Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Thematic or Topical Philately


In contrast to Traditional Philately, which is based on geographical entitles such as stamps of a particular put together stamps on a specific theme, topic or subject. Thus, while a missing stamp of a particular series of a specific period or country may be a matter of concern to a traditional philatelist who wishes to complete the set, the thematic philatelist would only took for thematic relevance of stamps, irrespective of its other contexts. The variety in themes that philatelists have presented through stamps has been delightfully fascinating. Any philatelic material can be collected related to a theme which in addition to postage stamps includes the varieties of postal stationary, aero philatelic cachets, postmarks and maximum cards.

Significantly enough, postal administrations have adopted issuing policies that have actively encouraged thematics as a venture specially for the youth class, for whom it constitutes a veritable mine of information and education. This calls for the combined ingenuity of the postal administration, the printer, the philatelists and the subject-matter experts. In fact, there is hardly any subject of general interest that does not have a good set of stamps on it, but thematic philatelists come up with the most unique and novel ideas in relating a philatelic item to a chosen theme. these relationships involve classifications of themes taken from a broader subject of choice , their further sub-classifications and its sub-classifications. Sri Vishnu S. Saksena, for instance, has devoted an entire book on the theme of India’s freedom movement, entitled: “India’s Freedom Struggle Through India Postage Stamps.”

Thus thematic philatelists would like single, prominent themes to be pictured forcefully on stamps rather than multiple themes or commemorative set of stamps.

Indian stamps are very rich in thematic variety, specially on the freedom movement and its personalities, great men and women of various walks of life, Indian art and culture, flora and fauna. Nevertheless, there is a need to bring out many more stamps on areas of scientific discoveries and inventions, technological developments and medical advances that have taken place the world over and specially in India. These stamps will be extraordinary rich in their education value to the youth and children.

Postal Stationery


When the Penny Black was released in May 1840, there were only two philatelic items worth collecting:
• The postage stamp just released, and
• The postal stationery wrapper, the Mulready

Ever since then, the range of collections have incredibly diversified and we have now a separate class of collection called Postal Stationery. Though the number of philatelists specializing in Postal Stationery is relatively small, nonetheless, the presentation lends a special attractiveness to philatelic exhibitions because of its rarity and also because these items being larger in size have to be artistically or thematically presented.

Postal Stationery collections cover all postal items with a postage stamp on them or which bear in some manner or other, impressions for pre-payment of postage for use of the postal services (and not merely the pre-payment of stationery charge).

It includes items bearing postage prepayment indications even if the value is not mentioned, called Non-value Indicator or NVI items. Items of private stationery whether stamped or printed (STPO of PTPO), but conforming to the postal regulations of the countries area also included as Postal Stationery. Many items where no pre-payment of postage is involved, such as Money Order forms, Acknowledgement Cards, ‘On Postal Service’ mail, internal mail of the Armed Forces or the Railways etc. and items bearing symbols of prepayment but where postage is actual paid later, are not included.

Generally speaking, Postal Stationery includes illustrated or plain types of postcards, envelopes, registered envelopes, aerogrammes, letter cards, parcel bags and also postal forms of various kinds. Article 3 pf SREV even includes wrappers or newspaper bands. All classes of mail are included such as those sent by surface post or by air, inland or foreign, by registration, by special deliveries, inland and foreign telegraphs. Postal receipts issued by post offices for various postal transactions or for fees charged or other documents such as Postal Orders etc. can also be included and are collected by philatelists to represent their variety or history or some speciality about them.

Many postal administrations today include Postal Stationery items in their issuing programmes, specially since philately is not limited just to postage stamps and since philatelists attend to bring out novel thematic correlations between stationery items and stamps in their presentations. For instance, the LA POSTE or the Belgium Post brings out splendid designs on their postcards, and also attractive tourist cards of higher values to be sold at tourist resorts.

Postal History


To a philatelist, the “postal history” of a nation – the development of its postal services – is as important as its political history, if not more. Postal History consists of collections of stamps that delineate, not the political history of a nation, but the history of its Post Office.

The history and development of the postal services, postal rates, postal markings, mail carriers and their lines and stages, postmen’s uniforms and such other items as seen in used or mint stamps. For the ardent student of philately, India provides perhaps the richest and most varied wealth of materials for Postal History.

Postal History exhibits are arranged in a way as, to show the history and development of the chosen aspect of the postal services. Consequently, FDCs are not normally included in a Postal History presentation unless they have been used in course of transmission by post. But Postal History may also contain such items as prints or maps or brochures or news items and cuttings or extracts from books and other material, provided they are relevant to the main subject or relevant to the concerned postal administration. Many philatelists believe that Postal History is really a sub-set of Traditional Philately. However, a Postal History presentation is a very difficult one, usually made by senior philatelists specializing in this area. I have once seen the history of Railway Mail Service of India being exhibited side by side with the history of the Indian Railways by an enthusiastic philatelist, in which among other items, the date-stamps and postage-due stamps impressed by RMS Sorting Sections on letters posted to these Sections by the public at various railway stations, had been presented starting right from the beginnings of the RMS in India.

Blogarama finding blogs