The 9 types of people who visit stamp shows
Over the past year, the PTS Team and Council Members have attended a wide range of stamp shows. From regional fairs to International FIP Exhibitions. Across North America, the UK and Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We’ve met so many different types of collector, and we love chatting with them at shows – to learn more about why they are visiting, what they collect, why they collect, and what they would like to see from stamp shows in the future.
Every collector is unique, but we have identified some key attributes of those who visit stamp shows. This helps us design our shows (Stampex and Virtual Stampex) to best meet the needs and wants of as many people as possible. We've got 9 different types of people in mind. Do you relate to any of these types of visitor? How many of these styles do you tick? Are we missing your needs and wants and desires from these profiles? Let us know in the comments below.
The Hunter
We love the hunt. Some collectors will have dealers/ auctioneers/ friends/ even AI agents hunting for them, but many people visiting stamp shows are there to hunt themselves. To find that one item they’ve been looking for, to tick off items on their want list, maybe even discover something they've never seen in real life before.
The reward isn’t necessarily financial. The reward is “I FOUND IT!”. What a moment.
Some hunters want to tell everyone what they've found, some hunters will keep their pride inside.
Is hunting as a pack something at stamp shows? We certainly see comments on stamp forums and Facebook posts sharing items someone has found that might interest someone else. Might a hunter ask a stand holder to help them hunt? Stampex stand holders love to be asked for help with a hunt - just watch how quickly they reach for a folder or point to a box! And the trade will also hunt at stamp shows – for themselves and for others. That’s why Day 1 of a stamp show is often the busiest – to hunt out the new items before someone else makes the claim. Kill or be killed.
The Specialist
You might think that this type of visitor needs specialist dealers to be present at show, but a lot of specialists have such a narrow subject that actually a wide range of dealers and stock in the room can suit them perfectly. That's why Stampex is the busiest show in the UK. The Specialist might be seeking something someone else doesn’t think is important or valuable, but to them, it’s a perfect fit for their collection.
Rarity comes in many forms. An awe-inspiring acquisition is what the specialist seeks.
Specialists will also look for knowledge from dealers, and a trusted network of experts to discuss their needs with at a show. If a stand holder doesn’t have exactly what they are looking for, they might know someone who does. At Stampex, all stand holders are PTS Members who are part of a global professional network – a community that is passionate about serving the collector.
Specialists have an academic approach to their visit to a stamp show – they will enquire, share knowledge, and demonstrate their own expert knowledge.
The Historian
Not all visitors to stamp shows are stamp collectors. I know, crazy right? Stamp shows are attractive to historians, family tree mappers, ephemera collectors, and researchers. Postal history is growing in popularity and at Stampex, there are many specialist postal history dealers present.
Historians are seeking evidence of the past, stories, pieces of a puzzle. They’re looking for how and what people communicated, social context, and historic milestones. Even areas we consider to be quite modern from a philatelic standpoint can be valued by a historian.
We often say that there is something for everyone at Stampex. We challenge anyone not to find an interesting piece of history at the show. Purchase it, study it, fall in love with it - ready for your next dinner party conversation.
The Nostalgic
My grandfather used to collect. I remember sending letters to my pen pals. My parents would send love letters to each other….
Stamp shows are a portal into the past.
From looking at commemorative stamps and remembering those moments, to admiring beautiful handwriting in faded ink, cracked wax seals, the feel of the paper, imagining opening the envelope, licking the stamp…
The Nostalgic is browsing and buying a connection – to a person or a place or a moment in time. A book, a holiday, a loved one, a story one feels in their heartbeat and in the settling calm within their soul. We’re all looking for ways to connect with the simple pleasures in life – in particular, to step away from technology and all that brings with it. Stampex in London is real life, and it holds 70 years of history, of nostalgia, or the calm, peaceful, comforting world of letter writing, stamp collecting, philatelic and postal research, and connections with like minded people.
The Completionist
One of the behaviours we see so frequently at stamp shows and at Stampex is the visitor who needs to tick off the final box.
And we see future Completionists getting excited about the challenge - visitors who purchase a catalogue or pick up a free price list and see the potential to check off their collection against a reference guide.
Completionists could satisfy some of their need online, but they visit a stamp show like Stampex to see the items up close and to shop with verified PTS Members so they don’t tick something off which turns out to be misdescribed or a forgery. Face to face might also allow the Completionist to negotiate on price. And Completionists meet lots of dealers and auctioneers to share their want list/wish list/NEED list with so that trusted professionals can help them meet their goal sooner.
But we’ve learned something about Completionists… there’s always a next chapter! A new area to complete or the desire to move into a more specialised variety of what they have “completed”. That’s one of the most incredible things about our hobby – there’s always another door to open, another path to take, another adventure….
The Trader
You might be surprised just how much "trade to trade" business takes place at stamp shows.
At Stampex, we have around 60 PTS Members at stand holders but many more PTS Members (and other dealers) visit the show to shop, network and sell.
The trade might be looking for items they already have a client for, or items they think they could sell on at a margin, likely as a result of them knowing more about the items’ provenance or condition or rarity or popularity. Maybe they’ve got a client base no one else has, or they identify something to further enhance a collection or auction lot they are preparing.
Many PTS Members give fellow PTS Members a trade discount. And many stand holders at Stampex are there to buy as much as sell. So, we also refer to sellers of collections as Traders to stamp shows. We see it a lot – collectors wishing to sell one collection so that they can develop another collector area. And those who have inherited a collection looking for a valuation or offer from a trusted dealer.
The Aesthete
Stamps are beautiful.
Many visitors to stamp shows take time to simply "bathe in the beauty" of philately. At Stampex, Displays and the Court of Honour allow visitors to zoom into that beauty. And then visitors can study the aesthetics up close across over 60 stands, with hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of stamps and covers to explore.
Stamps are miniature works of art, and we see more students, artists and crafters, and those interested in graphic design attending Stampex. Whether one loves typography, engraving, illustration, vintage style, printing techniques and unique designs – stamps can inspire. And stamps can spread inspiration.
We see it across our social media channels too, when visitors to Stampex tag us @ptsandstampex and #Stampex to share the beautiful things they've seen at the show. Even the Business Design Centre architecture makes The Aesthete feel good.
The Socialite
For many, philately is about people. Imagine that… that collecting stamps in an album, home alone, can also be about connecting with others, making friends, sharing knowledge, travelling together, feeling a physical sense of belonging, chatting about things other than stamps...
For those already in the stamp show world, stamp shows are a social event and many will add the dates of Stampex to their diary over a year in advance! It's a chance to catch up with friends, dealers, gossip, share stamp stories, and delight in each others' philatelic wins. We see postcrossers and societies actively booking meetings at shows, and friends booking lunches and dinners during Stampex week.
When we say, “The Socialite”, we’re not saying that stamp shows are the social mecca for everyone (don't expect an Ibiza nightclub vibe!), but we’re a cool place for likeminded people. There is a comfort zone in stamp shows – because we all love stamps and postal history. Whatever our age, gender, nationality, day job, or collecting area.
Some people will visit a stamp show and keep themselves to themselves. Others will enjoy the experience of collecting whilst engaging with fellow collectors. The Stampex Community is a beautiful thing – both online at Virtual Stampex, and in London in person. Be part of it.
The person who doesn’t know they are a collector yet…
Another group of people we see attending shows like Stampex are not really collectors… yet.
They saw us on Time Out or Eventbrite and fancied doing something a bit different. Or they saw the show as a family friendly event thanks to the amazing work done by Stamp Active. Maybe they were looking for a unique “first date” idea. Or they saw some advertising that they could buy a Penny Black with their initials on it (that could make a cool gift too!). Maybe they've been looking in on the stamp world for a while and feel ready to explore if it's a hobby for them. There was a WI day out, a Scouting Badge opportunity, friends were visiting on a rainy day, they were doing something else at the Business Design Centre... and they stumbled into the crazy, amazing world of philately.
They buy something for £10 or £100 or £1,000, pick up a catalogue, send a postcard, chekc out a Display, and later, they talk to a friend or colleague about their experience.
And there it is. They set forward the sequence of events which might bring a new collector into our sphere, into stamp shows…
That’s why Stampex is held in the heart of London, why the show is designed like other aspirational shows, why we have a staffed Welcome Desk, why all of our stand holders are verified PTS Members, and why we are working 365 days a year to show off the very best in philately.
There is a path for everyone in this hobby, we just need to show them the door. Stamp shows open that first door of discovery. All are welcome.
Whoever you are, Stampex has something for you. We can help you find it. Let us know if you're coming and what you're looking forward to most.
28-31st October 2026
Business Design Centre, Islington, Angel (Zone 1), Central London
Free to enter on all four days, no need for tickets or pre-registration
More information at https://www.stampexinternational.com/visiting
This blog post has been written by a human (Suzanne of the PTS & Stampex), not AI. 13th Sept 2026.
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