Philately - That's stamp collecting isn't it
Well yes and no.
To quote Wikipedia "Philately is the study of revenue and postage stamps. This includes the design, production and uses of stamps after they are authorized for issue, usually by government officials such as postal authorities. Philately is the distinct activity of studying stamps, which may or may not include stamp collecting. For instance, some philatelists will study extremely rare stamps without expecting to own copies of them, whether because of cost, or because the sole survivors are in museums. Conversely, stamp collecting itself is the acquisition of stamps, at times without regard for origin or usage."
So where are Bechuanalands and Botswana
Botswana is in Southern Africa.
Botswana became an independant republic within the British Commonwealth on 30th September 1966.
Before that it was a British Protectorate known as Bechuanaland Protectorate.
Back in the 19th Century there was also a Crown Colony to the south of the Protectorate called British Bechuanaland which is now part of the South Africa.
British Bechuanaland started out as a Boer Republic known as Stellaland.
and Stellaland was formed from tribal lands of two warring chiefs.
So what does The Bechuanalands and Botswana Society do
The Society brings together about 120 individuals from around the world.
Most of the members have specific areas of interest - postal stationery, revenues, 19th Century, postmarks, post independance... it is a very long list. Through articles in the Society's journal The Runner Post and through small study groups the members try to document the last 130+ years of the region's philately.
Much of what is discovered was never written down before, or was written down but has been lost with the passage of time. The amount of older material available will never increase, and steadily decreases as collections are lost to fire, flood, deaths etc...Yet despite this new discoveries of unknown varieties of stamps are still relatively common.
I'm interest in the philately of this region - can I join
Yes. The BBSoc year runs from July to June and The Runner Post is currently issued three times a year. Click on the Membership link below for a downloadable application form.