Celebrating 40 Years as a Member of The Philatelic Traders' Society
We recently reached a milestone that we are genuinely proud of: forty years as a member of The Philatelic Traders' Society.
Having first joined the Society back in the mid-eighties, we have spent over four decades working alongside some of the most respected names in global philately, operating under the code of conduct that the PTS shield represents.
For anyone unfamiliar with the Society, the PTS is the international trade body for philatelic professionals. It was founded in 1928 by a group of established stamp dealers who wanted to create an organisation that would act for, and on behalf of, its members, for the wider benefit of philately as a whole. The first Chairman was Albert H. Harris, a highly successful publisher of specialist albums and accessories, and the Secretary was Vera Trinder, who later took over the business Harris had established. The Society was formally incorporated as a limited company on 14th September 1946, and now, at 98 years old, it positions itself as 'The International Society for Philatelic Professionals'.
The PTS shield is the mark that sits at the heart of the Society's identity, and it is something collectors have come to recognise across the world. Membership is not simply granted on request. Applicants are required to provide references, which are rigorously checked, and each applicant must be approved by the PTS Council before being accepted. Every member agrees to abide by a formal Code of Conduct and the Society's Articles of Association, and any complaints or disputes between collectors, dealers and members are taken up by the Society itself. In practical terms, this gives collectors a guarantee of integrity whenever they deal with a PTS member, which is precisely why the Society promotes its 'Look for the Shield' message.
Looking back over our forty years of membership, what stands out is how valuable that association has been, both for us and for our customers. When we started selling and purchasing stamps in 1980, the world of philately was still very much conducted through traditional public auctions, printed catalogues sent by post, and handwritten correspondence. Since then, the trade has changed enormously. Online bidding has replaced the saleroom for many auction houses, including ourselves, and collectors now routinely buy and sell across borders in ways that would have been unthinkable in the mid-1980s. Throughout all of that change, the PTS has provided a consistent point of reference, a reminder that the fundamentals of honest dealing, accurate description, and fair valuation matter just as much now as they always have.
The benefits of membership are varied and genuinely useful to a dealer's day-to-day work. Members are able to use the PTS shield as part of their marketing, including at shows, and there are opportunities to display the shield on eBay, HipStamp and Delcampe listings subject to eligibility. Members receive a monthly newsletter with news about the Society, member opportunities and wider philatelic developments, and there is a private members-only Facebook group for real-time discussion, polls, events and peer-to-peer advice. The Society also provides support with business issues that any dealer might face over the course of a long career, from client complaints and outstanding debtors through to customs advice and marketing guidance, and it operates a 'red call' service for escalation and emergency issues.
The PTS is also the organiser of Stampex International, which is Europe's largest stamp show and has been running for seventy years. Now held at The Business Design Centre in Islington, London, Stampex brings together many of the biggest names in philately under one roof. Alongside the physical show, the Society also hosts Virtual Stampex each year, an online exhibition that showcases the best of philately from around the world. Both events give members the opportunity to take stands or booths, advertise, sponsor and network with collectors and fellow dealers in ways that would otherwise be very difficult to arrange.
Other benefits that members can take advantage of include a free listing on the online member directory, where each firm has its own page to share logos, team photographs, sample items, company information and contact details; a free online subscription to the American Stamp Collector & Dealer Magazine; eligibility for the globally recognised PTS Awards; a member discount on PTS expertising services; and 10% off Royal Philatelic Society London certificates. The Society even plants a tree for each member as part of its commitment to offsetting the trade's environmental impact, which is a small but welcome gesture.
For us at Tony Lester Auctions, though, the greatest value of membership has always been something a little less tangible than any specific benefit on the list. It is the reassurance that membership offers to the people we deal with every day. When a family is thinking about selling a collection that has been passed down to them, they are often in a vulnerable position. They may not know a great deal about stamps, and they may be worried about being taken advantage of. Seeing the PTS shield on our website and in our catalogues tells them that we are accountable to an international body, that we have agreed to abide by a code of conduct, and that there is somewhere they can turn if they ever feel they have been treated unfairly. That reassurance matters, and it matters just as much when we are dealing with buyers bidding in our auctions from across the world.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the PTS Council, the Secretary and the wider team for their work over the decades, and to thank our fellow members for the professional community they have provided. Most of all, we would like to thank the collectors, families and fellow dealers who have placed their trust in us over the past forty five years, and the past forty as a PTS member in particular. We look forward to continuing to uphold the standards that the shield represents for many years to come.
If you would like to find out more about The Philatelic Traders' Society, you can visit our member page on the PTS website, or read more about the Society and its work at thepts.net.
And, as always, if you are thinking about selling a stamp collection or would simply like some friendly, no-obligation advice, please do get in touch on 01926 634 809 or at info@tonylester.co.uk.
