Organising Philately in the United Kingdom - The First 150 Years by Chris King RDP Hon. FRPSL

In a Collections Seminar organised at the Royal Philatelic Society London on Tuesday 30th November 2021, Chris King RDP Hon. FRPSL made a start on revealing the history of organised philately in the British Isles.

The history of philately is a relatively new subject – either for a museum, where we think we are unique, or at least one of very few institutions, in our major collecting theme – or in philatelic literature.

Many basic facts are lacking. Complete lists of exhibitions either by type or by country are missing. Lists of exhibition catalogues, results and ephemera are incomplete. Commercial organisations involved in philately are listed in various directories, but there is no fundamental reference list. Researchers such as Brian Birch, Wolfgang Maassen, Glenn Morgan, Graham Wilson and others have worked hard to remedy this deficiency, but there’s still a long way to go.

Nowhere is this more true than in the world of philatelic clubs and societies, specialist or general, geographically based, or based at a place of work. No-one can answer simple questions such as, ‘How many Societies were there in Great Britain?’, or 'When did the society in Bude, Cornwall begin?'.

The Spear Museum of Philatelic History intends to rectify this lack, although it may take a long time.

In addition to a number of people attending the seminar in London, the event was watched live via Zoom video conferencing.