Stampex Interview: Simon Carson (Philatelic Traders Society)

At Stampex, my sister Heidi and I met with Simon Carson, the chair of the Philatelic Traders Society (PTS). The PTS is a very important and influential organisation and one of the many things it does is organise Stampex. Simon very generously agreed to spend fifteen minutes talking to us about the PTS, Stampex and collecting generally.

Heidi: What makes Stampex special compared to other stamp shows?

Simon: Stampex is a very, very special stamp show because it's the sort of national stamp show for all the stamp dealers in the UK and sometimes stamp dealers from overseas. We hold it in the capital to bring an international group of people, both collectors and dealers, together. So, it's a very, very special stamp show, and going forward, we're going to bring exhibitions back so collectors can see other people's stamps.

Heidi: How do you make Stampex welcoming to new and younger collectors?

Simon: Well, we have the kids' stamp zone, where you can go upstairs, which we started off at, where you could root through lots of worldwide stamps, get stamp albums, see the aspirational, look at what's looking, you know, the future, see how stamps are, and learn from the stamps that you see here. Work with other young children, look at stamps, and fill stamp albums full of worldwide stamps.

Xanthe: How do you see the future of stamp collecting in the next 10 to 20 years?

Simon: Very good question. I think stamp collecting will be around forever. I think it's the most wonderful hobby. Where I see it going, though, I think it'll become... It'll probably be a smaller body of collectors, but it'll be as intense. I think what will happen is we'll still have stamp fairs, but I think there'll be more collectors communicating with each other online. We use tools like Virtual Stampex for people to see what we're doing virtually, and I think there'll be plenty of collectors around. I think you'll find that up-and-coming nations will become more and more active in collecting stamps. I just think the hobby will be around forever, I hope.

Xanthe: What do you think stamp dealers and societies can do to attract young collectors?

Simon: Another very good question. I think what some local societies should do is reach out to schools and either offer them stamp packs for the young children to get into stamps or invite them to society meetings if they're held over a weekend. Invite them to regional stamp shows, try to get kids involved, and get them to see what the future is all about with looking at stamps.

Heidi: Do you collect yourself? And if so, what do you collect?

Simon: I do collect. I've collected my whole life. But because I'm a stamp dealer, normally stamp dealers don't collect, but I absolutely love stamps, and I have a very private collection of Australia. It's very specialized because I've spent a lifetime working in stamps. I understand stamps a lot better than when you first start out, so I collect very specialized Australia.

Xanthe: What advice would you give to someone my age who's just starting to collect stamps?

Simon: Great question. I would say, get yourself worldwide stamps, lay them all out, and enjoy everything that you see, whether it's the image, the postmark, if it's classic, if it's from a foreign country, a Commonwealth country, or a precious country. Just look at them all, get an album, and fill this album up. Like I did, I went, "Well, I really like those stamps," and then started to concentrate on those kinds of stamps that I really liked. Then, just go, "Right, I like animals on stamps. I like the stamps of Gibraltar," and then slowly get a collection of those to one side while still collecting everything else. Down the line, when you get older, you'll go, "Hey, I really like those stamps of Gibraltar. I'm going to go and really start to collect Gibraltar or dinosaurs on stamps or flowers on stamps."

Xanthe: What exactly does PTS do?

Simon: Great question. The big question. We don't even know. No, joking. What does PTS do? Well, I like using the word "beacon." We're the flagship of what the trade is all about. We look after the trade. A little bit of policing, which means we make sure the dealers adhere to our rules of conduct. We help dealers, we help the trade, we keep good relations with every dealer, and we raise funds to keep the hobby alive. We put the hobby out there to every dealer and every collector.

Xanthe: How does the PTS support stamp dealers and collectors around the world?

Simon: Somewhat related to the first point, we create a community. By the way we operate as a society, other dealers can access other dealers. They're aware of who dealers are in the trade body. I like to deal with dealers who are members of the PTS because I know I can trust their behaviour and their product. It gives a good guarantee and gives collectors and dealers confidence in dealing with a trade body that upholds high standards.

The PTS Shield

Xanthe: Why is the PTS symbol important?

Simon: It's a great question. I think what it does is, like any image, it makes collectors aware that that dealer is a member of a trusted trade body. It's very important. We've expanded that to get it onto eBay. So you go on eBay, and you see a dealer that has a PTS symbol. You can then search the PTS symbol and get all this information about these dealers—trustworthy dealers. It's an element of trust, really. It's a great thing. It's a bit like your badge on your football shirt. It just shows that you're playing for a good team and that you play by the rules.

Xanthe: How is PTS adapting to the modern world?

Simon: Great question. Another good question. We're constantly aware of what's a never-changing world and a never-changing environment. We're having to go down a digital route because the digitalization of everything is the future. We're trying to reach out there, referring back to Virtual Stampex. So, you can go to a stamp show online. We are adapting as well as keeping the traditional methods of dealing.

Further information about the PTS and its work can be found on the PTS website or by following the PTS on social media.

Xanthe's note: It was a real privilege to interview Simon. I was a bit nervous to start with but he was really helpful. He was very interesting and clearly very passionate not only about the PTS but philately and stamp dealing. Thank you also to Suzanne Rae from the PTS who was fantastic, arranged press passes for us and helped us a lot on the day.