From PTS Member, Brian Austin of Brian Austin Covers, a new dealer and PTS member in his own right, but has been in the trade since 1985.
5th August 2024
Back in 2019 I was asked by the PTS to write a First Day Cover blog, and they asked if I would look back at it and update it five years down the line.... this is that blog!
The original reason for the bIog was to disagree / explain the line on the PTS website which states ‘First Day Covers from the last 30 – 40 years are less likely to have value and that prices offered may be less than what one might have hoped for’. This is not a statement I agreed with, but does need some explanation, and also gave me the chance to point collectors in the right direction and suggest some covers which might have a better future.
I will start of the bad news, if you write your address on your first day cover for every issue, get your local towns postmark or have a subscription from the Philatelic Bureau, they are all very personal to you and make a great way of collecting, but will probably, in most cases, have very little value in the future to someone outside your family, or the town they were postmarked in.
So, if you are thinking of starting a First Day Cover collection, what should you do?
First some research, decide what you are, and aren’t going to collect, and learn the importance of condition, stamps and postmark.
What is a First Day Cover?
Well in the simplest terms it is a set of stamps affixed to an envelope postmarked on the day they are issued. Most collectors will take this to the next stage by putting their stamps on a special illustrated envelope and getting a postmark connected to the issue. If there is a new set of stamps with flowers on, use an envelope with a flower picture and take it to the Post Office near Kew Gardens to get a postmark. So, from my notes above this has covered the research and postmark part (Kew has a good flowers connection).
To cover the other parts, stamps, I would say that 90% of people collect covers with the full sets of stamps on one cover and this is what I advise you should do.
Finally condition, try and stick the stamps neatly so that the postmark will be able to be seen clearly (sometimes tricky with full sets). Send it to get postmarked in another envelope and include one to send it back in. Address it lightly in pencil, never in pen, and if possible don’t type. Addressing the cover is always tricky, Royal Mail regulations say you need an address on the cover, but when it comes to selling it, does another collector want a cover with your address on?
So what tips can I give you on buying First Day Covers, well the above is not a bad place to start, a clean cover, a full set of stamps and connected postmark. To this I would add make sure it is first day. Just because it looks like one or has a special postmark it might not be. Get a catalogue and don’t be afraid to check your dates before you buy.
More and more people are not now collecting every new issue but picking and choosing which to collect. You could collect a certain period e.g. covers of the 1970s or by theme e.g. trains or even First Day Covers issued at Stampex.
So should you collect covers for investment?
Well no, like anything, collect them for enjoyment and if they go up in value then that is a bonus. I will let you into a secret, stamps and covers are like anything, I don’t know what will go up in value and if I did why would I tell anyone? I do, through experience, know what should be a good issue and what might be an error, a rare stamp, a cover that I have only seen a few times, or never before, and this is what keeps me looking through collections, dealers’ stocks and auctions.
This experience does mean that recently at a fair, one dealer had boxes of covers and after looking through hundreds of covers over nearly an hour I bought one for £20. At another dealer within about 90 seconds, I had paid £160 for two. But I am really pleased with all three and they are now waiting to go in a future edition of my First Day Cover magazine.
I wrote once that I kept a First Day Cover Catalogue with my spare tyre in the boot of my car, and a good collector will hopefully use it more than the wheel. We are at the unusual point at the moment, where new first day cover catalogues are hard to find but you should be able to pick up one on eBay for under £10.
I would suggest looking for a recent copy of ‘The Booth Catalogue – Collect GB First Day Covers’, for a good general catalogue or for something more specialised with strength in the different types of covers since 1971, look for a copy of Collecting British First Day Covers by Adrian Bradbury.
To sum up the above, like anything, you will get out of First Day Cover collecting what you put in. You may be completely happy with what you are collecting, but with a little time you could be producing or buying a much better first day cover, to take pride of place in your collection.
If you have any questions or queries, I am always happy to give advice or look at scans of covers, just drop me an email. I will also be more than happy to send you a free copy of my First Day Cover magazine ‘Cover To Cover’.
Brian
Discover items from Brian Austin Covers on eBay at: Brian Austin Covers | eBay Stores
Learn more about Brian Austin Covers at: Brian Austin Covers - The Best in First Day Covers
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