The Philatelic Collections at the Royal
Introduction
At the 16th April 1870 meeting of the Philatelic Society, London, the Treasurer, Mr. P. Furse, proposed that “A postal collection be formed by the Society” and he headed the list of contributors by donating “a complete set of the Roman States adhesives”. As far as can be ascertained from surviving records, although the collection continued to receive additional material, the impetus appears to have been lost until May 1907 when Council made the important decision to form a reference collection of stamps, forgeries, reprints, photographs and other objects of value for reference. The primary purpose was to assist the Expert Committee (formed in 1894), by building up a permanent basis for comparison. This is still true today although selected material is also displayed for the members at each AGM and specific collections are displayed at both domestic and international exhibitions when the opportunities arise.
Current Projects and Activities
With the move to Abchurch Lane, the Philatelic Collections department now has a purpose–built environmentally controlled vault in which to store all new and existing collections. The primary future objectives will be to organise these collections into a logical and accessible format, and to continue with their digitisation in readiness for members to access them online via the membership area of the website. We already offer members access by appointment to all collections for research purposes and it is proposed that this facility will continue beyond the availability of digital images.
The current prioritised activities are to digitise the Society’s Foreign UPU Collection in its entirety, to digitise and rationalise the Society’s forgery collections into a cohesive structure, and to continue conserving those collections that are at risk of deterioration. In addition, displays are prepared for the AGM and international exhibitions.
- In 2023, a selection of Natal material from the E. W. Mann Collection was showcased at the AGM to complement the Zulu Exhibition, and an extended selection from the same collection in addition to a selection from the Louis Bradbury Collection of the Bahamas was shown at the Great American Stamp Show in Ohio.
- For the June 2024 AGM, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), material was selected from the Society’s Foreign UPU Collection.
- At the June 2025 AGM, material from the recently donated Scottish Philatelic Society Forgeries Collection was shown.
Personnel
The Philatelic Collections department comprises a team of just three volunteer members, namely Damian Devoy (Curator), Ivan Metchev and Peter Lister.
A Selection of Society Collections Held
Members of the Society and others have made a number of generous donations ranging from single items to major collections and the list below, although not exhaustive as it is continually being updated, gives an indication of the range currently available for study.
Together with a number of smaller collections, and many individual items, we hold the following major collections:
- H.C.V. Adams Collection – King George V Great Britain Essays and Proofs
- David Bernhard Collection – Nevis
- Dieter Bortfeldt Collection – Great Britain
- Louis Bradbury Collection – Bahamas
- Dr. Ray Ceresa Collection – Armenia and Russia Forgeries
- Col. A. W. Chambers Collection – Great Britain 1d red plates 71-225
- Clements Collection – Tasmania
- T. E. Clougher Collection – Canada and Prince Edwards Island
- David Cohen and Lt. Col. J.B.M. Stanton Collection – Chalon Head
- James Cummings Collections – Australia, Denmark, Great Britain, Norway, New Zealand
- E.W. Mann Collection – Natal
- Dr. Theodore Groom Collection – Greece Large Hermes Heads
- Richard William Thomas Lees-Jones Collection – Canada 1890-1950
- Walter Manley Holman – King George V 1935 Silver Jubilee
- P. C. Swann Collection – Newfoundland
- Universal Postal Union Foreign Collection 1910-1998
- Edward Desiré Ermanos van Weenan Collection – Tasmania and Victoria
- Winstanley Collections – GB 1935 (GVI) – 1981, South Africa, SW Africa, British Empire
- Dr. Francis Ernest Wood Collection – Sungei Ujong
- The British Somaliland Collection
- Ian Paton Collection – American Thematic Exhibit of USA History 1492-1912
- Scottish Philatelic Society Whole World Forgery Collection
- Postal Stationery Collection Foreign, Commonwealth and GV
- W.G. Taveira Collection – Great Britain
- Perkins Bacon Die Proofs
- IR Embossed Revenue Collection
- Alma Lee Switzerland 1882-1986 (Scans bound in book form)
- Donald Gray Netherlands & Colonies (Scans bound in book form)
1. Great Britain King George V – Seahorses design Die proof of 2s 6d value in colour accepted for £1 value 2. Netherlands King William III 1852 issue 5c value 3. Bahamas Chalon Head Essay 4. Newfoundland – Die proofs of 1933 air mail issue 5. Greece Hermes Head tricolour franking 6. U.S.A. Wells-Fargo embossed envelope with additional 25c Pony Express stamp sent from Virginia City to San Francisco H. C. V. Adams Collection – Great Britain King George V Proofs & Essays Dieter Bortfeldt Collection – Great Britain Royal Cypher Labels Louis Bradbury Collection – Bahamas R. W. T. Lees-Jones Collection Canada
How to view
All collections held by the Society are available for members to view and study under restricted and secure conditions. If you wish to make arrangements to view a collection, please contact the Curator, Philatelic Collections, stating your interest, collections that you would like to view and reason (if any) for research. Please note that it is not practicable to view material on meeting days. You can contact the Curator, Philatelic Collections by letter or email.
Please write to:
Curator, Philatelic Collections
The Royal Philatelic Society London
15 Abchurch Lane,
London EC4N 7BW, UK
Or email: philateliccollections@rpsl.org.uk