Collecting postal history by British county

In a new series of postal history articles in each issue of Stamp & Coin Mart magazine, postal history expert John Scott travels across Britain to provide introductory guides to collecting by county.

Fifty years ago most collections of county postal history consisted of what is now termed ‘marcophily’, with serried ranks of town and village postmarks in every variation of colour and size.

That approach may appeal to the enthusiast, just as does a collection of flaws on the single value of a postage stamp. But there is so much more to collect out there and increasingly collectors are relating their postal history to the context of the era in which the letter or postcard was sent.

With a burgeoning public interest in genealogy and social history such an approach has an appeal that extends far beyond the philatelist and could bring welcome new members to stamp clubs.

In the new 'An A to Z of British county postal history' series of articles starting in the September 2016 issue of Stamp & Coin Mart, we will take a look at the history of individual counties and offer a few pointers as to what to look for and how to find it.

Don't miss the new postal history series, subscribe to Stamp & Coin Mart and have each issue delivered to your home!

Did you know?
You can buy the postal history items and ephemera featured in John's articles on the Historystore shop on Buy & Sell Collectables.