About Us

President, Frank Beattie, 2024-25

The Glasgow Thematic Society is a membership and not-for-profit organisation for collectors of stamps and other philatelic material of a thematic nature. Meetings for the Society are held on the first Monday of each month (except public holidays), from October to April, and currently, we have approximately 20 members. Since its founding, the Society’s members have engaged in presentations, visits to other philatelic societies, and played host to visitors from other societies.

Visitors with an interest in thematic philately are always welcome to attend our free monthly meetings.

The Glasgow Thematic Society (GTS) was the first general thematic philatelic society in the UK, and even today it remains the only one in Scotland. Most other thematic societies focus on a specific theme such as birds, scouts/girl guides, aviation, etc. The GTS is affiliated to the British Thematic Association (BTA) in England, the ASPS and the Association of British Philatelic Societies (ABPS).

We collect stamps, first day covers, postcards, letters, airmails, postal stationery, revenue stamps and any type philatelic material of a thematic nature. Some examples of our collections include trains and trams, butterflies and moths, 18th century valentine cards, birds, aviation, scouts, postage dues, environmental issues, fiscal revenue stamps, farming, astronomy, errors on stamps, the blood donation service, United States National Parks, 19th century hand-painted covers, the Red Cross and Red Crescent, exhibition poster stamps, ships, animals and nature - and lots of others.

Collecting thematically can be as general or as specialist as you want to make it. Some members specialise in cancellations on stamps, errors, forgeries, or slogans on covers, while others take a broad brush to illustrate a particular topic.

The Society was founded in Glasgow on 6 May, 1948 and first known as The Thematic Stamp Club (soon changed to The Thematic Stamp Group). At its first meeting there were seven members and they met initially at the home of the Treasurer, Harry Brooke. There was an entrance fee at each meeting, and an annual subscription of 2/6d. The main founder and first President, Captain Philippe Durand, had served in the British Army and for 25 years was curator of the People’s Palace museum in Glasgow. He promoted thematic philately, which at that time challenged traditional notions of how stamps should be collected, which was usually by country. However, through his collections he demonstrated the educational value of thematics, covering such topics as ‘The history of Canada’, ‘Women and children’, ‘Royal Ladies’, ’Tobacco’, ‘Sport and recreation’, ‘Fire’, and the ‘Masons’. For each collection and display he researched the subject meticulously. On a lighter note he collected what he referred to as ‘The Bare Facts’ - a study of nudes!

The first season’s syllabus (1948-1949) included displays and talks about ships, saints, flags, World War II, carnivorous animals, and locomotives. By September 1948 ten members were attending the meeting in person, and the Group elected an Exchange Secretary responsible for managing an exchange packet - where members could buy and sell individual stamps circulated in booklets. Over the season, membership increased to between 20 and 30 members. Throughout the 1950s, membership continued to grow up to around 35 members - and they came from all parts of the UK, including Edinburgh, Sheffield and London. By the late 1960s, the Thematic Stamp Group had become the Glasgow Thematic Society.