Why Collect?

First Day Covers

What is a First Day Cover? Cover refers to the envelope, which hundreds of years ago, people would fold up their letters to send. Today we pop our letters into envelopes (much safer!). First Day relates to the date the stamp has been issued, for example the new David Bowie stamps from the Music Icons issue on 14th March 2017. When the stamp is affixed to the envelope and postmarked on the first day of issue, the envelope becomes a First Day Cover (FDC).

Collectors have been interested in stamps on envelopes for over 150 years. At some point in history it became popular to collect covers which had been postmarked on the first day of issue, and they sent them through the post on purpose to obtain this. Certainly in 1870, many of the new halfpenny postcards were sent to be kept. Collecting them became a philatelic hobby, and with this hobby gaining more and more interest (for example, over 400 different covers were produced for the 1937 Coronation stamp), First Day Covers became something worth collecting; not only did they pay homage to the stamp issue, but they also became beautifully illustrated and were like pieces of art depicting special times in history. Buckingham Covers.

Where do we fit into all of this? Here at Buckingham Covers we produce fabulous First Day Covers which look at the stamps that have been issued and expand on that to produce works of art. These covers are highly collectable and not only do you get to collect stamps that have been postmarked on their first day of issue, but the envelopes themselves are personally designed by our hard-working design team. With a completed product you get to hold in your hands unique designs showing, for example, stunning landscapes, famous figures and for the Rail enthusiasts out there, fantastic engines. These are just the tip of the iceberg! Start your own collection.

Would you like to start owning little pieces of history? On the back of every cover, there is a short description detailing what the cover is about and its importance in relation to the stamps produced. Below are some of the covers we have coming up, if you would like to buy, just click on the image to be taken through to our shop and you will be able to see the collection of First Day Covers we have to offer. There is something for everyone! If there is a cover in particular you are looking for: a famous singer, a particular stamp, a football legend and can’t quite find it on our website, you are more than welcome to get in contact with us. You can Email Us or you can also call us on 01303 278137. We would love to hear from you.

We don’t just sell, We also buy thousands of covers a year, so if you have a collection that you are looking to sell, then please get in touch.

Buckingham Covers Autographs

Is there anything more exciting than holding something in your hand that was signed by your hero? Not a lot comes close. Short of tracking your idol down to obtain that ‘selfie’, with Buckingham Covers, you get to own their signature – FOREVER.

At Buckingham Covers we pride ourselves on selling genuine signatures and because we keep our print-runs small, we can guarantee that our signed covers are limited editions.

Collecting Autographs is very rewarding but it can be very costly, which is why we do all the hard work for you. For our covers we go directly to the signer and for our historic items, we source our signatures from reputable dealers where provenance can be traced. We only offer GENUINE signatures. And when forgeries do come through our doors, we sell them as such and a cachet is added to say that they are not the real deal. With at least 80% of signatures on the market being forgeries, we can offer you peace of mind that what you are buying from us is genuine and of the best quality.

One thing we enjoy about getting Celebrities to sign for us is that we are helping Charities along the way. They sign for us and at the same time donate money to amazing charities to support worthwhile causes. So far we’ve helped raise over £800,000 since we began in 2000!

Did you know that we’ve had every Prime Minister over the last 20 years sign for us? Whatever your bag is, we’re sure we’ve got someone who you just need for your collection. Whether it’s the Apollo 11 Mission team, famous authors like the fantastic Terry Pratchett, infamous Bond actors such as Roger Moore, Sporting Legends like Andy Murray and so many more!