The details

If you're able to help us with stamps or other collectibles, here's what you can do, either individually or as a group or church:

• encourage friends or church members to keep the stamps from their letters and even from the schools, offices or shops where they work
• put a box to receive stamps in your church, perhaps with some of these leaflets, to provide a central collection point
• ask people to cut round the stamps, leaving around 3mm (1/8 inch) of the envelope showing all round, but be careful not to damage any part of the stamp including the perforations. Any envelopes with first day issues or unusual postmarks should be left intact - they may be especially valuable
• some groups even organise stamp-trimming sessions as an opportunity for a chat and a coffee together
• please sort the stamps into British and other countries. 'Others' includes stamps from all foreign countries and those of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. If there are stamps you think may be special or unusual, do keep them apart
• when you have enough, pack the trimmed stamps using one bag for UK, one for other countries and one for any specials, and attach a note saying where the stamps are from (both sender and group or church as appropriate), label it for the BMS Stamp Bureau and give it to your BMS co-ordinator or anyone going to Baptist House in Didcot, perhaps someone from your regional BU Association
• alternatively pack the stamps securely and post them to BMS Stamp Bureau, PO Box 49, Baptist House, 129 Broadway, Didcot, OX11 8XA. If you do post them, try to use higher value pictorial stamps rather than ordinary ones
• please note that to save costs, acknowledgements will normally be sent out only once a year. If you require acknowledgement of any particular parcel please include a stamped addressed envelope

We accept all sorts of postage stamps, however they come, but you can help greatly by making sure stamps are neatly trimmed before sending them to us. This will also reduce the bulk, weight and cost of your parcel. However, there is no need to soak stamps off the envelope or backing paper as they can be easily damaged and are harder to sell. If you have stamps that are already 'off-paper' do send them to us, but it is helpful if you can sort them separately from the 'on-paper' ones.

We especially welcome stamp collections, in whole or in part, stamp albums, stockbooks and stamp collecting equipment of all types. Please send any collections separately with a letter giving details of the gift and giver.

In addition, we also welcome collectible items such as

• Coins and notes - foreign and pre-decimal British
• Medals and badges - especially military, police or fire service
• Postcards - especially older ones but newer ones also required
• Cigarette and tea cards
• Pre-1950 greetings cards - old Christmas or birthday cards but not recent ones

These can be sent to Baptist House in the same way as stamps above.