At the British Library you can study stamps and postage material. We have millions of philatelic items covering every country and period. Our collection includes airmail envelopes, original artwork and printing plates.

Collection guides

The Philatelic Reading Room in the British Library

Philatelic Reading Room

To explore our philatelic materials, please contact our Philatelic Reading Room and make an appointment.

If you can, try to contact us at least 10 days before you intend to visit. We'll ensure our experts are available to help you.

You'll need a Reader Pass

Email: philatelic@bl.uk

Tel: +44 (0)20 7412 7635

Related events

Exhibition FREE

The Philatelic Exhibition

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Discover some of the rarest and most significant stamps from one of the world's greatest collections

View all events

Library experts

Paul Skinner

Lead Curator, Philatelic Collections

Richard Morel

Curator, Philatelic Collections

External links

The British Library is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

British Library Philatelic Collections

A Wikipedia category list of all our collections

Royal Philatelic Society, London

The oldest philatelic society in the world