British Library Philatelic Collections

British Library Philatelic Collections
A primary object in the Collections is this unique proof sheet of one-penny revenue stamps for America submitted for approval to the Commissioners of Stamps by the engraver, dated 10 May 1765.
Housed at	British Library
Curators	Paul Skinner, Richard Morel
Website	bl.uk/philatelycollectionshub

The British Library Philatelic Collections is the national philatelic collection of the United Kingdom with over 8 million items from around the world.^[1][2] It was established in 1891 as part of the British Museum Library, later to become the British Library, with the collection of Thomas Tapling. In addition to bequests and continuing donations, the library received consistent deposits by the Crown Agency and has become a primary research collection for British Empire and international history. The collections contain a wide range of artefacts in addition to postage stamps, from newspaper stamps to a press used to print the first British postage stamps.