Society for the Suppression of Speculative Stamps

The Society for the Suppression of Speculative Stamps (S.S.S.S.) was a short-lived and ill-fated attempt by philatelists before 1900 to suppress the issue of unnecessary stamps designed mainly for sale to collectors.

The society was formed on 6 May 1895 and lasted until about 1897 when it broke up due to the failure of dealers and collectors within its ranks to boycott speculative issues.^[1]

The society was supported by the Royal Philatelic Society London and the American Philatelic Society.

Examples of the Society publications

The Society for the Suppression of Speculative Stamps. The Post Office, 1895, Vol. V, No. 53, p. 59.
The Society for the Suppression of Speculative Stamps. St. Martin’s-le-Grand, F. J. Beckley (ed.), 1895, Vol. V, No. 20, pp. 478–479.

See also

Illegal stamps

References

^ "The Possibility of Forming a Universal Philatelic Union of Philatelic Societies to Discourage Unnecessary or Speculative Issues" by M.P. Castle in The London Philatelist, Vol.19, pp.111-118, 1910.