Philately - Quo Vadis....?
Philately is a very popular international hobby pursued by both young
and old, rich and poor, kings and commoners throughout the globe ever
since the first postage stamp was out in Great Britain on May 6, 1840
for the value of one Penny which is known as 'Black Penny'.
When the first postage stamp was introduced to our country on April
1, 1857 with a photograph of the bust of Queen Victoria valued at six
Pence it did not take long for some of our people to collect the used
stamps which reached their homes uninvited and free of charge.
Thanks to the Department of Post and Telecommunication which
introduced other philatelic items such as post cards, stamped envelopes,
aerogrammes, register covers or insured covers, picture post cards,
printed labels for air mail. VPP, insurance, registration et al, stamp
collectors started to add these items also for their collection.
The latest to this list of items were souvenir sheets or miniature
sheets and first day covers which are being issued on the day a new
stamp is out and to commemorate some special occasions of national
interest.
When a new stamp either definitive or commemorative was out, in spite
of the limited availability of resources, there was a time when this
event was given wide publicity throughout the country by means of single
demy size posters which measure 18" x 23" in all the three languages
which are displayed in prominent places such as post offices, railway
stations, banks etc: where people gather for their day to day
assignments. Today with all advanced technology, very often than not one
comes to know of a new issue of a stamp on the very night of the issue
through a news bulletin of a TV channel or from the newspapers on the
following day.
In addition to above very many post offices which had the facility of
issuing first day covers on the very day of the issue of a new stamp is
no more.
The Department seems to have withdrawn this facility and now the
Philatelic Bureau sends the cancelled first day covers after a few days
or weeks and sometimes not at all.
The first day date-stamps are not available in post offices now and
specially the out-station philatelists will have to be satisfied with
'stale' FDCC.
As a philatelist and as a lover of stamps, who attempts to popularise
this royal hobby specially among the schoolchildren with the assistance
and enthusiasm of few other stamp lovers of this country.
Lionel de Silva
President
Kandy Philatelic Society |
