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Virtual stamp exhibition 4th May - 6th May 2023. Sign up today

The PTS sent Stampy the Stamp Bug on a special mission to explore the world of stamps and uncover interesting stories at Empire Philatelists. Here's what he got up to ...

Mauritius is known for having issued the most famous and sought-after stamps in the world, highly prized by collectors. The Mauritius ‘Post Office’ stamps rank amongst the most notable and important of all philatelic rarities, read the story behind these stamps ..

Jacob Perkins & The Perkins Bacon Cancelled Handstamps. The story behind them and the new discovery by Empire Philatelists

A look at the Cape of Good Hope's postal history, the post office stones, the famous Cape Triangular stamp and its connection with the birth of Stanley Gibbons as a stamp dealer

'Madam Joseph' first became known for forging superb cancellations in England during the first half of the 20th century. Her historical character and origin have remained a much-debated enigma amongst philatelists to this day. So little known is known for certain about her true identity or indeed her personal life that, over the years, a host of theories have been put forward, none of which has ever been successfully proven.

Stamps don’t pluck themselves out of thin air. Before being issued and distributed for postage, they first have to be designed and proofed. This means that a printer has to create a trial run of prints as an example of what the final stamp will look like, so that they can be given the final go-ahead.

Philatelic terminology can be daunting for the beginner or less experienced stamp collector. However, as with most jargon, philatelic terms are pretty straightforward once you know what they actually mean. So to help you make sense of the occasionally obscure language stamp dealers’ use, here’s our glossary of the most common philatelic terms.

The Philatelic Traders Society, responsible for hosting Stampex International, the largest philatelic event in Europe, is taking its biannual expo online with a new, exciting modern-day digital version.

One thing philatelists learn quickly on the job is that no stamp is perfect. Not only do the individual stamps we handle come in varying conditions, but most stamps issued throughout history have variations involving printing errors. These errors are what makes philately so interesting, and also what can make certain stamps so valuable.