Philately

[4] The alternative terms "timbromania", "timbrophily", and "timbrology" gradually fell out of use as philately gained acceptance during the 1860s.

[5] As a collection field, philately appeared after the introduction of the postage stamps in 1840,[6][7] but did not gain large attraction until the mid-1850s.

The first philatelist is considered to be a postmaster going by the name Mansen, who lived in Paris, and in 1855 had sold his collection, which contained almost all the postage stamps issued by that time.

[10] Due to the boom in popularity and news of this transaction, stamp merchants like Laplante began to emerge.

Therefore, from the early 1880s, "collector experts" appeared, specializing their collection to only one part of the world, a group of nations, or even only one.

In 1934, the idea to celebrate an annual Postage Stamp Day was suggested by Hans von Rudolphi, a German philatelist.

[13] In 1926, the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie (FIP) was founded, where international philatelic exhibitions have been regularly organized since 1929.

Philately was largely advanced by the USSR and nations within its sphere of influence, and the United States, France, the UK, and Austria.

The identification of watermarks is equally important and may be done with the naked eye by turning the stamp over or holding it up to the light.

They include local, national and international clubs and societies where collectors come together to share the various aspects of their hobby.