STAMP COLLECTING BY THE KINGS Articles | Stamps

By: J.Morgan

Stamp collecting is something that has grown over the years with more and more individuals undertaking this fantastic hobby.  There are those people who study the history of both stamps and stamp collecting in an attempt to learn more about it.  There have been many great things discovered about stamp collecting over the years, but I think that I can safely say that the most interesting fact is that however, the one that may surprise you the most is that the king collected stamps.

In actual fact, some would say that stamp collecting is a “hobby of kings”.  This is because there were numerous kings who were interested in this type of collecting.  The 1800’s was when it all began with the grandson of Queen Victoria, who later grew up to become King George V.  He started to collect stamps with the help of the servants who handled the mail at Buckingham Palace.

It was quickly recognized that the King, who was popular, established, and much loved by many, possessed a love of stamp collecting.  Therefore, many others began to collect stamps simply because the king collected them. 

Once the king had reached adulthood, he was known as being the biggest philatelist in the world.  Before he became the king, he was asked by the Philatelic Society of London to join them.  He later remained an active member and was later elected as president.

Over time, the king possessed one of the greatest collections of postage stamps in the world.  He renamed the club the Royal Philatelic Society of London and he frequently presented parts of his collection to the club during their annual program.  This tradition is still carried out right up to this day.

To this day, Buckingham Palace still houses King George V’s stamp collection in a very special room whereby they are preserved and protected, just as they have been for many years.  This is something that I am sure King George V would be very proud of.  Stamp collecting was proven to be more than just a childish hobby by this king.  He was one of the first people to make the individuals of London aware that stamp collecting was in fact a hobby.

Even though there were many more kings and people of importance that collected stamps, King George V is known as the king who made stamp collecting a King’s hobby.  Therefore, if at any time in the future, the subject of stamp collecting arises, you will be able to confidently inform your audience as to how postage stamp collecting all came about.