by Ray Alexis
Welcome to the world of chess philately! Philately not only increases your knowledge of the collecting area(s) that you are interested in, but will also greatly enhance your familiarity of history and geography. As a potential collector you enjoy a wide range of options. For example, you can collect stamps, cancellations, postal stationery, maximum cards, post cards, labels, Cinderellas, or local posts, to mention a few. To date, more than 140 countries have issued philatelic items related to chess.
The first stamp featuring chess was issued by Bulgaria in 1947 on the occasion of the Balkan games. The first philatelic item-a chess cancellation-appeared on a German cover (envelope) in 1923.
COSSU (Chess On Stamps Study Unit), under the auspices of The American Topical Association, is the major United States organization for chess philatelists; Chesstamp Review is their publication. Annual dues are $12/year; Chesstamp Review is published quarterly.
The number of stamps issued to commemorate chess events such as Olympiads and World Championship matches, or to honor great chess players, or simply to depict beautiful chessmen, grew dramatically on the occasion of the Fischer/Spassky match in Iceland in 1972.
There are several important catalogues devoted to chess philately; among them are Chess on Stamps by P.C. Burnett, Checkmate (parts 1-5) by James Sutcliffe and Hans Ulfstrumer, and Ajedrez/Chess by Domfil.
If you have questions about this topic, or are interested in joining COSSU, feel free to contact Ray Alexis, COSSU President since 1992. Write Ray at 608 Emery Street, Longmont, CO 80501 or e-mail: chessstuff911459@aol.com.
