Free exhibition of around 80,000 rare stamps from private collections, including the Tapling, Mosely and Bojanowicz collections, at the British Library.
The Philatelic Gallery is open at the British Library in London, on the Upper Ground Floor. It's a permanent display of around 80,000 items, and it gives you a look at some of the great rarities from one of the world's largest stamp collections. Most of what you'll see comes from private collections, and the gallery breaks them down by region and era, so you can follow a particular thread if that's your thing.
The Tapling Collection is the big one, covering the world up to 1890 and spread across 2,000 pages. From there, the Mosely Collection takes over British Africa up to 1935, and the Bojanowicz Collection focuses on Poland from 1939 to 1946. The Harrison Collection is a bit different, showing die proofs from 1911 to 1937 engraved by J.A.C. Harrison himself. Then there's the Turner Collection, which looks at Great Britain and Ireland Railway Letter Stamps from 1891 to 1940, and the Langmead Collection, covering Great Britain and Ireland Telegraph stamps from 1851 to 1881. If you're into the technical side, the die proofs are a good place to start.
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There's a companion book, The British Library Treasures in Focus: Stamps, available from the shop if you want to take something home. The gallery stays open during the library's regular opening hours, so you can drop in whenever suits you. It's step-free throughout, with manual wheelchairs available free of charge and guide and assistance dogs welcome. Entry is free and no booking is required.
