The Royal Philatelic Society London
The premises of the Royal Philatelic Society London at 41 Devonshire Place on the corner with Devonshire Street.
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| Abbreviation | RPSL |
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| Formation | 10 April 1869 |
| Type | Learned societies |
| Headquarters | 41 Devonshire Place London W1G 6JY UK |
| Coordinates | 51°31′17.2″N 0°08′59.1″W / 51.521444°N 0.149750°WCoordinates: 51°31′17.2″N 0°08′59.1″W / 51.521444°N 0.149750°W |
| Fields | Philately |
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Membership (2017)
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2,200 in 80 countries |
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Patron
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Queen Elizabeth II |
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President
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Patrick Maselis |
| Website | www |
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Formerly called
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The Philatelic Society, London (1869–1905) |
The Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL) is the oldest philatelic society in the world. It was founded on 10 April 1869 as The Philatelic Society, London. The society runs a postal museum, the Museum of Philatelic History, at its Devonshire Place headquarters in London.
The society was founded on 10 April 1869 at a meeting at 93 Great Russell Street in the rooms of the stamp dealer J.C. Wilson. The first officers elected were the president, Sir Daniel Cooper, the vice-president, Frederick A. Philbrick, and the secretary, W. Dudley Atlee. The committee comprised Edward Loines Pemberton, Charles W. Viner, Thomas F. Erskine, Joseph Speranza, and W. E. Hayns.
Permission to use the prefix "Royal" was granted by King Edward VII in November 1906.
Prince George, the Duke of York (future George V), was an enthusiastic stamp collector. He served as honorary vice-president of the society from 1893 to 1910. His father, King Edward VII, had a large stamp collection that he gave to Prince George, which became known as the Royal Philatelic Collection. When he was crowned King, George V stayed with the Society as its royal patron. His second son, George VI, continued to expand the royal collection.
The current patron is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Every September, at a special meeting of the society, part of the Royal Philatelic Collection is displayed by its keeper. Queen Elizabeth is not known to be a philatelist herself, but the royal family has maintained and added to the collection passed down by Edward VII.
The organisation will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2019.
"The Royal," as it is known, has 2,200 members in dozens of countries, with the highest numbers of members in the United Kingdom and the United States. Members are of two classes, fellows and members. Fellows are entitled to use the post-nominals "FRPSL".
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