Stanley Gibbons

It won't set off a wave of letter-writing, but The Stanley Gibbons Group stocks millions of stamps. The group sells stamps, autographs, and other rare records and collectibles from its London retail store and a website. It also manufactures stamp-collecting accessories and publishes Gibbons Stamp Monthly, a standard reference in circulation since 1890. An investment department manages rare stamp and autograph portfolios and a collectors' "Wants List." The group has further diversified through Benham Collectibles, known for first-day covers (envelopes canceled on the date that a stamp is issued), from Flying Brands. The Stanley Gibbons Group was founded in 1865 with the publication of its first stamp catalog.