BFV Cosmos

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Belgische Filatelie Vereniging Cosmos

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The Belgian Astrophilatelic Society BFV Cosmos has monthly meetings in Gent/Belgium. We discus astrophilatelic news, news about exhibitions worldwide and news about spaceflight, older projects and the latest news on manned and unmanned missions.

BFV Cosmos has an engagement to its members to procure all informations and tips needed to build up a nice and good astrophilatelic exhibit, according the Special Regulations and Guidelines for Astrophilately, as presented by F.I.P. (Fédération Internationale de Philatélie).

Board members of BFV Cosmos are active in the Royal Federation of Philatelic Circles in Belgium, the Provincial Philatelic Circles and in F.I.S.A. (Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Aérophilatéliques).

BFV Cosmos provides jury members on astrophilately for local, national and international (F.E.P.A.) exhibitions.

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Our society has a rich history in astrophilately. We provide subscriptions to all kind of space covers (Europe, ISS, China, Japan, Russia, …) and eventually space (NASA) memorabilia on demand.

Our quarterly magazine Cosmos Express is published in two languages, Dutch and English.

If you want to join us, please have a look a our contact page.
We have more than 45 years of experience in astrophilately !

History of BFV Cosmos

BFV Cosmos was founded in December 1971 in Gent on December 19th 1971 after some spaceflight enthousiasts got together and exchanged ideas on collecting space stamps and covers.
This new stamp club would unite space philatelists in Belgium and abroad and should provide services to the members and look for their interests.

Presidents

The first President of BFV Cosmos was Willy Vannooten, who died suddenly in 1981.
Georges Lauwers becomes the second President of BFV Cosmos until his death on May 15th 2000.
Vice-President Stefan Bruylants becomes the third President of BFV Cosmos from June 2000 up to today.

Aim

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Help promoting philately and especially promote space philately, without interference or moral coercion to the members.

  • Publishing the magazine Cosmos Express
  • Organizing congresses, exhibitions and lectures
  • Tombola between members during monthly meetings
  • Auctions between members
  • Exchange and abo service

Cosmos Express

The new society would also publish a magazine to keep contact between the board and the members. This publication should be a source of information on scientific and spaceflight activities, give advice on philatelic and astrophilatelic items and communicate on activities in the club.

In the early 1972, the number 1 issue was published as

" Cosmos - Tijdschrift voor ruimtevaart filatelie "
" Cosmos - Magazine for space philately "

The main article in this new philatelic magazine was written by the late Raoul Vanderstockt and entitled "Why this new postal stamp society ? "

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Our magazine Cosmos Express on a time-line :

1973 published originally on the folio format
1987 published on A4 format.
2001 (#152) first publication A5 booklet format

1972

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1987

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2001

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2013 (#200) new white frontpage
2018 (#221) full color magazine
2020 (#228) new format, bilingual, full color, back to A4 format

2013

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2018

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2020

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Stamp Shows

  • BFV Cosmos organized Stamp Show in Edegem /Antwerp in 1974, 1976 and 1977 and had meetings in Gent and Antwerp.
  • In September 1981, BFV Cosmos organized the first Cosmosphil '81 exhibition in Edegem /Antwerp and due to the great success the Cosmosphil '84 exhibition was organized in Gent in October 1984.
  • The third one, Cosmosphil '87, took place at the E.G.W. Hall in Gent in November 1987.
  • A fourth and last Cosmosphil '91 exhibition was held in the Sint-Pietersabdij Exposition Hall in Gent.
Due to high costs and lack of cooperation from the city of Gent, BFV Cosmos had to stop this series of exciting astrophilatelic exhibitions.

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© J.Esders

Activities

Board members of BFV Cosmos worked together with international astrophilatelists as members of S.A.F.A. in preparing the new Regulations and Guidelines for Astrophilately, finally accepted at the F.I.P. Congress in 1985.

In 1987, BFV Cosmos published a complete magazine on these new Regulations and Guidelines for Astrophilately.

More on this on our Astrophilately page.

  • In November 1996 BFV Cosmos celebrated its 25th Anniversary with its members and the F.I.S.A. Board in Gent.
  • In 2001, during the International Exhibition Belgica 2001 in Brussels, BFV Cosmos organized a Symposium on Astrophilately with the first reveal of Chinese astrophilatelic covers.
  • In 2003 members of BFV Cosmos had a meeting with the first Belgian astronaut Dirk Frimout at the Observatory in Grimbergen, near Brussels.
  • On June 18th 2010 members of BFV Cosmos attended the honoring ceremony for the second Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne, after his second flight, in Destelbergen /Gent.
  • BFV Cosmos celebrated its 40th anniversary on April 17th 2011 in Gent.

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Stefan Bruylants and Dirk Frimout in 2003

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Members of BFV Cosmos at the Honouring Ceremony for Frank De Winne in 2010

Membership

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If you are interested in astrophilately, in space events and space achievements, in space stamps and space covers, in recent and old spaceflight news, in normal or rare space covers, don't hesitate to become a member of the Belgian Astrophilatelic Society Cosmos, the only club on astrophilately in Belgium.

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Secretary-General
Mrs. J. Lauwers-Bekaert
Belgiëlaan 87
9070 Destelbergen
Belgium

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Membership fee

— Belgium : 35 euro
— Europe : 45 euro
— World : 50 euro



Email for more information : stefan@bruylants.be

Payments

Belgium & Europe :
IBAN = BE75 7380 2997 5951
BIC = KREDBEBB

International :
PayPal - please contact first

© 2007-2022 - BFV Cosmos and Stefan Bruylants - Contact