Editing Philately

{{short description|Study of stamps and postal history and other related items}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
[[File:Stamp UK Penny Red pl148.jpg|thumb|The [[Penny Red]] was used in the UK for many years (1841–1879), and comes in hundreds of variations which are subject to detailed study by philatelists.]]
[[File:Zeppelin mail-1934 Xmas flight Gibraltar-Brazil.jpg|thumb|[[Zeppelin mail]] from [[Gibraltar]] to [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil via Berlin on the Christmas flight (12th South American flight) of 1934]]

'''Philately''' ({{IPAc-en|f|ɪ|ˈ|l|æ|t|əl|i}}; {{respell|fih|LAT|ə-lee}}) is the study of [[postage stamp]]s and [[postal history]]. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products.<ref>{{cite news |title=Philately |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/philately |access-date=10 July 2023 |work=Cambridge Dictionary |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref> While closely associated with [[stamp collecting]] and the study of postage, it is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps.<ref>Carlton, R. Scott. ''The International Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Philately'', Iola WI: Krause Publications, 1997, p. 196. {{ISBN|0-87341-448-9}}.</ref> For instance, the stamps being studied may be very rare or reside only in museums.

==Etymology==
The word "philately" is the English transliteration of the French "{{linktext|philatélie}}", coined by [[Georges Herpin (philatelist)|Georges Herpin]] in 1864.<ref>Herpin, Georges. "Baptême" in ''Le Collectionneur de Timbres-Postes'', Vol. I, 15 November 1864, p. 20.</ref> Herpin stated that stamps had been collected and studied for the previous six or seven years and a better name was required for the new hobby than ''timbromanie'' (roughly "stamp mania"), which was disliked.<ref name=williams>Williams, L.N. & M. ''Fundamentals of Philately''. State College: The American Philatelic Society, 1971, p. 20.</ref> The alternative terms "timbromania", "timbrophily", and "timbrology" gradually fell out of use as ''philately'' gained acceptance during the 1860s.<ref name="williams" /> Herpin took the [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] root word [[wikt:φίλος|φιλ(ο)-]] ''phil(o)-'', meaning "an attraction or affinity for something", and {{linktext|ἀτέλεια}} ''ateleia'', meaning "exempt from duties and taxes", to form the [[neologism]] "philatélie".<ref>Sutton, R.J. & K.W. Anthony. ''The Stamp Collector's Encyclopaedia''. 6th edition. London: Stanley Paul, 1966, p. 232.</ref>

==History==
===Nineteenth century===
As a collection field, philately appeared after the introduction of the postage stamps in 1840,<ref name="auto">{{cite book|last= Vladinets|first= N. I.|year = 1988|title= Great Philatelic Dictionary|publisher= Radio and communications|pages= 280|isbn= 5-256-00175-2|url=http://fmus.ru/article02/BS/bs.html|access-date = 2020-01-17|language=ru}}</ref><ref name="Ilyushin">{{cite book|last= Ilyushin|first= A.S.|year= 1988|title= Encyclopedia of Cyril and Methodius|publisher=The company "Cyril and Methodius"|location=Moscow|url=https://megabook.ru/article/%D0%A4%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%8F|access-date = 2020-01-17|language=ru}}</ref> but did not gain large attraction until the mid-1850s. In the U.S., early collectors of stamps were known as "stamp gatherers". The [[United States Post Office Department]] re-issued stamps in 1875 due to public demand for 'old stamps', including those from before the [[American Civil War]].<ref name="US Classics">''A Sharp Eye on collecting US Classics'' (Sharp Photography Publications, 2021) ASIN B091MBTGJ7 [[:File:A Sharp Eye on collecting US Classics.pdf|(read online)]]</ref> Some authors<ref name="Ilyushin"/> believe that the first philatelist appeared on the day of the release of the world's first postage stamp, dated to 6 May 1840, when the Liverson, Denby and Lavie London [[Law firm|law office]] sent a letter to [[Scotland]] [[Franking|franked]] with ten uncut [[Penny Black]]s, stamped with the [[postmark]] "LS.6MY6. 1840." In 1992 at an auction in [[Zürich]], this envelope was sold for 690,000 [[Swiss franc|francs]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Novosylov V. А.|date=2008-11-03|url=http://www.mirmarok.ru/prim/view_article/209/|title=The birth of a postage stamp|work=Acquaintance with philately:The world of philately|publisher=The world of st@mps; Union of philatelists of Russia|location=Smolensk|access-date=2020-01-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120109234936/http://mirmarok.ru/prim/view_article/209/|url-status=live|archive-date=2012-01-09}}</ref>

Already in 1846, cases of collecting stamps in large numbers were known in [[England]]. However, without reason for collection, stamps at this time were used for pasting wallpaper. The first philatelist is considered to be a postmaster going by the name Mansen, who lived in [[Paris]], and in 1855 had sold his collection, which contained almost all the postage stamps issued by that time. The stamp merchant and second-hand book dealer Edard de Laplante bought it, recognizing the definitive collector's worth of the postage stamp.<ref>[[Philatelic calendar]] for 1973. — М: Connection, 1972. — 16—22 July.</ref> Due to the boom in popularity and news of this transaction, stamp merchants like Laplante began to emerge.

Towards the end of the 19th century, stamp collecting reached hundreds of thousands of people of all classes. Some countries had collections of [[postage stamp]]s – for example, England, [[Germany]], [[France]], [[Bavaria]], and [[Bulgaria]]. In countries which held national collections, museums dedicated to the nation's history with philately were founded, and the first such appeared in Germany, France, and Bulgaria. Allegedly, the first of these museums housed the collection of the [[British Museum]], curated by MP [[Thomas Tapling]] and bequeathed to the Museum in 1891. The Museum für Kommunikation Berlin also had an extensive collection of stamps. The largest private collection of the time belonged to [[Philipp von Ferrary]] in Paris.<ref name="Ilyushin"/>

As the number of postage stamp issues increased every year, collection became progressively difficult. Therefore, from the early 1880s, "collector experts" appeared, specializing their collection to only one part of the world, a group of nations, or even only one.<ref name="Britannica">{{Cite web|title=Philately {{!}} hobby|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/philately|access-date=2020-10-06|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>

===Twentieth century===
[[File:USSR stamp 1960 CPA 2424.jpg|thumb|1960 Soviet stamp marking Collectors' Day: "Philately serves the friendship of peoples."]]
Philately as one of the most popular types of collecting continued to develop in the 20th century. Along with the "[[Scott catalogue|Scott]]", "[[Stanley Gibbons catalogue|Stanley Gibbons]]", and "[[Yvert et Tellier]]" catalogs, the "[[Zumstein catalog|Zumstein]]" (first published in Switzerland, 1909), and the [[Michel catalog|"Michel"]] (first published in Germany, 1910) catalogs began publication.

In 1934, the idea to celebrate an annual Postage Stamp Day was suggested by Hans von Rudolphi, a German philatelist.<ref>[http://www.tag-der-briefmarke.com/index.php?id=29 Biography] Hans von Rudolphi [http://www.tag-der-briefmarke.com/ «Tag der Briefmarke.org».]{{in lang|de}} {{Cite web |url=http://www.tag-der-briefmarke.com/index.php?id=29 |title=Archived|access-date=2008-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925100400/http://www.tag-der-briefmarke.com/index.php?id=29 |archive-date=2008-09-25}}</ref> The idea was adopted rapidly in Germany, and gained later adoption in other countries. '''Stamp Day''' is a memorial day established by the postal administration of a country and annually celebrated, which is designed to attract public attention to, popularize the use of, and expand the reach of postal correspondence, and contribute to the development of philately.<ref name="Ilyushin"/> In 1968, [[Cuba]] dedicated a postage stamp for Stamp Day with an image of G. Sciltian's  "El filatelista".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://colnect.com/en/stamps/stamp/468764-G_Sciltian_El_filatelista-Stamp_Day-Cuba|title=G. Sciltian "El filatelista"|website=Colnect.com|access-date=2020-01-17}}</ref>

In 1926, the [[Fédération Internationale de Philatélie]] (FIP) was founded, where international philatelic exhibitions have been regularly organized since 1929.<ref name="Ilyushin"/> The first World Philatelic Exhibition in Prague was held between August and September 1962;<ref>''Bernhard K.'' Forum of philatelists of the globe // Soviet collector. — М: Connection publisher, 1963. — P. 42—48.</ref> in 1976, the FIP brought together national societies from 57 countries, which held over 100 exhibitions, and in 1987, over 60 countries entered the FIP.<ref name=Ilyushin />

Since the middle of the 20th century, philately has become the most widespread field of amateur collecting, which was facilitated by:<ref name="Britannica" />

* significantly expanded postal exchanges between countries,
* many countries' post offices issuing:
** [[Cinderella stamp]]s,
** [[Commemorative stamp|commemorative]] emissions,
** multicolor series of stamps devoted to history, the most important events of our time, art, fauna, flora, sports, etc. .;
** individual stamps, [[Miniature sheet|sheets]] (a sheet with one or more printed stamps and inscription on the margins) and items intended specifically for philatelists;
* widespread sale of collection signs of postage (including commissioned ones), albums, [[stockbook]]s and other items of philately;
* publication of stamp catalogs;
* national and international exhibitions organized by philatelic societies, domestic and international exchanges, philately [[propaganda]] through specialized magazines and other [[Periodical literature|periodicals]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Williams|first1=Leon Norman|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ms1aAAAAYAAJ&q=philately|title=Fundamentals of Philately|last2=Williams|first2=Maurice|date=1958|publisher=American Philatelic Society|language=en}}</ref>

Philately magazines, at this time, were published as far east as Poland, and as far west as North America. In Canada, [https://canadianstampnews.com/ ''Canadian Stamp News''] was established in 1976 as an off-shoot to [https://canadiancoinnews.com/ ''Canadian Coin News''], which was launched about a decade earlier.

Philately was largely advanced by the USSR and nations within its sphere of influence, and the United States, France, the UK, and Austria. The [[British Library Philatelic Collections]] and the postal museums in [[Stockholm]], [[Paris]], and [[Bern]] had unique national philately collections at that time, and among the famous private collections are those of the [[Royal Philatelic Collection]], F. Ferrari (Austria),<ref name="Ilyushin" /> [[Maurice Burrus|M. Burrus]] (Switzerland), [[Alfred Lichtenstein (philatelist)|A. Lichtenstein]], [[Arthur Hind (industrialist)|A. Hind]], [[John Robert Boker Jr.|J. Boker]] (U.S.), and [[Hiroyuki Kanai|H. Kanai]] ([[Japan]]).

In the mid-1970s, national philately organizations and associations existed in most countries, and 150–200 million people were involved in philately during meetings established.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sundararaj|first=John|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Z9OjwEACAAJ|title=Philately: The Art of Stamp Collection|date=2015-08-15|publisher=CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform|isbn=978-1-5170-1465-0|language=en}}</ref><ref name="auto"/>

===Twenty-first century===
From 28 August to 1 September 2004, the World Stamp Championship was held for the first time in the history of world philately in Singapore.<ref>''Strygin A.'' [http://www.ng.ru/collection/2004-09-24/22_championship.html] Pictures from the exhibition. The first world stamp championship] // Independent newspaper. — 2004. — № 206 (3319). — 24 September.</ref>

==Types==
Traditional philately is the study of the technical aspects of stamp production and stamp identification, including:<ref name="Britannica" />
* The [[postage stamp design|stamp design]] process
* The paper used (wove, laid and including watermarks)
* The method of printing (engraving, typography)
* The [[Postage stamp gum|gum]]
* The method of [[Postage stamp separation|separation]] (perforation, rouletting)
* Any [[overprint]]s on the stamp
* Any security markings, [[underprint]]s or perforated initials ("[[perfins]]")
* The study of [[philatelic fakes and forgeries]]

==Diversification==
Expanding range of activity:<ref>{{Cite book|last=Brennan|first=Sheila|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eeFdDwAAQBAJ&q=types+of+philately|title=Stamping American Memory: Collectors, Citizens, and the Post|date=2018-06-15|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=978-0-472-13086-3|language=en}}</ref><!-- The reference was previously inside the subsection name. It is not clear what specifically it is related to. --> 
* [[Topical stamp collecting|Thematic philately]], also known as topical philately, is the study of what is depicted on individual stamps. There are hundreds of popular subjects, such as birds, and ships, poets, presidents, monarchs, maps, aircraft, spacecraft, sports, and insects on stamps. Stamps depicted on stamps also constitute a topical area of collecting. Interesting aspects of topical philately include design mistakes and alterations; for instance, the recent editing out of cigarettes from the pictures used for United States stamps, and the stories of how particular images came to be used.
* [[Postal history]] studies the postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of postage stamps and covers and associated material illustrating historical episodes of postal systems both before and after the introduction of the adhesive stamps. It includes the study of [[postmark]]s, [[post office]]s, [[Postal Authorities|postal authorities]], postal rates and regulations and the process by which letters are moved from sender to recipient, including routes and choice of conveyance.  A classic example is the [[Pony Express]], which was the fastest way to send letters across the United States during the few months that it operated.  [[Cover (philately)|Covers]] that can be proven to have been sent by the Pony Express are highly prized by collectors.
* [[Aerophilately]] is the branch of postal history that specializes in the study of [[airmail]]. Philatelists have observed the development of mail transport by air from its beginning, and all aspects of airmail services have been extensively studied and documented by specialists.
*[[Astrophilately]] is the branch of postal history that specializes in the study of stamps and postmarked envelopes that are connected to outer space.
* [[Postal stationery]] includes [[stamped envelope]]s, [[postal card]]s, [[letter sheet]]s, [[Aerogram|aérogramme]]s (airletter sheets) and [[Wrapper (philately)|wrappers]], most of which have an [[Embossing (paper)|embossed]] or [[imprinted stamp]] or [[Indicia (philately)|indicia]] indicating the prepayment of postage.
* [[Cinderella stamp|Erinnophilia]] is the study of objects (cinderella stamps) that look like stamps, but are not postage stamps. Examples include [[Easter seals (philately)|Easter Seals]], [[Christmas Seal]]s, propaganda labels, and so forth.
* [[Philatelic literature]] documents the results of the philatelic study and includes thousands of books and periodicals.
* [[Revenue stamp|Revenue philately]] is the study of stamps used to collect taxes or fees on such things as legal documents, court fees, receipts, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, drugs and medicines, playing cards, hunting licenses and newspapers.
* [[Maximaphily]] is the study of Maximum Cards. Maximum Cards can be defined as a picture postcard with a postage stamp on the same theme and cancellation, with a maximum concordance between all three.
* [[Letterlocking]] includes "the process of folding and securing of letter substrates to become their own envelopes" or to create a form of "tamper-evident locking mechanism."<ref>{{cite journal |title=Unlocking history through automated virtual unfolding of sealed documents imaged by X-ray microtomography |last1=Dambrogio |first1=Jana |last2=Ghassaei |first2=Amanda |last3=Staraza Smith |first3=Daniel |last4=Jackson |first4=Holly |last5=Demaine |first5=Martin L.|date=2 March 2021 |journal=Nature Communications |volume=12 |issue=1 |page=1184 |doi=10.1038/s41467-021-21326-w |pmid=33654094 |pmc=7925573 |bibcode=2021NatCo..12.1184D }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A Letter Sealed for Centuries Has Been Read—Without Even Opening It |url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-letter-sealed-for-centuries-has-been-readwithout-even-opening-it-11614679203 |last=Castellanos |first= Sara |date=2 March 2021 |access-date=2 March 2021 |work= The Wall Street Journal}}</ref>

==Tools==
Philately uses several tools, including [[stamp tongs]] (a specialized form of tweezers) to safely handle the stamps, a strong magnifying glass and a [[perforation gauge]] (odontometer) to measure the perforation gauge of the stamp.

The identification of [[watermark]]s is equally important and may be done with the naked eye by turning the stamp over or holding it up to the light. If this fails then ''watermark fluid'' may be used, which "wets" the stamp to reveal the mark.

Other common tools include [[stamp catalog]]s, [[stamp stock book]]s and [[stamp hinge]]s.

==Organizations==
[[File:Spring Stampex 2011.jpg|thumb|A large [[stamp show]] (philatelic exhibition) at which collectors and dealers meet]]
Philatelic organizations sprang up soon after people started collecting and studying stamps. They include local, national and international clubs and societies where collectors come together to share the various aspects of their hobby.

The world's oldest philatelic society is the [[Royal Philatelic Society London]], which was founded on 10 April 1869, as the Philatelic Society. In North America, the major national societies include the [[American Philatelic Society]]; the [[Royal Philatelic Society of Canada]]; and the [[MEPSI|Mexico-Elmhurst Philatelic Society, International]].

Local clubs and societies have been established in many cities of the world. The [[International Philatelic Federation]] was formed in 1926 which is originally based in Zürich, Switzerland but is now known to be the world federation for philately.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Philately: hobby |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/philately |access-date=2020-11-03 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|border=no|Philately}}
*[[List of notable postage stamps]]
*[[List of philatelic topics]]
*[[List of philatelists]]
*[[List of philatelic awards]]
*[[Numismatics]] – the study and collection of coinage and currency

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*[[A. J. Sefi|Sefi, A.J.]] ''An Introduction to Advanced Philately, with special reference to typical methods of stamp production''. London: Rowley & Rowley, 1926 (2nd edition 1932) (Electronic facsimile edition [[Royal Philatelic Society London]] 2010).
*Sutton, R.J. & K.W. Anthony. ''The Stamp Collector's Encyclopaedia''. 6th edition. London: Stanley Paul, 1966.
*[[Leon Norman Williams|Williams, L.N.]] & M. ''Fundamentals of Philately''. State College: The American Philatelic Society, 1971.

==External links==
{{commons category|Philately}}
{{wiktionary}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150919123759/http://www.rfrajola.com/mercury/RR1.pdf Can Plastic Films Damage My Stamps? Translated from an article by Ib Krarup Rasmussen published in Dansk Filatelistisk Tidsskrift Number 4, 2008.]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150204053131/http://stamps.org/userfiles/file/pcpm/StampsPlastics.pdf Stamps and Plastics – the Good and the Bad by Roger Rhoads, 2009.]
*[https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/cultural-collections/archives/from-the-parliamentary-collections/parliament-and-the-olympics/envelope-olympic-stamp/ 1948 Olympic Stamp - UK Parliament Living Heritage]

{{Postal system}}{{Historiography}}{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Philately| ]]
[[Category:Postage stamps| ]]