 The
hobby of stamp collecting can be a pleasurable pass time.
However, exhibiting the stamps in an exhibition and
getting a vermeil or gold may be more pleasurable for
some. Exhibiting
your collection in an exhibition binds you with certain
rules. This is however necessary. An International body
The Federation of International Philately or Fédération Internationale de
Philatélie (FIP)
has laid down certain rules and guidelines for
International Stamp Exhibitions. The FIP guidelines are
followed by the National and State level exhibitions also
with perhaps a few variations through the various
Philatelic Bodies.
In India all
Philatelic Associations are members of Philatelic
Congress of India which is a member of the FIP. Shri DN
Jatia, one of India's top philatelists, was elected
president of FIP in May 1992. He is also the first Indian
to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists.
Why would you exhibit?
Ask yourself this. Exhibiting is costly. But if you plan
to exhibit you start studying the subject in depth as
this is an important criteria for your exhibit to qualify.
This will give you the knowledge which you would never
have got otherwise. Worth the cost?
In case you are
thinking of exhibiting your collections, check out the
detailed guidelines of FIP at their site above. Here are
a few general guidelines taken from the site ...
- Choose appropriate
philatelic material i.e. postally transmitted
material or stationary used for post is
considered appropriate.
- The number of
frames allotted for the exhibit is limited
therefore your entire collection cannot be
exhibited. Choose the best items which ensure
continuity and understanding of your subject.
- The idea of your
exhibit should be to show that you have done
research in your subject and that you know
something about it. No one can know
everything about any subject.
- It is not
sufficient that you know about your subject, you
should make it known to the people and the judges
who see your exhibit. The exhibit should have an
introduction sheet which should clearly brings
out your theme of exhibit. Wherever the material
is not self explanatory you should introduce a
little text to make it clear.
- Condition and
rarity of your exhibit gets you a lot of points.
- The exhibit should
be correct and balanced. Correctness means that
the material should be scientifically reliable
and accurate. Balanced means that equal
importance is given to all the sections.
- The exhibits are
normally presented on thick white album sheets.
The write-up should be legible, written or
typewritten and free of spelling mistakes.
The break up of points
for the various exhibits and the points allotted for
various prizes is given below
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