I have been dealing in stamps online since 1999, I was a collector for over 20 years before, and remain a collector at heart. My interest in philately began in an era when there were weekly and fortnightly philatelic publications. These as well keeping all with an interest in matters philatelic more regularly up to date with developments, undoubtedly generated an enthusiasm and sense of anticipation among collectors and dealers alike.
Although my collecting and dealing interests have been focused on aspects of GB philately, over the years I have spent many rewarding hours browsing through philatelic publications going back 100 years or more. In addition to the “learned” articles in these historic publications, many at risk of being permanently lost, the reader’s letters and even some of the advertisements give testimony not only to the enthusiasm of collectors of the time, but also of some of the prevailing culture of the times, and as such are as much worth preserving as the articles themselves. In more recent times, with the technology now available, I have in similar fashion browsed the digital media. I have become more aware of how wide the philatelic “umbrella” is and have realised how easy it is to become completely absorbed in just one narrow field. I am now, still finding new philatelic avenues to explore.
It is my hope that The Philatelic Register will, with the aid of today’s technology help to recreate the enthusiasm and anticipation of past years and hopefully prove that in truth it never really disappeared. The intention is to appeal to all collectors whatever their area of interest, be they specialist or more general in their approach and to encourage them to also explore the philatelic world more widely. In doing so and as The Philatelic Register evolves as a hopefully valuable source of information for collectors, I would like not only to keep alive the spirit of the collectors of those days gone by, but also infuse the collectors of today with their enthusiasm.
By broadening horizons, hopefully those already engaged with philately, if only as yet in a small or token manner, will see and consider more seriously the myriad opportunities it offers.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
I am keenly aware that many if not most of the authors of the articles I have reproduced from historic publications, like the publications themselves are no longer with us. I hope that subscribers and readers of The Philatelic Register will appreciate my compilations of such articles. However I have merely assembled a miscellany of diverse articles to hopefully encourage and enthuse.
The credit for the content of these articles remains firmly with the original authors and I hope that they would appreciate their being made available for another generation of collectors and philatelists.
Ian Lasok-Smith. Owner and editor “The Philatelic Register”
Professional & Society menberships:
- Philatelic Traders Society (Gold Membership)
- Internet Philatelic Dealers Association
- Great Britain Philatelic Society
- Modern British Philatelic Circle
- Forces Postal History Society
- Cape & Natal Study Circle
- The Postal Stationery Society