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In November 1864 the French paper "Le Collectionneur des Timbres - Poste" (1) published an unsigned article under the title of "Baptême". This article was due to Mons. Herpin one of the most learned amateurs of his epoch who proposed the term "Philately" for the Science dealing with stamps. This hobby was known up to that time under the names of "Timbrology" or "Timbrophily". Some people even used to call it "Timbromania" being unable to explain otherwise the real mania with which the rare collectors of that time were devoted to Stamp collecting.



The term was constructed, as Mons. Herpin explained further, in about the same manner as the word "Numismatics", i.e. the Science dealing with the collection of coins. There is a difference however for, whereas the term "Numismatics" has been created from the Latin word "Numisma" (coin), the term "Philately" was constructed from the two Greek words "Philos" (friend) & "Ateleia" (enfranchisement, payment of postage duty)! meaning the science dealing with the study of enfranchisemnet, of what proves the payment of the postage duty and concequently of the stamps.