Philatelic ‘rubbish’ that could turn into gold

Today’s rubbish may become tomorrow’s gold – and perhaps in no area is this truer than in philately and postal history.

This is in fact the theme adopted for this year’s Maltex Philatelic Exhibition which opens to the public tomorrow.

“In postal history, what is common today and is destroyed and thrown away will be in demand in the future,” explained Alfred Bonnici, the president of the Malta Philatelic Society which is organising the exhibition.

“1930s ordinary airmail letters, letters sent to Malta by special delivery during the war, Maltese internee mail from Uganda to Malta and King George VI letters we used to send and receive in their thousands are all, today, sought after and cost money to acquire.”

This is not only true of philatelic material but can also be said of other collectable items, such as railway and tramway tickets, cinema and theatre paraphernalia, old cheques and receipts and several other objects which are discarded and thrown away during their time of use but which acquire a collectable status once they cease to be readily available.

Maltex will be 10 years old this year. Exhibits on show will include a detailed study of how the Malta Summit of 1989 between Bush and Gorbachev was reflected in world philately; a collection of Queen Victoria penny blacks; Sovereign Military Order of Malta material; interesting cards and covers from World War II; errors and varieties on Malta stamps; Spanish Christmas commemorations; United Nations flags and many other interesting items, including exhibits from three junior collectors.

The Maltex philatelic exhibition will take place at the Hotel Phoenicia’s green lounge in Floriana between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday, and from 9 a.m. till noon on Sunday.

The exhibition will also feature a temporary branch post office which will be open throughout. Maltapost will be issuing an occasion card and a postal card, both of which will be available for sale in mint and cancelled-to-order with the Maltex commemorative hand stamp. A personalised stamp with the Maltex logo to commemorate Maltex’s 10th anniversary will also be issued.

All mail posted at the temporary branch post office will receive the special Maltex handstamp.