【明報專訊】Philately (郵票研究) is a sophisticated activity including but not limited to stamp collecting (集郵), study of patterns of different stamps and appreciation of the cultural backgrounds behind them.

◆Tools

．Magnifying glass can help collectors discern minute (微細的) details that are invisible to the naked eye.

．A stamp album protects the stamp collection from humidity and direct sunlight. They are usually made with acid-free paper with small translucent (透明的) pockets to keep the stamps in place.

．Stamp tweezers are small tools with rounded tips to help you transfer the stamps and prevent oily and sweaty hands from damaging the stamps.

◆World record

Although a stamp is small in size, it can be rich in meaning as its design often reflects the culture of a country, a city or even a tourist attraction. Belgium made a stamp that contains 606 words, setting a Guinness world record for the most words on a stamp in 2014. The stamp featured a woman's face in greyscale (灰階) consisting of words from four languages. It is a commemorative (紀念性的) stamp for the International Women's Day 2014.

◆Check-in

Are you interested in the development of the postal service in Hong Kong? Or would you like to admire the various designs of stamps throughout time? Visit the Postal Gallery on the ground floor of the General Post Office (郵政總局) in Central. The gallery consists of a "Precious Collections" and a "History Corner", where stamps lovers can find out the social and cultural backgrounds behind different stamps in Hong Kong in different eras.(photo.3)

[Smarties' Power English 第216期]