A brief introduction to collecting British FDCs

To the uninitiated collecting stamps and collecting first day covers are one of the same. It is not until you begin to understand about British First Day Covers that you realise there is so much more to this aspect of philately. Stamp collectors, having chosen their country or theme have limited choices - either they collect what is issued by the postal administrations or they have a gap in their collections. This is not the case with British First Day Covers. There is a wonderful choice for each issue.

Firstly, there are a wide range of cover designs to choose from - or collectors can design and print their own envelopes. Secondly, there are always many different postmarks available. So, far from being dictated to, this is a hobby where collectors are in the driving seat - they have a choice!

To those who know nothing about philately, the concept of first day covers may, at first, seem a little confusing. The notes in the What is a FDC? and Glossary sections are intended to guide those new to the hobby through the different aspects of what constitutes a first day cover and to understand some of the terminology used.

Collectors wishing more details are advised to purchase a copy of the catalogue Collecting British First Day Covers which is the only publication on the subject to have been published every year since 1981. For full details of this publication please click here.