When was the GBPS founded?

The Great Britain Philatelic Society was founded in 1955.

Is the GBPS a dealer trade body?

No. The GBPS is a specialist learned society for the study of Great Britain philately, rather than a trade body. That role is filled by the PTS and the IPDA.

Is Blackheath Stamps a member of the GBPS?

Yes. Blackheath Stamps is a GBPS member, reflecting the depth of its Great Britain specialism.

What is the GB Journal?

The GB Journal is the GBPS's flagship publication, issued six times a year, known for original research and new discoveries in Great Britain philately.

Accreditation

What Is the GBPS (Great Britain Philatelic Society)?

The Great Britain Philatelic Society (GBPS) is the foremost society for the study of Great Britain stamps and postal history, founded in 1955. Unlike a dealer trade body, it is a specialist society of collectors, researchers and dealers with a deep interest in GB philately, supported by the Society's meetings, research and its respected GB Journal. Blackheath Stamps is a GBPS member, which reflects the depth of our Great Britain specialism: the expertise behind the stamps, sitting alongside the trade standards of the PTS and the IPDA.

At a glance

Full nameThe Great Britain Philatelic Society

Founded1955

TypeSpecialist society for the study of GB philately

FocusAll aspects of Great Britain stamps and postal history

For membersResearch, meetings, specialist consultants, and the GB Journal

What it signalsDepth of expertise in Great Britain philately

Our statusGBPS member since 2024

What the GBPS is

The Great Britain Philatelic Society, or GBPS, is the leading society devoted to Great Britain stamps and postal history. Founded in 1955, it now has more than 900 members in the United Kingdom and around the world, from advanced collectors and researchers to specialist dealers. It is different in kind from the PTS and the IPDA. Those are trade bodies, concerned with how stamps are sold; the GBPS is a learned society, concerned with how Great Britain stamps are studied, understood and recorded. Its purpose is to advance knowledge of GB philately, and over its history it has contributed a great deal to the field.

What membership involves

Membership of the GBPS is about engagement with the serious study of Great Britain philately. It brings together people who want to understand GB stamps in depth, and gives them the resources to do so.

The GB Journal, published six times a year, presenting original research and new discoveries
A regular Newsletter, carrying articles, queries and members' findings
Meetings in London and around the country, including all-day specialist sessions
Access to consultants who specialise in particular facets of GB philately
A long record of sponsored publications that have added to philatelic knowledge

Why it matters to you as a buyer

For a buyer, the GBPS matters in a different way from the trade bodies. It is not a code of conduct; it is a mark of expertise. When you buy Great Britain material from a GBPS member, you are buying from someone embedded in the foremost society for the subject, with access to its research, its journal and its specialists. In a field where identification, plating and condition can turn an ordinary-looking stamp into something far more significant, that depth of knowledge is exactly what you want behind a description.

The foremost society for Great Britain philately.

The Great Britain Philatelic Society

The GB Journal and research

The GB Journal

At the heart of the GBPS is the GB Journal, its flagship publication. Issued six times a year in full colour, it has a long-held reputation for publishing original research and new discoveries across every area of Great Britain stamps and postal history. Together with the Society's meetings and its network of specialists, it keeps members at the front of current thinking in the field, which is precisely the kind of knowledge that informs how we identify, describe and grade the GB stamps we sell.

Blackheath Stamps and the GBPS

Our GBPS membership reflects where our deepest expertise lies: in Great Britain, and especially in the line-engraved issues we know best. It is the specialist counterpart to our trade accreditations. The PTS and the IPDA speak to how we deal; the GBPS speaks to how well we know the stamps. You can read more about the expertise behind our descriptions on Meet the Expert. Together, the three are why you can buy from us with confidence.

The GBPS keeps no public member directory; you can learn more at the Society's website.