The British Library's collections originate from a number of institutions, primarily those derived from the British Museum library departments, where the Philatelic Collections were established in 1891 with the bequest of the outstanding Tapling Collection.
Since that time about 50 important Collections or Archives have been acquired by donation, bequest, or transfer from Government departments. An important consideration is that each collection or archive has been maintained intact, in order to preserve the original information in an archival context.
About half of the material held is of Great Britain, with large groups of British Colonial or Commonwealth, and a balance of Foreign countries. All of the collections and archives are listed under the following categories:
General Collections
Great Britain Collections
Air Mail Collections
Country Collections
Special CollectionsA to Z of Collections (also available in PDF format)
Contact
Philatelic Collections
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7635
Fax: +44 (0)20 7412 7780
E-mail: philatelic@bl.uk
