Postal history is the study of
postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of the use of
postage stamps and
covers and associated postal artifacts illustrating historical episodes in the development of postal systems. The term is attributed to
Robson Lowe, a professional
philatelist,
stamp dealer and stamp
auctioneer, who made the first organised study of the subject in the 1930s and described philatelists as
"students of science", but postal historians as
"students of humanity". More precisely, philatelists describe postal history as the study of rates, routes, markings, and means (of transport).