Although the acknowledged first adhesive postal stamp was issued in England, the word philately was coined in 1864, from the French philatélie which originated from the combination of two Greek words philos, loving + ateleia, exemption from tax, taken as equivalent of "postage prepaid".

Stamp collecting is only the other half of philately. There are a number of stamp collectors, but only a few are philatelists. Usually the most dedicated stamp collector metamorphoses into a dedicated philatelist due to a fascination of the search for information, on the excitement of a rare discovery, the satisfaction of completing an album or simply that an absorbing hobby has become both a pleasure and relaxation.

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