Do You Know What a Philatelist Is?

November 15, 2012

Chances are, most people have not even heard of Philatelists. It’s a strange word, but I assure you that there are many of them around. In fact, some of your friends may be philatelists. Mind you, some philatelists even dabble in numismatics!

Plainly said, philatelists are those who study and collect postage stamps. The Greek word, philo, meaning "affinity for something," and ateleia, meaning "exempt from duties and taxes," come together to create the word since postage was a way to receive a letter without having to pay. Postage marks have been around for quite some time, with the first ones being used by the London General Post Office in 1661. In 1837, a schoolmaster in England invented a "stamp" that could be adhered to parcels. Roland Hill’s invention led to his knighting and also the first issue of a postage stamp in 1840. To this day, we use adhesive postage stamps. Thankfully, we can get the self-adhesive ones; that glue tasted TERRIBLE.

Avid philatelists may have binders and books full of stamps. If you are one of these enthusiasts or if you are just getting started, you should come by the Red Bridge Branch. We are fortunate enough to have a section of materials dedicated solely to philately. Bound journals, price guides, and history books on the postal service are just some of the topics covered in this special collection. You can look through the collection from home as well by searching in our catalog. Just remember to select "Stamp Research" as shelf location.

For more information, you may also check out the American Philatelic Society and Midwest Philatelic Society. To get started or learn more, you might want to start here. Happy hunting, philatelists!

Dan B.
Red Bridge Branch