The Philatelic Database – Archive of Stamp Collecting Articles

This article tracks the first ten years of Chile airmail, from the inaugural pioneer official airmail services between Santiago and Valparaiso in 1927 to the subsequent links to the United States and Europe.

This recently acquired photograph is a historic and nostalgic addition to our ever-expanding post office archive.

Astrophilately was born soon after the launch of the first ever earth orbiting satellite, the Soviet Union’s Sputnik on 4th October 1957, reached its peak during the Apollo mission years 1969—1972.

Here’s another video from the collection  promoted by the American Philatelic Society:

This article was originally published in 1955 and contains valuable information about the engravers of early American stamps.

Here are some fine engraved stamps issued on Jan 2, 1931. They were recess printed by the American Bank Note Company.

[Published by kind permission of the artist.] -

A stamp collector since childhood, Franklin Roosevelt designed postage stamps to help promote his presidential agenda.

Originally published in “Shipping Wonders of the World” in 1937, this comprehensive article features detailed information on the US Naval fleet of the time.

The Railroad Post Office cars were fixtures on many U.S. passenger trains from the 1860s through 1967.

The following article was written by Oscar Karl Goll and first published in “Stamps” (April 6, 1935).

An account by “Uncle Dan” Drumheller (Daniel M. Drumheller), who rode the route. Extracted from Stamp Collectors’ Fortnightly (July, 1921).

The following article was first published in the “Oxford Junior Encyclopaedia” (1957) and is a sound introduction to the various different railway systems around the world at the time.

This historic picture postcard was prepared for the 1933 Century of Progress Exhibition in Chicago.

A history of the New York City Post Office from the 1600s until the 1870s. Traces the evolution of mail transport from the early days of ‘coffee-house delivery’ through the founding of a post office up to the 1870s.

Having always had a love of ships and naval history, I suppose, as a philatelist, it was only a matter of time before I developed an interest into maritime postal history. Like many philatelic pursuits it has become quite an obsession! Recently I acquired paquebot postcard from the S.S. Homeric and I was determined to find out more.

Pelican is a city in the northwestern part of Chichagof Island in Hoonah-Angoon Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 163.

The design of the 1973 Christmas stamps by Dolli Tingle, which features a whimsical old-fashioned Christmas tree, was the first U.S. stamp ever designed in needlepoint.

Each year since 1957 Australia has issued Christmas stamps to facilitate the mailing of greeting cards to inland addresses, sometimes at a reduced postage rate. In later years there have been higher values in the series to cover postage rates to other destinations.

Here is a superb article on two of the great transatlantic liners of the 1930s. The information was extracted from “Shipping Wonders of the World” (1935).

The following account was first published in “The Postage Stamp” (June 1913).

The following account of the first New York Stamp Exhibition was written by Fred J Melville and originally published in “The Postage Stamp”, 1913.

This charming colour image of the post office at Orrs Island, Maine shows a woman in Edwardian dress at the entrance. Could she be the postmistress? It seems quite likely.