The History of Philately

The below article from the 'Times of India - 10th of August 1894' tells us the story of philately as it was 160 years ago.

"The art of stamp collector, which has spread to all over the civilised world has called into being the trade of the stamp dealer with his catalogues and circulars. The stamp collector, or philatelists as they are called, have their own journals, their own literature, and their own societies. There is in some minds, a constant desire to sort and classify, and to these philately particularly appeals

The origin of the idea of collecting stamps emanated, it is said from Belgium, and thence spread to France, to germany and to England. At the present day there is scarcely a country which has any pretension to civilisation that does not possess some votaries of philately while most have societies and journals devoted to it. The Stamp Collectors' Magazine (see below) was first issued in 1863; in 1972 the first auction pf postage stamps was held; today there are more than 20,000 stamp dealers in Europe, and one of the fraternity has just retired from business with a fortune of £50,000 (about £1,700,000 in todays currency) . In 1 1890, the Jubilee year to the Penny Postage, an Exhibition of postage Stamps was held inLeeds, which gave a great stimulus to the scientific study of the subject, whilst lately the British Museum accepted the collection of Mr. Tapling, M.P., which was valued at £60,000.

The so called 'craze' has taken hold of society at both ends. The school-boy or school-girl, who puzzles over mysterious stamps from unknown lands, is getting a lesson in geography, more likely ro abide in the memory than any paragraph in a book. All ranks of society have adepts in stamp collecting amongst them; the Czar is said to have a collection which ranks third in value in the world, and the Queen and the Prince of Wales are also great collectors. The Duke of Saxe-Cohurg is president of the London Philatelic Society, and his nephew, the Duke of York, is one of the vice-presidents, whilst in India not a few of our native princes and rulers 'philatelist'.

To a subject which has grown so extensively it was of course to be expected that the great Worlds' Fair of 1893 would have some reference; and a number of exhibitors from all parts of the world had rare and valuable stamps on view. Amongst the chief of these exhibitors Messrs. N. O. Bottliwalla and Co., of Abdool Rahman Street, Bombay, are specially noted as having one of the rarest and choicest collections in the official reproof the World' Fair. Bottliwalla and Co., have one of the finest and most extensive shows of postage and other stamps going: all the scarce and curious Indian ones and many odd and rare ones from various quarters of the earth"

 If you would like to read or just flick through the first Stamp Collectors' magazine (1863) click on its image below:

Click to download one for the worlds first stamp collectors magazine

Note that the Penny Black was only 23 years old by the time the first Stamp Collectors Magazine was published in 1863.