Membership Benefits & How to Join

click here to download new membership brochure

Membership is currently per year:

UK & Europe £15
US and Canada $40
Rest of World £20

Membership Benefits

Once your membership has been confirmed, you will receive:

· The Upland Goose, the Study Group’s house journal published quarterly

· FIPSG Auction Catalogues, two auctions are traditionally held each year, a postal-bid in October and a live auction at the FIPSG annual study weekend, usually held in March. [Catalogues are provided on a member’s request basis, the request forms are published annually with the September edition of Upland Goose.] All vendors and all bidders MUST be FIPSG members.

· A FIPSG Monograph on a subject related to Falklands philately, published once a year at best, but clearly dependent on when a member is prepared to write the document.

· Sales & Wants lists, published with each Upland Goose – subject to member’s demand.

· Circulating Packet Only open to FIPSG members with an UK address on a member’s request basis, contact the Circulating Packet Manager

· Annual Study Weekend a residential meeting, held typically in March, open to all FIPSG members who submit their request on the booking form published with the September edition of Upland Goose. Recently some 50 members have attended coming from not only all over the UK, but Sweden, Germany and North America. For details see: Events

· Regional Meetings, UK These are held annually – in Scotland, North England, East Anglia, South West England and Southern England. Details are published in advance in Upland Goose. [See also Events]

· Overseas Meetings These are held typically at major international philatelic exhibitions.

· FIPSG Book and Publications at FIPSG special discounted prices.

Our Charter

The object of the Group is to research into all aspects of philately connected with the Falkland Islands and their former Dependencies, leading to the publications of findings.

History of Our Club

The Group was founded in 1970 following a meeting of some 50 collectors gathered together by Malcolm Barton, the current President. Membership grew rapidly, reaching 125 in 1972, 220 in 1976 and 470 in 2007.

The Group is truly international in its membership structure. The object of the Group is to research into all aspects of philately connected with the Falkland Islands and their former Dependencies, leading to the publications of findings. Research is carried out by individual members, collated through a nominated leader for each subject.

On a rotated geographical basis, or by general consensus, a weekend meeting takes place annually during which an Annual General Meeting is held. Meetings are also held on a regular basis and occasional meetings have been held in other countries, including USA, Australia, South Africa, Norway, Sweden and the Falkland Islands.

A quarterly journal, the ‘Upland Goose’, is distributed to all members and to leading philatelic libraries. The publication has been awarded silver medals at international exhibitions. The ‘Sales and Wants’ of members are published with the journal without charge.

Two auctions of members’ material are held each year, one a postal auction and the other live at the weekend gathering. Other material surplus to members’ requirements is available through a popular circulating packet, limited because of insurance constraints to subscribers within the UK.

The group is in the forefront of specialist philatelic societies and has belonged to the national Association of British Philatelic societies since its inception and actively participates in its activities. The Group is also an elected specialist society to the ABPS Council. To commemorate its Silver Jubilee in 1995, the Group was honoured by the Royal Philatelic Society of London by an invitation to display material of the Falkland Islands. The display of 52 frames took place in January 1995 and was outstandingly successful. In August 1975 the Group provided the display in Gibbons gallery, a then popular and regular event, and it was attended by a long-serving former Governor of the Colony. A further display was given at Gibbons in June 1983 to commemorate the 150^th Anniversary of the continued British Settlement of the Islands.

Membership records are held on computer and unless you express a contrary wish your name and address will be included. The records are used for the preparation of labels for the dispatch of mail to members and for preparation of the annual list of members, which is distributed each year. The records are not available to non-members.

Falkland islands & Philately

The Falkland Islands comprise two large and some 700 smaller islands covering an area nearly the size of Wales and situated about 400 miles off the east coast of South America and 8,000 miles from the UK at an equivalent latitude to London. They were discovered by the British Sea captain, John Davis, in his ship ‘Desire’ in 1592 and the first recorded landing took place in 1690 by a British party lead by Captain Strong. The first British settlement was established in 1766 but the present permanent, prosperous, settlement commenced on 3rd January 1833. The present residential population numbers just over 2,200 of whom about 1,600 live in Stanley, the Capital, and the remainder in scattered farm settlements known as ‘Camp’. There is also a substantial military presence, a consequence of the ill-fated Argentine incursion of 1982. Closely associated with The Falkland Islands are the island of South Georgia and the British Antarctic Territory, formerly dependencies of the Falkland Islands. Mail is known from the Falklands from the earlier part of the 19th century and postage stamps were first issued in 1878. From the first issue through to the present day the stamps have been internationally recognised for their design and production qualities.

The Falkland Islands provide an area of absorbing interest to the postal historians, particularly through the carriage of mail, initially by shipping companies under mail contracts and latterly by air. The conflict with Argentina in 1982, although brief, has opened up a new element of postal history for postal historian and this continues to the present time with the presence of a British Forces Post Office on East Falkland. The 20th century whaling activity in South Georgia and the exploration of Antarctica have provided other absorbing areas of interest to collectors.

Your Comments or Requests for further information welcome!