Is Stamp Collecting A Dying Hobby? Hidden Benefits + Tips
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Is Stamp Collecting A Dying Hobby? Hidden Benefits + Tips

People engage in a variety of activities during their leisure time. They are known as hobbies because they engage in something they prefer a lot. Reading books, playing volleyball, cricket, swimming, watching movies, collecting stamps is among them.

Collecting stamps can be cited as a most popular hobby since the very past. When we pay our attention to the present society, we can’t find many people engaging in this hobby.

So, is it true that people say stamp collecting is a dying hobby? If so, it is very important to discuss that matter as we can’t let it die because the stamp is evidence of the society within certain periods and gives many benefits.

So, is stamp collecting a dying hobby? No. Still, there are approximately over 20 million people who are collecting stamps worldwide. When paying attention to the various hobbies of people, we may think that stamp collecting is a dying hobby because now there are many new hobbies other than collecting stamps.

Accordingly, in this article, I have covered the role of collecting stamps as a hobby, the benefits of collecting stamps, is collecting stamps is a dying hobby.

Finally, I have given you details on what should be considered when collecting stamps. Let’s get started!

The role of collecting stamps as a hobby

Collecting stamps is not a recent hobby. Many people engaged in stamp collecting from the very past. It does not focus on a specific age limit.

All ages can engage in it, and it is suitable at any location and does not need special skills or wealth. But, many people question, is stamp collecting a dying hobby? To consider this, we should first understand the role of collecting stamps as a hobby. 

Really, what is known as collecting stamps? The collection of material; that is related to the payment of a posing letter or any other postage is called collecting stamps. 

The publication of the first lists of stamps happened in 1861. It increased up to over 20,000 by the late 20th century. The stamp albums came onto the stage in 1862 in Paris.

Anyway, collecting stamps that started in such a way became very popular among many people with time. So, most of the stamp collectors use small and less inclusive albums as well as transparent plastic sleeves for this. 

With the increase of the publication of the stamps, many people started to collect stamps in a specialized way by categorizing them under various categorizations like; country base, the base of the period, continent base, etc. and the collection of stamps under various topics like; flowers, animals, sports, birds, etc. also became very popular with the increase of the stamp publication. 

When we talk about hobbies, we can introduce them as activities that people engage in during their free time. It is always an activity they like most.

Why is stamp collecting so popular?

Collecting stamps is very popular among people as a hobby due to many reasons. Here they are;

  • Having fun and enjoyment

People engage in hobbies to have fun and enjoyment by deviating from their regular daily routines. It is not a secret that many people like exploring things. So, collecting stamps is an ideal hobby to earn fun and enjoyment through exploration.

It can bring the collector self-satisfaction, pride, and happiness when he looks at his stamp collection. He will explore many stamps under various topics and neatly order them to keep the stamp collection attractive and clean.

Also, they become so happy in front of the praises of family members, relatives, and friends. It will motivate them to collect more stamps and exhibit them. 

  • Stamps are not so expensive, and anyone can buy them

There are many hobbies at present, but many are costly. Video gaming, traveling are examples. But stamp collecting is a cheap hobby that anyone can engage in. If you do not have money to buy mint stamps, you can collect used stamps.

There, you can tell your friends and relatives to save the stamps for you whenever they receive the letter. Also, there are clubs and organizations of stamp collectors.

If you can join one, you will be able to share many new stamps with other stamp collectors. So, this is a cheap hobby that everyone can engage in. 

  • Display the dedication

Here you may see that some people collect stamps under the themes that they prefer. For example, if a person loves nature more than anything, he will collect stamps related to nature.

It will include stamps with pictures of animals, birds, plants, flowers, and more. So, there he wants to dedicate himself to it as he only needs to collect the stamps related to only one theme.

So, it will exhibit the dedication of the collector. Accordingly, many people like to engage in it to show their dedication to others.

  • Does not need a big space to store

People collect many things like jewelry, wooden crafts, wall hangings, etc. But stamp collection is the easiest hobby to engage in because; it needs only very little space. A stamp is a small piece of paper. So, anyone can place it in a little space.

As an example, you can keep thousands of stamps in a single album. And suppose you feel fed up with the hobby for a short time.

In that case, you can keep the collection in any corner of the house and again start when you feel interested by taking the same album.  

  • Releasing the stress

People choose hobbies that can give them a break from their busy minds. So, collecting stamps is also the best stress releaser.

Anyone who engages in this activity can release his stress by looking at his collection, filling its spaces, and exploring the new stamps.

And also, as this can be done at any age, people can keep their minds active even at old age. 

  • Avoiding boredom

You may assume how stamp collecting results in avoiding boredom as it seems like a boring activity. But, do you know that there is always even a single work to do with a stamp? Also, it can be done even in any climatic condition.

For example, if it rains on the outside, you can continue your work with the stamps on the inside. Those who collect stamps will not be bored even on rainy days thanks to their hobby. 

Accordingly, people engage in collecting stamps as a hobby and get a break from their busy lives.

The benefits of collecting stamps

Collecting stamps has been one of the popular hobbies among people since the very past.

But now, many people question; is stamp collecting as a dying hobby because many other new hobbies are evolving around people.

This can be clarified by paying attention to the benefits of collecting stamps. So, let’s see those benefits in more detail.

  • Educational benefits

A stamp is not just a small piece of paper. There is a high educational value in them. Suppose you collect stamps from a very little age until death.

In that case, you can collect a lot of historically valuable evidence through the stamps because stamps change according to the changing governments.

The best example is, during the period of Queen Elizabeth in Britain, there was her picture on the stamps of Britain.

It also helps everyone to learn about geography, art, transportation, music, movies, space, sports, animals, plants, famous people, etc. 

  • Empowering people to people contact

This small piece of paper can connect people all over the world. Thanks to this, you can send letters to anyone anywhere in the world for a very small amount of money.

So, it is the best source to close people together. If your relatives live abroad and are unable to communicate with the mobile and if the costs of outgoing calls are expensive, you can send a letter with a posted stamp to continue your relationship.  

  • Get to know people having the same interest

There are stamp clubs and stamp organizations for those who prefer stamp collecting. There they get the opportunity to meet friends with the same interests and share new types of stamps.

Also, the forums of stamp collectors and websites showcasing stamp collections held throughout the world annually are additional chances for those who collect stamps to meet new friends and share their experiences.

  • To be a legend within the next generation

Some people keep their memories even after their death within their future generations due to collecting various stamps. It will provide them with a positive identity of the specific person.

They will also learn many things about the past society through the signs of the stamps. At the same time, it will motivate them to collect further stamps. 

  • A good investment

Some stamps are recognized as very valuable. With time, some rare stamps become valuable, and if one of them has a specific stamp collector, then it brings fortune to him.

But to become an investment, it needs a specific level of specialization. So, it can be said that sometimes this small piece of paper will be the fortune of a stamp collector. 

  • Stamp collectors are clean and neat 

This is a very important benefit of collecting stamps. People become very clean, neat and practice orderliness by engaging in this activity. Of course, stamp collectors should have patience because they have to neatly paste stamps in the specific collecting book.

They should do it cleanly and order the stamps according to a specific categorization. As an example, they can paste them under various years of introducing the stamps.

Then it will be clear and attractive to anyone who examines the stamp book. 

Is collecting stamps a dying hobby?

Collecting stamps became very popular in the past. And now there are many other new hobbies among the younger generation than those past hobbies.

So, people may think, is stamp collecting a dying hobby? In my opinion, it is not that stamp collection is a dead hobby, but many new hobbies have been born, and accordingly, people do not notice many who are engaging in collecting stamps.

This can be clearly understood by searching about the people who are engaging in collecting stamps. It can be seen that there are more old people within stamp collectors than young and little children.

But we can’t directly say that stamp collecting has been dead, but it can be said that it is slowly dying. There are over 20,000 people worldwide engaging in this hobby by now.

In my opinion, it is a small amount when considering the whole population of the world because there was a leading role for this activity in the past. So what are the reasons for the slowly dying nature of the collection of stamps?  

  • The emergence of new hobbies

Most of the children in modern society are engaging in many other new hobbies with technology development.

There are video games, computer games, and mobile games that have invaded teenagers’ worlds.

So, many of them, except a few, are not interested in hobbies like collecting stamps. They think of it as a boring and old-fashioned hobby. 

  • Decreasing the price of stamps

Some people are engaging in collecting stamps as an investment. But it can be seen that many of the stamps that are selling now are only about 5% or 20% of the value stated by the catalog value.

The prices of rare and old stamps were at high prices. So, stamp collectors were focusing on selling their collections to the dealers. But with the decrease in the prices, they are in trouble to sell them for healthy prices.

Accordingly, many stamp collectors who collected as an investment are not motivated to collect them. Although this does not involve too much in declining the hobby of collecting stamps, it also has some influence.

  • Abuse of commemorative stamps

Earlier, the national post offices helped stamp collectors. It can be seen that there is less help from the national post offices for the stamp collectors at present.

Commemorative stamps are rare and do not publish every day. So, a stamp collector can find such a rare stamp from the national post office.  

  • New trends of communication

In the past, people used letters and postcards to keep in touch with their relations and friends living far away from them. So, stamps and envelope had been bound to people a lot by pushing them to engage in the hobby; collecting stamps.

But with the development of communication, audio calls, video calls, texting invaded the world of letter writing. So, with that, people detached from the stamps. It is real that people rarely write letters now. It may only be for official purposes.

As a result, no one can find a stamp even to show for their children in some houses. So, it is clear that there is little influence of modern communication technology for the slow death of this hobby. 

Anyway, no one can say that this hobby has been dead. But there is a little bit of decline in it by now. 

What should be considered when collecting stamps?

There is a problem within many people; is stamp collecting a dying hobby? Do you know that collecting stamps is not only a hobby but also a valuable investment that offers many advantages?

Therefore, it is very important to do it neatly. So, I will provide some tips to be considered when collecting stamps as;

Deciding the kinds of stamps to collect

There are various types of stamps as; 

  • Monumental stamps: – The stamps that have been printed once or in small amounts, especially to honor a specific person, event, or subject.
  • Definitive stamps: – The stamps that have been printed in large amounts, more than once. 
  • Special stamps: – The stamps that have been printed for a specific event like Christmas, love, holiday celebration, priority mail, express mail, and international rate.

Also, you can collect them under various categorizations as; 

  • Worldwide: – Over 10,000 stamps are issued annually all over the world. You may not be able to collect them all. So, you have to decide what stamps are to be collected. 
  • Country-wise: – Here, you have to decide whether you are collecting the stamps of your motherland, another country you have visited or a country that you prefer much.
  • Topic-wise: – You can collect stamps under various topics like; animals, sports, Disney, space, birds, flowers, etc. 
  • Used or unused: – You also can decide whether you want to collect the fresh or used stamps. It will be easy and not too expensive to collect used stamps but unused stamps may be expensive.

The place to get the stamps

Stamps are available almost anywhere. You can use various places to collect a variety of stamps. It will be nice when you collect different stamps. Accordingly, you can buy them from the post office in your area.

Also, you can tell your friends, relatives to save the stamps that they receive with letters. If you can collect them in different locations, your collection will differentiate.

And you can do it through a stamp dealer by finding one by searching around your area. There are stamp clubs.

They will be the best place to share the stamps with friends with the same interest and also you can find very rare stamps by participating in a stamp show.

The way of removing a stamp from the envelope

This is very important for those who are collecting used stamps. So here, you have to remove the stamp without harming it. Accordingly, you can cut around the stamp by keeping a small margin.

Then put it in cool water for about 15-20 minutes by placing it face down faced. After the stamp is removed, it will float freely on the water.

Then you can take it away by using stamp tongs and put in between paper towels by keeping a heavy book on it to prevent it from curling. 

The tools that you need

  • Magnifying glass: – It will help to examine the stamps in a close-up view.
  • Tongs: – This helps to move and pick up the stamps without harming them.
  • Perforation gauge: – This is used to measure the holes within the edges of the stamp.
  • Watermark detector fluid: – This tool is used to raise a design, watermark, or pattern for the stamp within the manufacturing process.

The place to store the stamps

You have to choose a safe place to store the stamps because they will catch air or grease if you do not safely place them.

There, you can use an album or loose-leaf paper to paste it without harming the stamp.

The transparent glassine envelopes are also safe to place stamps, but a book or an album will be more effective.

Decide the validity of the stamp

You can decide the value of the stamps that you collected by searching them from a stamp catalog.

It will give you an idea about the values of the stamps according to their rareness, the condition of the stamps, whether they are torn or not, whether they are used or unused. 

Join a stamp club

You can increase your stamp collection and friends with the same interests by joining a stamp club. There are stamp clubs worldwide.

You can physically join one in your area or join online through a website. You can seek the help of the librarian or the postmaster in your area to have an idea about the specifics of clubs and organizations.

Decide whether you need an insurance

If you are collecting stamps with high levels of specialization, simply, as an investment, there may be more stamps, and there may be a large number of rare stamps.

On such occasions, you need protection for your stamps. So, you can have the help of insurance there.

There are insurance companies that specialize in fine arts and collectibles that completely give protection in such situations. 

Final thoughts whether the stamp collecting a dying hobby or not 

I have discussed; is stamp collecting a dying hobby with more details. I think this article will effectively work out for everyone as I have covered related information like; the role of collecting stamps as a hobby, the benefits of collecting stamps, is collecting stamps is a dying hobby, and finally, I have given some tips on what should be considered when collecting stamps. 

Is stamp collecting a dying hobby can be cited as a commonly asked question today. Anyway, this is a hobby that started in ancient times, and it is continuing until now. It is the best hobby to have fun and enjoyment, release stress, avoid boredom, etc.

It is also beneficial for people to become clean and neat and empower the people to contact, etc. But it can be more commonly seen within the old aged people than the younger generation. So, there are many reasons behind the decline of the hobby, such as; the emergence of new hobbies, new trends of communication, and decreasing the prices of stamps.

If you like to engage in this hobby, you have to consider many issues like the kinds of stamps to collect, where to collect them, how to remove a stamp from the envelope, etc. Accordingly, you can try out the hobby and have fun through it by participating to raise its popularity. 

Thank you for reading the post. If you think this is useful, feel free to share it with your friends. Stay with HobbyLeads for more about hobbies.

Author

  • Delbert Spence is the founder of HobbyLeads. He is passionate about meaningful extra time by engaging in different hobbies. He believes every hobby has its qualities and benefits. So, Delbert started writing about different hobbies and researching more in-depth about each hobby. He has done some research on the correlation between hobbies and social-emotional behavior. As a scholar and a hobby enthusiast, Delbert tries to help you find answers to frequently asked questions about hobbies.

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