Federation of German Philatelists

Bund Deutscher Philatelisten e.V. (BDPh) describes itself as the interest representative of stamp collectors in Germany, offering a home to members in clubs and working groups as well as to its direct members. Its address is Am Hofgarten 4, 53113 Bonn. The organization traces its founding to 1946, initially in the British Zone with Richard Renner as chairman, and from 1 October 1949 in Munich for the whole Federal Republic.

The beginnings of organized philately reach far back into the 19th century. Soon after the issue of the first postage stamp in 1840, this postal innovation developed into a collectible. The year 1866 is regarded as the year of the first club founding worldwide. As early as 1869, the first club in Germany was formed, the Süddeutscher Philatelisten-Verein in Heidelberg. The oldest still-existing clubs are in Köthen (1877), Dresden (1877) and Frankfurt (1878). As the number of clubs rose, the first associations emerged, or supra-regional clubs with sections in various cities were formed, such as the Internationaler Postwertzeichen Verein Dresden. On the initiative of Hans Wagner from Mainz, the 'Bund deutscher und österreichischer Philatelistenvereine' was finally founded in 1896 at the 8th Deutscher Philatelistentag. In its succession, the Reichsbund der Philatelisten was created during the time of National Socialism. In parallel, KDF collector groups existed, which reflected the coordination of all cultural activities. After the end of World War II, the Bund Deutscher Philatelisten was founded in 1946, initially only in the British Zone with Richard Renner as chairman, and from 1 October 1949 in Munich for the whole Federal Republic. Hermann Deninger served as the first BDPh president of the overall association from 1949 to 1967, followed by Wilhelm Kähler 1968-73, Dr. Heinz Jäger 1973-91, Michael Adler 1991-2001, Dieter Hartig 2001-13, Uwe Decker 2013-17 and Alfred Schmidt since 2017. Particular highlights in the association's history were international exhibitions organized by the BDPh, such as IBRA 1973 in M...

Interest representative of stamp collectors in Germany

1. 1Bund Deutscher Philatelisten e.V. (BDPh)bdph.de
2. 2Verbandsgeschichtebdph.de