For just five and a half years – from the Autumn of 1985 until the Spring of 1991 – collectors of stamp boxes had their own, dedicated society. Based in the UK, it had a global reach, with members in mainland Europe and America.
In that time, it produced 13 journals or newsletters. Numbers 2 to 9 couldn’t make their minds up, being called journals on the cover and newsletters inside. During that period, the group was called the Stamp Box Collectors’ Society but from issue 10 onwards they became the Stamp Box Society and the journal/newsletter settled on being a journal.
The demise of the society did not mark the end of any organisation of stamp box collectors. Many of the members joined the Writing Equipment Society (WES) and there have been articles about stamp boxes in most editions of the WES journal since then, continuing to this day. A number of collectors stay in touch with each other through an informal grouping, the Stamp Box Study Circle, which produces this website. If you would like to make contact, email: enquiries@stampbox.info
With the kind permission of the last Secretary and Chairman of the Society, we have scanned an archive of the journals of the Stamp Box Society and each can be downloaded as a pdf file by clicking on its number in the list below. Please note:
1 the number of pages shown below is the number of pages of editorial in each journal, not the number of pages in each pdf which is greater because they include covers.
2 we have listed, in italics, some of the interesting articles in each journal. This is not intended to be a complete index. Most of the journals also include letters, reports of meetings, auction results, etc.
3 the quality of the scans is the best we could do with the material available. We have managed to clean some up a little, but there is nothing to be done where the original is illegible. The quality is actually very good considering the era in which they were produced and they get better over the five+ years. The first edition was clearly just produced on a typewriter. Personal computers with word processors were still some way off.
4 the journals had limited circulation to the members. Over a quarter of a century on, many are sadly no longer with us. To protect personal information, we have made a number of redactions in the scans.
We hope you find these interesting. It is amazing to note how many of the matters discussed are still discussed by stamp box collectors today.
Number 1 Autumn 1985 5 pages
“Sunflower” Stamp Box; Booklet holders
Number 2 Spring 1986 9 pages
Chester Marks; Booklet holders; Stamp applicator; Silver
Number 3 Summer 1986 10 pages
Booklet holders; Silver; Rowland Hill stamp box
Number 4 Autumn 1986 13 pages
Boer War P.O.W. stamp box; Assay Offices
Number 5 Spring 1987 16 pages
Booklet holders; Boer War box
Number 6 Autumn 1987 18 pages
Tunbridge ware; Letter scales; Celluloid stamp cases; Silver care
Number 7 Spring 1988 18 pages
Wonderland stamp case
Number 8 Summer 1988 20 pages
Identifying wood; Cleaning stamp boxes; Registered designs
Number 9 Autumn 1988 20 pages
National Postal Museum postcards; Silver makers’ marks; Mauchline ware – Tartan ware
Number 10 January 1989 20 pages
French porcelain; WMF; Goss china; Registered designs
Number 11 September 1989 20 pages|
Wooden stamp boxes; Porcelain makers’ marks; Stamp coil/roll dispensers
Number 12 November 1990 30 pages
Assorted interesting stamp boxes
Number 13 May 1991 22 pages
Stamps on stamp boxes; Gusum factory, Sweden; “Sunflower” Stamp Box