Stamp club meet in Hamilton

Lanarkshire philatelic society held their regular meeting in Hamilton on Friday night.

Bill russell, a former president of glasgow philatelic society, was the guest speaker and gave a wonderfully mixed display of subjects.

It was an eclectic evening that started off with the penny Black stamp from 1840, before moving on to some comic postcards illustrating st Valentine’s Day.

A range of postcards and cigarette cards took in the beautiful interiors of cathedrals and churches, and he also outlined the history of the parliamentary franking system. From 1652, correspondence from Members of parliament and state officials was permitted to pass free through the post. this lasted until 1840 when new stamps had to be used.

there were historic postcards of many famous parisian landmarks, including sacre Coeur, the Louvre, the Eiffel tower and the Champs Elysées.

the guest speaker finished on a serious note with‘postcards of Auschwitz’. Bill, who has visited the former death camp, gave a very personal and emotional description of his time there.

the society’s next meeting in the Caledonian Bowling Club, Motherwell road, Hamilton, will be on Friday, March 10, at 7.30pm. Member Jim Fulton will present his display‘my Collections Old and new’. Anyone with an interest in stamps, postal history or postcards is welcome to attend.