Stamp Collecting - The Hobby Is Dying

In an article in Canadian Stamp News about the 2011 Scott Volume 4,Scott Editor Kloetzel says "worldwide economies continue to show considerable weakness." The result has seen "a stampmarket in which demand for rarities and high-grade stamps is strong while demand for more common material is quite lethargic. " Gee sounds pretty much the way it is !

That quote sounds accurate enough to me. It's like anything else that's collectible, the common material is often available at a discount; the better items are what commands the premium prices, although I would not suggest that rare stamps are the best hedge against a downturn in the economy, as it has been proven that some high priced items can occasionally go lower.

I've always viewed stamp collecting as a hobby and not an investment. If I happen to make a few bucks from it in years to come, all the better. If not, nothing is lost, as I still have the enjoyment factor that can't be measured in dollars and cents.

Getting back to the original point of this thread:




Advance to the end of this post for an update of one of our new "younger" members:

https://goscf.com/t/10538

I am a "younger member" in philatelic terms (not chronological). All hobbies are dying: young minds are not drawn to activities that engage the mind in a proactive manner: the modern culture is one where the compelling force is to consume rather than create.

First of all I'd like to say hello to you all as I'm new here. I'm also an "younger member" 30+ and I'm back in collecting stamps since 4 years.
What is my impression after 3 years of ebay & internet searching & buying? The stamp collecting is not dying, there was so many times when I simply seen peoples biding even more than I've ever imagined for stamps I was interested....
But, on the other hands, the stamps used collecting hobby sure is. In my exchanges of used stamps I've so many times heard of people stop collecting a specific country basically because there are not many used stamps left. For me, for example, I can count the letters with stamps received from other people than collectors using the finger for my hands. And it's not only that now there are not so many letter as before email. They simply use labels and labels and labels and also if you ask and you don't ask 2 times you end up with a label on the letter. Because for post office people is the simplest & easiest way... So I think in some years it will be difficult to find an used stamp to add to the collection.

Welcome aboard ionut77.

ionut77




It is starting to happen now and I believe it is going to happen a lot more in the future but we will need to prove that the stamps are truly postally used! Yes I believe used stamps will be more expensive than unused stamps sooner or later! KGV

wt,

I've seen those before.. I don't think they are Cinderellas, but recall that they were issued by some small country and almost certainly for sale to philatelists. Somehow I doubt any of those were postally used.

KGV, I also have a bike.. I agree with you but sadly they're not all that usable with the nasty weather we have here in the northern colonies :(

It's funny... there's a couple of US stamps like that, one which is worth almost 5 times used what an unused one is worth. Of course it's due to the Civil War..

Back to the thread - well what can we do to keep stamp collecting going?

1 Stock up with our own country's most attractive mint stampos and use those on letters to people. Don't use one high value when you can use six lower values. If there are stamps you really like buy lots so you can use them for a long time. This way you may spark off other poeople's interest. After all if you like the stamps because they are beautiful the chances are that other people will also like them.

2 Dipslay some of your favouritre colection pages around your hoyuse or at work (doesn't ahve to be the originals, can be scans). I had a hairdresser once in Yorkshire with several different framed sets on his walls, often got people talking.

3 Try to break the image some people have of stamp collectors being fernickety and boring - hey, it's a fun hobby!

Oops, hit the submit button by mistake - apologies for the lack of spelling!

4 To deal with scb's point about finding blogs / sites by chance - what about encouraging every decent stamp site to have a "useful non commercial links" section in a prominent place (so here as a top level thread in the general topics forum) - with the various sites listed on one page, and then a thread for each for members to comment about it to help newcomers find their way? Wouldn't that be worth setting up here (I'm sure there's something like that already, but I haven't spotted it which prob means that it isn't prominent enough.)

5 Use your local stamp dealer, tell others about him/her, and try to find and use stamp dealers whenever you visit a new place - there's nothing like seeing a stamp shop to encourage people to check stamps out. And stamp dealers area dying breed, at least here in the UK - most of the stamp dealers I have used in the past are no no more.

Personally, I couldn't say if stamp collecting is thriving or not - but I can tell you that I haven't been able to sell my stamps (per my very first post here - which I haven't posted since due to computer issues.. I'm sure I (wasn't) missed lol)

But what I do know is that people are obviously turning a profit. I haven't seen any of the local stamp stores close down and it does seem like more Disney stamp auctions on ebay are getting bids then I've seen in the past...

Unfortunately, perception is reality and if someone perceives collecting as a dieing art, I'm sure they'll express it. Luckily - we don't have to agree :)

Is it dying or is it less public due to e-commerce ?

that's actually a great question stallzer...

and how does one measure the popularity of a hobby anyway? Are there actually measurable terms?

All I know was that when I collected stamps in my younger years, there were the dealers that actually had a shop that I could go into and choose. They usually offered information, supplies, albums, notices on what stamp event was coming up, etc. They were more noticeable, therefore I wondered about what stamp collecting was about. Luckily, I had a family that was into the hobby themselves, so I just didn't wander in wet behind the ears. Those shops are gone now as well some of the magazines that have either gone belly up or have merged.

That's where we as the current generation have been trying to keep if "out there". We've adapted and now we go the route of the online auctions and bidding by email. Great for those that have, but for those new to the hobby it leaves them totally lost. I've gotten by the skin of my teeth on learning to adapt. Do teeth really have skin?

Anyway, I guess it's up to us to show others the way.

Donna