a useful tool to show your clients what you have for sale without them making the trip to come and see the collection.
The first video you are faced with on this channel is presented by Vincent Green, Chairman of Sandafayre who talks the viewer through an album of USA stamps. Vincent gives some details about the items in the collection and gives the viewer a good insight as to the items the collection comprises of and reiterates the joy that stamps can bring to a collector.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSSWJUxasAbkNDhYyTPIHJw

Image Below: Vincent from Sandafayre

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Mark Bloxham Stamps

Heavily centred around the Great Britain market, Mark Bloxham’s channel contains a lot of videos many of which have had several thousand views.
One video in particular is a beginners’ guide to collecting with details about what to look for in a stamp, the areas of collecting interest and the differences in quality that will ultimately determine a stamp’s value. This gives an insight to those who may not know where to begin with collecting and should ultimately give a budding collector a good starting point on where to build their collection from.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7d6A-P7TrThLz_9raAlzAw

Image Below: Publication from Mark Bloxham Stamps Ltd.

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Stamp & Coin Mart Magazine

Whilst the content may not be as up to date as some other channels, the content in this channel is still very rich. Stamp and Coin Mart magazine, or Stamp Collector magazine as it is now known, produce The PTS Membership Directory and the bi-annual Stampex International Show Guides. On this channel they visually show the audience upcoming snippets of what they are putting on the market and this gives the viewer a little taster of what they could have as well as descriptive video content about specific stamps.
There are many interviews on this feed one of which features PTS Member Paula Cant from Paula Cant Stamps whilst at The Business Design Centre, home of Stampex International, who gives an insight as to how she got into stamp collecting and her specific area of interest and what stamps are available for sale. This is a great way to show how diverse philately can be with the different thematic stamps there are available with so many variants for collectors.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCro2I5SAEHo7lboM7GngAcA

Image Below: All About Stamps YouTube logo

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Do you have a YouTube Channel where you promote philately in new and engaging ways? Or do you know of a channel you think passionate philatelists would be interested in? Add your comments below.
 
Follow us on social media @ptsandstampex to keep up to date with what the PTS is up to and subscribe to the free Stampex International newsletter at www.stampexinternational.co.uk/newsletter.html  

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