Georges Herpin was a 19th-century French stamp collector who in 1864 coined the French word ''philatélie'', which in English became "

philately Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. While closely associated with stamp collecting and the study of postage, it is possibl ...

". Herpin, a pioneer in the science, stated that stamps had been collected and studied for the previous six or seven years and a better name was required for the new hobby than ''timbromanie'' ("obsession with stamps"), which was disliked.Williams, L.N. & M. ''Fundamentals of Philately''. State College: The American Philatelic Society, 1971, p.20. He took the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

root words φιλ(ο)- ''phil(o)-'', meaning "an attraction or affinity for something", and ἀτέλεια ''ateleia'', meaning "exempt from duties and taxes", to form "philatélie".Sutton, R.J. & K.W. Anthony. ''The Stamp Collector's Encyclopaedia''. 6th edition. London: Stanley Paul, 1966, p.232. This etymology stems from the function of postage stamps: the introduction of official, paid stamps meant that the reception of letters was now free of charge, whereas before stamps it was normal for postal charges to be paid by the recipient of a letter or package. In 1866, he sold his stamp collection to Frederick Adolphus Philbrick.Birch, Brian. (2013)
Biographies of Philatelists and Dealers
''. 13th edition. Standish, Wigan: Brian Birch, p. 1227.

References

Year of birth missing Year of death missing 19th-century French people French philatelists {{France-bio-stub