A Presentation Pack is a folder, produced for philatelists and stamp collectors, that contains a full set of a new stamp

Postage stamp

A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...

 issue.

Format

A Presentation Pack normally consists of a cardboard folder with notes about the stamps, a holder for the stamps and a clear sleeve on the outside. They are normally sold at a small margin above the face value of the stamps.

History

Great Britain was one of the first countries to produce presentation packs, the first one being for the 1964 Shakespeare stamps of that year. Early packs were not produced in large numbers and are much sought-after by collectors. The pack for the "Opening of the Forth Road Bridge" stamps has a value of £400 according to the 2010 Stanley Gibbons "Great Britain Concise Stamp Catalogue". The early packs issued in the 1960s have tight cellophane sleeves that shrink leading to buckling of the insert cards. Packs with German, Japanese or Welsh text are also collectable.

Many countries around the world now issue Presentation Packs in similar formats as they are a convenient way to sell and display a whole stamp issue.

Variants

A pack containing a whole year's stamps is called a Yearpack. Bound into book form it is called a Yearbook.

Most packs are produced by the philatelic departments of national post offices, however, there is nothing to stop anyone else producing a pack by taking a set of stamps and designing their own holder. A number of private packs have been created in Britain to promote products, events, or simply as souvenirs including British Caledonian Airways for the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 and Scottish Wildlife Trust for the 1981 British Butterflies stamps.