Stampex
Encyclopedia
Stampex is a twice yearly British stamp show held at the Business Design Centre
Business Design Centre
The Business Design Centre is an exhibition centre on Upper Street in the district of Islington in London.-Origins:The foundation stone was laid in 1861 - although a large part of the building had already been completed. It occupies a Grade II listed building formerly known as the Royal...

 (BDC) at Islington, London, every Spring and Autumn. The show is organised by the Philatelic Traders Society
Philatelic Traders Society
The Philatelic Traders' Society is a trade association for stamp dealers and philatelic traders which was established in Britain in 1929 and continues to this day.- Activities :...

 (PTS) through their company Stampex Limited and has been running for many years.

Elements of the show

The show consists mainly of stands from stamp dealers who are members of the PTS but specialist philatelic societies often hold meetings at the BDC in conjunction with the show.

Until recently competitive stamp exhibitions were also held. The Association of British Philatelic Societies (ABPS) has announced that they will be reintroduced with effect from the Autumn 2009 show.

Other important parts of the show include a youth area run by the National Youth Stamp Group and a large stand from Britain's Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...

 where recent British stamp issues are on sale.

Souvenirs

Admission is free of charge and visitors usually receive a modest philatelic souvenir of some kind. At the Spring 2009 show a postcard was given featuring unadopted artwork by stamp designer Jeffery Matthews
Jeffery Matthews
Jeffery Matthews is a British artist, specialising in postage stamp design. He conceived the Machin definitive series' colour palette in the mid-1980s.-Biography:...

 for a proposed 1979 Welsh Assembly stamp issue. These souvenirs have become collectable.

History

Stampex has not always been at the BDC. For many years it was located at the Central Hall, Westminster when it was organised between the PTS and The Junior Philatelic Society (now the National Philatelic Society
National Philatelic Society
The National Philatelic Society is one of two national philatelic societies in Great Britain. The other is the Royal Philatelic Society London.- History :...

).

Other British shows

The only regular British national show competing with Stampex is the Philatex International Stamp & Cover Show, although many smaller shows take place and an FIP
Fédération Internationale de Philatélie
The Fédération Internationale de Philatélie was founded on June 18, 1926 and is the world federation for philately based in Zürich, Switzerland.- Aims :The primary aims of the FIP are:*To promote stamp collecting and philately....

 endorsed international show takes place in London every ten years, with the next being the London 2010 International Stamp Exhibition
London 2010 International Stamp Exhibition
The London 2010 International Stamp Exhibition, 8th-15th May 2010 at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London, was a major international stamp exhibition that was granted FIP patronage.- Theme :...

.

The name has been adopted for stamp shows in other countries, for instance Hong Kong Stampex and Adelaide Stampex, however, none are connected with the British version.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK