More to mail than meets the eye

Postcards showing scenes of old Malta, stamps on a variety of themes and rare postmarks are some of the items to go on display this weekend in Maltex, the annual exhibition of the Malta Philatelic Society.

Dealers from Malta and the UK will be on hand to buy and sell items while Maltapost will set up a temporary branch post office selling a commemorative cover, occasion cards and personalised stamps.

Young visitors will be given free tokens from Maltapost and dealers, while collectors will be offered free valuations.

On Sunday, the last day of the exhibition, designers of stamp sets issued between 2005 and 2006 will be present between 10 and 11.30 a.m. to sign first day covers.

The society of philatelists is this year celebrating its 40th anniversary. Set up in March of 1966, it publishes a journal which has won international awards, besides holding the annual exhibition. This year's event also coincides with the Golden Jubilee of another body of collectors, this time dedicated to specialised philately and postal history: the Malta Study Circle, which has members in 15 countries (see box).

Over the past 50 years, the circle has produced over 50 study papers, the fruits of extensive research carried out by members, as well as 16 volumes of newsletters and a 400-page handbook which has received major awards in British and overseas exhibitions.

The circle is marking its 50th anniversary with special events over the next few days to be attended by a number of members from both Malta and abroad.

The exhibition, at the Le Meridien Phoenicia, will be open to the public on Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday between 9 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. Entrance is free.

Malta Study Circle

The Malta Study Circle is an organisation based in the UK but it has several members in Malta, quite a few in mainland European countries and a sprinkling in the rest of the world - Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Its purpose is the study of the stamps and postal history of Malta.

On the surface this may seem a fairly limited subject, but small though Malta may be, it has a fascinating and many faceted postal history. The period of the Knights, the Napoleonic invasion and its aftermath, the period when British stamps were used in Malta, and the subsequent issue of stamps for Malta itself are only what you might call the mainstream of study. In addition to this there are other aspects such as village postmarks, Forces mail, World Wars I and II, disinfected mail, postmen's personal handstamps, registered mail, parcel post and airmails. There are many other topics apart from these which engage collector's interest.

Study of the stamps and postal history is published in what are called study papers, which are often updated as new knowledge is acquired.