The Hinckley & District Philatelic Society was formed in November 1970 with the aim of promoting the hobby of stamp collecting and all its many facets. Since then, it has gained a reputation for being a friendly club, catering for those who only wish to dabble in stamps to those who take the hobby a little more seriously. So, whether you collect stamps, postal history or postcards you will find something of interest at our meetings, and benefit from the help and advice of our many members.

The season's programme includes a range of meetings where guest speakers show what is usually a very comprehensive collection, as well as evenings where members are invited to show their own material. Visits to and from other societies are arranged. Occasionally, auctions are held, and members have buy, swap and sell evenings.

Membership also includes an exchange packet scheme and receiving issues of our newsletter.

An annual Stamp Fair & Exhibition is normally held every Autumn for the benefit of members and the general public.

The Hinckley & District Philatelic Society meets on alternate Tuesdays from September to May (excluding January/February). We meet at THE MEETING CENTRE, Marchant Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire, LE10 0LQ - meetings start at 7.30pm and end approx. 9.30pm. Free parking in adjacent Lidl.

NEW - two informal meetings on the second Tuesdays of June and July 2026 - that's June 9th and July 14th. Feel free to come and chat, bring your stamps, bring&buy bourse, display if you want.

CHECKOUT our 2025/26 meeting programme

2025
September
2nd Bring & Buy plus club dealers
16th Members night and 'The Olympics' - Clem Petcher
30th Auction night

October
14th A Dutch Evening - John Jackson
28th France Sowers; a Celebration - Hugh Freeman

November
11th 1890 Penny Post Jubilee - John Davies **SEE THE WRITE-UP!
22nd *Saturday ANNUAL STAMP FAIR
25th Members night - "something fun or funny!"

December
9th Competition Evening - Single Sheet, Open Philately
and Members’ Informal

2026
March
3rd Bring & Buy and club dealers
17th Visit from Kettering Philatelic Society
31st Canada - Dr Ken Flint

April
14th Auction Night
28th Ian Varey

May
12th Members night - Numbers or connected to numbers, also the Letter "C"
26th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING and Bourse

June
9th Informal

July
14th Informal

**PLEASE NOTE - the date for the 2026 Fair is Saturday 24th October 2026

Visits to other societies
October 8th 2025 *Wednesday Visit TO Leamington Spa P.S.
February 17th 2026 *Tuesday Visit TO Coventry P.S.

On Members’ Evenings there is no obligation to talk about the sheets you display, as we would like as many members as possible to show us what they collect.

MONTHLY STAMP FAIR - Shilton Village Hall, Wood Lane, Shilton, Coventry CV7 9JZ (Contact Dave Mann 07976 797975)

Members met for the last time in 2025 for our annual Christmas competitions and get-together quiz. Mince pies a-plenty! Both the Single Sheet competition (Herford Plate) and the Presidents Cup (open philately - 9 sheets) were won by ....... our President MICK ROSE - well done. His displays of 'inventors' and on Shackleton's expedition to the South Pole beat allcomers. David Baxendale won the quiz - many thanks to the organiser Chris Hailstone who generously donated a chocolate prize. Kind regards to all, and see you in 2026.

Something Fun or Funny!

Members braved poor weather to turn up in numbers for an evening of fun on stamps.

First up was our Chairman, Mick Rose, who treated us to his collection of funny and saucy postcards. (see pictures below - only one safe image provided!)

Richard Flemming followed with a combination of two of his passions - Orchids on stamps.

David Baxendale (webmaster) then displayed stamps featuring comedians, of whom members had many personal recollections.

After a break, our Secretary Peter Thomas presented some frames of his Penny Black materials and replicas of GPO notices.

Mark Postins provided a fascinating display of WW1 postcards by a Canadian Artist featuring their preparations for D-Day, as well as First Day Covers of Smilers, and some further WW1 postcards from the Daily Mail - both in colour and black & white.

Many thanks to Members for their presentations, and to those who turned up to support and show interest. We also had a new visitor who we hope may consider joining us. Next meeting is the Christmas competitions on 9th December 2025, before our winter break.

1890 Penny Postage Jubilee - notes on a presentation on 11.11.2025 by John Davies

John Davies’s enthusiasm for this collecting area was inspired by the exhibit in the Court of Honour at Stamp World London ’90. It featured parts of the collection of the late Francis Kiddle RDP, which he later acquired. At the time, having seen the reproductions of the original commemorative postal stationery (shown below) that were also contained in the exhibition catalogue, he purchased the souvenir reproductions of the 1890 postal stationery which were available separately and copies of the original card and envelope which I sent to myself as a memento of the 1990 exhibition.

From such small beginnings, the story unfolded…In 1889 a general opinion was expressed that the fiftieth anniversary of the introduction of Uniform Penny Postage in Great Britain “ought not to be allowed to pass without some indication of the feelings which must actuate all who looked back at the great reform introduced in 1840”.Before 1840, postage was both complicated and expensive with the costs normally borne by the recipient. A visit from the postman was rarely welcomed. By 1890, the use of the postal service had soared. By way of example: in 1840 the number of letters sent in London each day was 112,140. By 1890, it had grown to over two million. The benefits to education, the economy and social intercourse were substantial.Arrangements were made for various Jubilee celebrations to be held in 1890. Although plans for a commemorative stamp were initiated, they were later abandoned.

New The year began with a Penny Postage Jubilee Dinner on 15 January with nearly 300 gentlemen present including the Postmaster General, Henry Cecil Raikes. Other major events took place including an Exhibition at the Guildhall organised by the City Corporation of London from 16 May to 19 May, visited by over 20,000 people, and other regional exhibitions. There was an official Post Office celebration in the form of a grand Conversazione at South Kensington Museum on 2 July when nearly 4,000 people attended. A number of innovative displays and exhibits were assembled for these events.

They were important in GB philately for the introduction of the first commemorative postal stationery and the first decorative special event handstamps. The Jubilee envelope was imitated in the same way as the original Mulready envelope fifty years earlier. The events also led to the use of special event cancellations and cachets which could also be applied by favour, thereby establishing the practice of the “philatelic souvenir”.

John’s exhibit was shown at Europhilex and was awarded a Large Gold Medal (96 points), was Best in the Open Class and was a candidate for the Grand Prix National.

Part of the collection can be viewed on line at the Museum of Philately website:www.museumofphilately.com

Membership fees

Current annual membership fees remain at £15.00 *no increase for 2025/26. WE WELCOME VISITORS - COME AND SEE US FOR FREE!

Come along to one of our meetings and we will be happy to discuss membership with you. OR, telephone or email us (see the contact page).

Membership entitles you to;

attend our regular meetings
participate in the exchange packet scheme
support from our many members, some of whom are also dealers

HINCKLEY & DISTRICT PHILATELIC SOCIETY STAMP FAIR

SATURDAY 22nd November, 2025

10.00 – 15.00

THE MEETING CENTRE
MARCHANT ROAD, HINCKLEY, LEICESTERSHIRE, LE10 0LQ

Stamps, Postal History & Postcards
Philatelic Accessories
Light Refreshments
Free Admission
(Free car parking outside the Centre and is also allowed on the adjacent Lidl car park)

Society Website: http://www.hinckleyphilatelicsociety.co.uk

New Slogan

members area - Society officers contacts & roles image

Society Officers and contacts 2024 -2025

President	M. Rose	01455 610660
Vice-President	VACANT
Chairman	M. Rose	01455 610660 07792 526491
Vice-Chairman	M. Postins	01530 450824
Secretary	P. Thomas	01455 448638
Asst. Secretary	D. Baxendale	07593 520576
Treasurer	R. Bucknall	02476 385486
Asst. Treasurer	M. Mansfield	07803 232363
Packet Secretary	C. Hall	07305 291632
Programme Secretary	M. Rose	01455 610660
Fair Organisers	D. Mann / P. Thomas
Archivist	R. Flemming
Webmaster	D. Baxendale	07593 520576
Other Members’ Representatives	A. Griffin C. Grimshaw R. King S. Worth

Association of British Philatelic Societies - ABPS

Midland Philatelic Federation - MPF

Mid Anglia Philatelic Federation - MAPF

SEE also our Facebook group - search for Hinckley & District Philatelic Society

Secretary: Peter Thomas **PLEASE use direct email link NOT the form - it may not work. Thank you.

Hinckley & District Philatelic Society

About Us

Christmas meeting 2025 - and competitions!

Members Night 25.11.2025

Something Fun or Funny!

Becoming a member

Membership fees

forthcoming and local events

Gallery - images to follow

New Slogan

members area - Society officers contacts & roles

useful links

Join us