The Royal Philatelic Collection
The Royal Philatelic Collection is an heirloom, disposed in St. James's Palace. It represents the all-encompassing collection in the world of postage stamps dedicated to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
It is impossible to determine the total stamp numbers of the Royal Philatelic Collection, as well as nobody is able to esteem the collection as it comprises unique items, together with priceless drawings and proofs.
Prince Alfred became the first serious collector in the Royal Family, named Honorary President of the modern Royal Philatelic Society. In the end of his life the collection was acquired by the Prince’s elder brother The Prince of Wales, and later presented to the latter’s son, The Duke of York (George V afterwards). A part of his collection is included into the Royal Philatelic Collection today.
The Duke of York, a very passionate philatelist, became executive President of the Royal Philatelic Society London, and later its patron. He enthusiastically strived for every single opportunity to get the rarest stamps for the collection. The larger part of the Royal Philatelic Collection comprises unused stamps, but George V also purchased used samples including covers if required. He particularly admired bisected stamps and enriched the collection with air mail covers from the early routes.
As Duke of York and later Prince of Wales, by 1904 he managed to buy both the 1d and 2d Post Office Mauritius of 1847, the first stamps launched by a colonial Post Office, placed among the most valued stamps in the world.
The incomparable Penny Orange-red was purchased from a collector, and the superb unused example of the 2d Blue was bought at auction in 1904 for ?1,450, at the time the highest price for a stamp.
As King, George V used to deal with approving designs of new issues featuring his image, and some official presentations contributed to enlarging the Collection. Still the significant part of the collection appeared by purchasing stamps at auctions, individual stamps from important collections made available for sale, and the whole collections. George V was really interested in stamp designing. He accepted the artists' sketches that were returned to him for the collection after engraving the die, making plates and matching colors. The King became a pioneer in the area of collecting artists' drawings, die proofs, plate proofs and color trials, as he recognized their importance.
In the period of 1907 -1918, the King bought approximately 18 important entire single-country collections and 4 collections of Great Britain. By his death, 328 albums were required for placing the King's Collection, known as Red Albums.
George VI was also personally interested in the Collection, but he did not possess his father George V's deep knowledge. Still, the Collection continued its growth mounting the Blue Albums.
During The Queen's reign important material has been purchased, a significant part of it is still to be mounted - in time everything will be included into the Green Albums.
Two most valuable material added represents a collection of British pre-adhesive covers and a collection of the Canadian pioneer air mail flights envelopes.
The Queen also is proud of a collection of first day covers from the UK and the Commonwealth dated from 1952, the year she mounted the throne. The Collection acquires a mint copy of all stamps that appeared in the world and stamps of the UK and the Commonwealth in mint blocks of four or six.
The famous cover bearing ten Penny Blacks used on May, 6th in 1840, the first day of use, was purchased for the collection for $250,000.
The Collection is stored in absolute security, with a part of material kept in chemical-free packets. It has been mentioned that there is enough material to fill another 2,000 albums; the material is left for reference and studying.
The biggest part of the Collection is brittle and the laying open to light or heat may cause fading or damaging the stamps, still examples are sometimes displayed to public appreciation.
Material from the Collection is exposed every season under the aegis of The Queen at the Royal Philatelic Society London.
As opportunity offers, some selections from the Collection are demonstrated in the United Kingdom, as well as at many of the major international stamp events.
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