Auckland Philatelic Society Inc.
Welcome to the Auckland Philatelic Society's website.
We are Auckland's largest and oldest stamp club and one of the friendliest and most welcoming in New Zealand.
If you are looking for a hobby that is interesting, intriguing, and potentially inexpensive you may have just found it!
Have a quiet look around the site and see for yourself just how varied and engrossing the hobby can be.
Then simply turn up to one of our meetings or send us an email - we'd love to meet you!
APEX25 Stamps & hobbies exhibition
Saturday 20 September & Sunday 21 September 2025
King's College, Golf Ave, Otahuhu, Auckland
Auckland's biggest and most interesting Stamps & Hobbies Exhibition will be held at King's College on Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 September. Doors are open to the public from 10am - 4pm and entry is FREE and there is heaps of free secure parking. Hosted by Auckland Philatelic, the exhibition will include the 2025 NZ Philatelic Interclub Competition as well as stands, displays and retail booths covering everything from genealogy, numismatics (coins & banknotes), model planes, wargaming, photography, Pokemon, model trains - you name it it's probably here! So book the date - it's not to be missed.
Exhibitors - Free stands are still available for approved exhibitors
If you think you would like to come to a meeting
Meetings are held three times a month and you are welcome to come to one, two or all three or none at all if you don't want to. The decision is entirely yours.
There are two evening meetings and one afternoon meeting each month.
TUESDAY EVENING MEETINGS - Senior Citizens' Hall, Wairere Ave, Mt Albert, Auckland
Held on the first and third Tuesday of each month (except January and December). Doors open at 7.30pm and meetings finish at approximately 9.00pm.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON MEETINGS - Ferndale House, New North Road, Mt Albert, Auckland
Held on the third Sunday of each month (except January and December). Doors open at 1.30pm and meetings finish at approximately 3.00pm.
Visitors are always warmly welcomed so there's no reason to be hesitant about turning up!
why would i want to collect stamps?
There are so many varied reasons people become stamp collectors we couldn't possibly list them all here - but for starters try some of these:
discover the world
Pick a country (any country) and discover it's history, culture and people. Maybe you're interested in where your family is from? Everyday the world changes so there are "dead" counties, new countries and others to discover.
name a subject
Any subject! Anything that interests you. Space, birds, fish, bridges, planes, clocks, plants, royalty, water, headwear, fashion, boats, war, medicine, cartoons - if you can think of it - there are stamps that feature it!
explore history
We can all learn from history. Stamp collecting helps you explore and understand any historic period anywhere in the world. Find a country, empire, king or queen, ruler, president, or period and use the hobby to help you illustrate and understand what, when, how and why.
Become a time traveller
Want to understand how your ancestors, the Elizabethens, the French, early space explorers, scientists, settlers, travellers, explorers or any population you can name felt? Stamp collecting can help unlock the answers.
Find hidden gems
Stamp collecting can be as inexpensive as you or your budget decide. There's absolutely no need to spend hundreds of dollars on pursuing the hobby. But there are rare extremely valuable items out there for you to find extremely cheaply - you just have to know what you are looking for.
join an interesting community
If you want to meet and enjoy the occasional company of some interesting people joining APS or any stamp club is a great place to start! They will not only prove to be fonts of knowledge but are keen to help you start or grow your philatelic journey. So, what are you waiting for?
You are an archivist, curator, historian and much, much more!
As a stamp collector you are charged with discovering, collecting, protecting, and preserving history. People used these little pieces of paper to communicate, transfer money and valuables, provide good or sad news, buy, and sell, introduce, welcome, and much, much more. They were carried by hand, horse, carriage, ship, plane, hot-air balloon, bike, and train. They were lovingly designed, printed, had unique watermarks and papers, were perforated, gummed and were as valuable as the local currency depending on their country of origin. They identified a country, were cancelled with a date stamp or similar that indicated date and time and their starting location. Each little stamp is one of a limited number that was produced and many of their original number have already disappeared. Thankfully, some survive because of people like you who are prepared to save them, discover their origins and history and curate them for future generations - being a philatelist carries with it its own responsibilities!
