The Philatelic Congress of Great Britain, one of the highlights of the British philatelic calendar, takes place in Kenilworth next week. Amongst the special guest speakers is our Curator of Philately Douglas Muir who will speak on the work of Bertram Mackennal, designer of stamps, coins and medals during the reign of King George V. Bertram Mackennal’s “Seahorses” stamp design, issued 1913 Bertram Mackennal’s most admired stamp design... 

by Adrian Steel, Director  My examination of the stamp albums left by my late Grandfather , Frank Steel, has continued recently, inspired by the International Stamp Exhibition at the Business Design Centre, part of  London 2010: Festival of Stamps . I have found the special stamps issued for the 1970 and 1980 international shows in his albums and have taken a look at what I can…  Read More →

by John H Barker, Solihull Philatelic Society Visitors to this third Regional event organised by members of the Association of British Philatelic Societies came to Solihull on a warm sunny day to enjoy the spirit of London 2010: Festival of Stamps . Brian Goodey, Chairman of the Trustees of the British Postal Museum & Archive opened the Fair with words of encouragement to collectors about the Festival of Stamps and how it is providing a... 

Today is National Stamp Day, marking the anniversary of the world’s first postage stamp, the penny black , first issued 170 years ago; today also marks the 100th anniversary of the accession of King George V – the philatelist king. In celebration, and to mark London 2010 Festival of Stamps , Royal Mail has issued a new miniature sheet. The Accession of King George V miniature sheet The Accession of King George V miniature sheet features... 

On Tuesday 11th May, right in the middle of the main London 2010: Festival of Stamps activities, we will welcome Paul Eimers of stamp printers Joh Enschedé to the BPMA. Joh Enschedé have printed many British stamps over the years, but their latest work for Royal Mail is The King’s Stamps miniature sheet, to be released on 8th May to mark the start of the International Stamp Exhibition . The King’s Stamps miniature sheet features two reproductions... 

Philatelist Richard West explains why he’s looking forward to the London 2010 International Stamp Exhibition. The London 2010 International Stamp Exhibition provides the almost unrivalled prospect of being able to see many of the finest stamp collections from around the world. Although international stamp exhibitions are held two or three times a year, it is only every ten years that the United Kingdom plays host, so it is just once a decade... 

The BPMA's travelling exhibition for regional stamps shows by Jennifer Flippance, 2010 Exhibitions & Project Manager Why not try something a bit different this year?  All over the UK, as part of the London 2010: Festival of Stamps, member federations of the ABPS (Association of British Philatelic Societies) are holding special stamp shows.   The first of these, WestBex10, takes place …  Read More →

by Terry Kirkman, Hon. Secretary, Ferndown and West Moors Philatelic & Postcard Club With the support of the Bournemouth Library we at the Ferndown and West Moors Philatelic & Postcard Club are putting on a changing display of stamps and postcards from Monday 15th March to Saturday 10th April 2010 in the exhibition area of the Bournemouth Central Library . One of the postcards to be on display: …  Read More →

Merchandise on display at the Friends of the BPMA stall at Spring Stampex 2010. The 2010 Spring Stampex opened today at the Business Design Centre , Islington, London. The BPMA Friends can be found at stand 20 this year. They will be happy to tell you more about the BPMA, and you can also become a Friend yourself. Next door at stand 18 is Bletchley Park Post Office , who will be hosting an event as part of the London 2010: Festival of …  Read More →

by David Rossall, Stamp Active Network Stamp Active Network is the national organisation, under the auspices of ABPS, which endeavours to encourage young people to take up stamp collecting as a hobby. Once called the National Youth stamp Group, it comprises a small core team of dedicated volunteers to coordinate actions. It works primarily through Federation Youth Officers, plus publicity in the philatelic press, federation and society newsletter,... 

Today we joined the growing number of philatelists, stamp collectors and postal historians on Twitter. You can find us at http://www.twitter.com/postalheritage . We’ll be tweeting every weekday on what we’re up to here at The British Postal Museum & Archive. London 2010: Festival of Stamps will no doubt give us plenty to tweet about in upcoming months, and we’ll be using the hash tag  #FestivalOfStamps when we discuss... 

“Czech glass, Doctor Who memorabilia and vintage fashion are all on the up, as is stamp collecting. That’s right, in 2010, philately is the new (Penny) black.” So says the current edition of  BBC Homes & Antiques magazine , and who are we to argue? 2010, of course, is when London 2010: Festival of Stamps will take place – a year long celebration of stamps, stamp design and postal heritage. London 2010: Festival... 

Tomorrow Royal Mail is releasing the first ten of 30 1st class stamps which will be issued over the next three years in the lead up to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games . The thirty stamps not only represent the 30th Olympiad but will showcase thirty different Olympic and Paralympic sports. Each stamp is designed by a different contemporary artist or illustrator, giving this issue a distinctive and …  Read More →