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The list of societies affiliated to Hampshire Philatelic Federation is shown below. Also see "What a stamp club could do for you" to read about the benefits of society membership.
Other societies may also be found from the Bournemouth Philately site [Dorset & South Wiltshire], or from the ABPS site by entering your postcode.
Neighbouring Philatelic Federations | ||||
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Sussex (ASPS) | Surrey | Kent | Wessex | Thames Valley |
Do you collect post cards as well as stamps and/or postal history? The programme of the Southampton Postcard Club and meeting details are here.
Last Updated on 22nd Auigust 2023.
Please e-mail any changes to the address below via the airmail-letter button.
By Jack Davey of Camberley and District
Stamp Club.
There are a very large number of stamp collectors who are
losing out by staying at home and not exploiting the
opportunity of joining their local Club or Society. There
are also many who have joined a society and never attended
meetings, thus not taking advantage of facilities which
could help them enormously.
Most societies meet every two weeks and arrange programmes
which appeal to a wide range of collecting interests.
Visiting knowledgeable speakers or society representatives
present materials which expand your knowledge and they
often show outstanding items which one is unlikely to see
anywhere else. For example, in Camberley recently we have
seen an excellent display of early stamps produced for
Ireland which most of us had never seen before. We also saw
a very fine thematic display on aviation which was quite a
lesson and a nostalgia trip. These types of subject would
be of great interest to any collector and we picked up a
great deal from them. Like many clubs we had coffee and
biscuits at half time in in a congenial atmosphere which
added to the pleasure of the evening.
Also included in the programme are opportunities for
members to display parts of their own collection which
provides an opportunity to gain from the knowledge of more
experienced members. This is a great incentive to get down
to the elements of organising one's collection and finding
ways to show it off in the best possible way and to explain
its special merits. This often leads to the field of
competition in the annual Club Competition. From there it
is possible to compete at Federation level and even in
National competitions. Nowadays this may well involve the
use of computers to produce the highest standard of
presentation, although not of necessity. The results are
shown in the Club's annual Exhibition and Stamp Fair.
Many societies have an evening devoted to an in-house
auction with a wide range of stamps, covers, postcards and
accessories for sale. This is a useful way to obtain used
copies of modern stamps. In attending such meetings
friendships develop and it is good to know people who have
a common interest. In addition, many societies offer a
packet service through which you can sell or buy single
stamps from a selection which is in regular
circulation.
The presence of a club library of philatelic works is a
great help providing catalogues, magazines and books which
may be borrowed.
All of the above sounds very good value for an annual
membership of £5 or £6, or even £10 for those societies offering lots of meetings and activities.
A final thought from the HPF Chairman: think about joining a society just to get the packet! Many societies have their "silent members" who just buy stamps from the packet and from the auctions.