[1] The probate value of the Tapling collection was set at £12,000 but on arrival Richard Garnett (assistant keeper of Printed Books) estimated their value at more than £50,000 and described the bequest as the most valuable gift since the Grenville Library[2] in 1847 (equivalent to £24,000,000 in 2011).

[3] It is held in the Philatelic Collections of the British Library and selected items are on permanent public exhibition.

[4][5][6] The collection covers the period 1840 to 1890 with some items up to 1900 added subsequently and recorded on the album pages.

As of January 2009 the stamps were held in 72 boxes and the postal stationery part held in 113 albums and seven boxes.

[7] The collection features these rarities:[8] The collection also includes a significant number of colour varieties of early United States postal issues.