The Guyana Philatelic Library was officially opened yesterday with a ceremony that was held at the Guyana Post Office Corporation on North Street, Georgetown.
The library, which will feature a wide variety of stamps, is an initiative of the Guyana Philatelic Society. President of the Society Ann Wood informed that they have accumulated a variety of stamps from the American, Royal, San Diego, and Rocky Mountain philatelic societies and will continue to do so. The facility, she said, has come at a critical time when communication by email has reduced the need for letter writing.
“The library is committed to promoting and helping to facilitate the pursuit of stamp collecting and it is a place to discover your local stamp collecting community in person. Membership is not necessary to use materials in the Library,” she said during her opening remarks.
Wood noted that the library is a dream come alive but this would not have been possible without the help of all stakeholders and expressed thanks to those persons. She said that in 2012 she felt compelled to form a stamp collecting club and now the society has over 500 members throughout Guyana and other countries. She mentioned the fact that the rarest stamp in world – the British Guiana One Cent Magenta – is from Guyana and was last bought for US$9.5 million. It will go on sale sometime next month and is expected to fetch some US$15 million.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips who also spoke at the ceremony, stated that he was honoured to be part of the occasion, noting that throughout history, Guyana has been using stamps to memorialise many important personalities and significant moments in the country’s cultural heritage.
“Through this practice, our country has boldly showcased its pride in the power and symbolism on postage stamps and the value they place on preserving our country’s national history and legacy. Our long history of commemorative stamps will be made available at this institution,” he said.
In addition, he said the philatelic society has done great work over the years to promote greater interest in the study of British Guiana and Guyana’s postal history and has also broadened the interest in stamp collecting. He congratulated the society for such an initiative and stated that he is confident that persons will utilise the library.
