The international body that governs competitive exhibiting, the Fédération Internationale de Philatélie, defines a postal history exhibit as follows: “Postal History exhibits contain material carried by, and related to, official, local or private mails. Such exhibits generally emphasize routes, rates, markings, usages and other postal aspects, services, functions and activities related to the history of the development of Postal Services.” According to the Fédération, “A Postal History exhibit may contain, where strictly necessary, maps, prints, decrees and similar associated materials. Such items must have direct relation to the chosen subject and to the postal services described in the exhibit.”

This more narrow definition leaves out many of the artifacts that are of historic interest, but defines the subject for the small group of collectors who wish to exhibit their collections competitively.