Stamp Collecting - The Hobby Is Dying

I've been following through on this thread and despite my comment about "grabbing them, tying them up and making them talk" the grabbing them part kept tapping me on the head.

Okay, here's the thing. The U.S. Post Office (and I'm sure other postal services around the world are having the same problem) are saying that the internet has been their biggest problem. More information is being passed on through the internet than is being hand written and sent through old fashion mail. What was the month of October? National Stamp Collecting month. So, how do we collect stamps if there is no mail being sent?

I would propose that everyone around the world do a massive "Mail A Letter" campaign. How do we do this you ask? I remember when I was but a "wee" thing, that I was taught how to mail a letter in school. From writing a letter, to addressing the envelope, and sending it out. It was a unit in either handwriting or basic english. Now if we all could contact either the Postal Services in our Country's, States or local area's and the school systems as well, and ask them to help us implement a massive "Mail A Letter" campaign, we could not only "push the envelope" so to speak, but also promote stamp collecting as well.

After all, how did we get interested in stamp collecting from the start? We saw pretty stamps on envelopes as kids or we were lucky enough to have had a relative that was already happily collecting stamps.

This is something that maybe the APS could get involved in as well, politicians, teachers and just about anyone that would see this as maybe solving three problems. One, the problem of not having enough mail going through the system and two, more mail generated may help the Postal systems from raising the rates, laying off employees, and three, teaching children about how to post a letter the way it is supposed to be.

Does this make sense to anyone? Does this sound like a long term project? Long term, yes. It's not going to be anything that could be arranged in a month or a year. Probably two years at the most. How long should the campaign be? One month, just like the promotion of anything that really needs the time to have it noticed, like October's National Stamp Collecting month.

Just an idea and as I said, it would take awhile to get it off the ground.

Donna

billw2,

Do you mean this one ?



Londonbus1

Many countries are starting to do this. They try to force you to buy booklets or full sheets, and don't sell singles unless you buy the year packs.
I don't understand why the change? Could it be expensive mailing costs? Or could it be just plain stupidity.
Are Post Offices just catering to the dealers to get rid of stock? If they do that because they don't have enough sales, what about reducing the size of the issues? I mean, many years ago, each issue didn't have as many copies as we have nowadays.

I've refrained from buying stamps from some countries when they try to force full sheets on me. I'm a one stamp (or 2 ocasionally) collector. I have no real use for full sheets.

billw2 Washington 2006 was the largest show I ever saw..it was like being in the Roman coliseum !! you could have fit a few of the New York Mega shows into it !!

Who says the hobby is dying ! Today I needed to buy some new shirts etc for work and was wandering around the high street stores. I came across this T-shirt and had to buy it!!

Heres the T-shirt



And the closeup :



Now we need more fashion designers to promote the hobby

Drew

Drew

That is one neat shirt !
I love it.

Hey...maybe we can start a stamp T-Shirt collection

Londonbus1

Londonbus, yes, that one! :)

Phil, wish I had made it... I also collect coins and shows like the Whitman shows, the ANA, FUN, etc are insane when compared to stamp shows these days... sigh.

Hey Billw2 - Yes a black 1969 Jaguar E-Type Series II OTS (convertible)- a concours show car that I drive to shows in Toronto, Ottawa, and Michigan (Flint and Detroit) as well as local shows and charity events.

Ahh very nice! I had a 65 4.2 OTS in BRG/Biscuit... amazing car but I am 6'2.5" :(

I have this now... it's an 06.

That is a nice picture of a beautiful car. The jaguars were always stylish and strikingly different from most cars. Now that company is owned by Indian investors will this change the appearance to make it more mainstream?

Beautiful car.

No offense, but it rfeminds me of an old joke --

Q: "Why doesn't Jaguar make computers?"
A: "Because they can't figure out how to make one that leaks oil."

A variation on a theme...

Why do Brits drink warm beer?

Because Jaguar also makes refrigerators.



(The original joke as I knew it used Lucas, but that reference would be lost on anyone who doesn't love British cars (and spot on to anyone who does...I'm one who does).)

Nice car!
I sold my XJ6 which I used to trailer the E-Type.
Here's my "E"

.
Guess we shouldn't make this a "car" blog.

That is one nice E, looks brand new. One look at either car and you know instantly it is a Jaguar. My doctor has an 06 like Bill W. He could afford any car, but likes the looks of this car. And is not crazy about the new ones.

For those who don't get the reference, a search on "Lucas, Prince of Darkness" will be more revealing. ha ha

http://www.mez.co.uk/lucas.html

Ryan