Stamp Collecting Today Is "Just Not Sexy"?

The above quote is from the Q&A article appearing in today's Arizona Daily Star Newspaper. An interesting read for us stamp collectors:

http://azstarnet.com/lifestyles/hom...3d046a5.html

I'll end this with a conversation I had the other day at a local Post Office. When I asked for a specific stamp, the postal clerk asked me "Do [you] collect stamps?" When I replied "Yes.", the response was "I didn't think people collected stamps very much anymore!" ... and that's a comment right from the post office.

Therein lies the beauty of stamps (or rather) the
process of collecting in general.
You cannot make it something it is not,
it is basically "bling" proof.

All one has to do, to understand the motivation
behind anyone's collecting habit, is to observe the pure
joy in the facial expression as the collection
is shown, by the owner, this is especially significant
to a non elitist pursuit, say hammers, tea towels
or ceramic insulators. :)

There is an intimacy between the owner and the product
that is unrecognised by the casual observer.

Well when you phrase it like Rod just did I'd say its damn sexy. Well at least to the owner. Gotta say younger queen vic was rather sexy-ish for time. In her later days well thats in the eye of the beholder!

The article linked to was rather depressing from a collecting point of view generally. It seemed the writer tried to discourage people from collecting. Made me think he was an antique dealer saying things like nobody really collects that anymore, who do you think would be interested in that?, stamp collectors are a bad bunch for not being salesman also, ah well, soon we'll be done with them. So, you want to get rid of that stuff eh?

I don't really want to read any more of this person's writing if it is all like that. I like my stamps, thank you very much.

I did like a previous article posted here on Stamp Community about a guy who took stamps to a school and helped to share the collecting interest and knowledge expansion with young people (almost wrote enthusiasts, because that is what they became, after exposure to stamps).

Just being ourselves and being enthused about our stamps and collecting is the best way to sell the idea of stamp collecting to young people. Young folks look around to find people to copy in behaviors and thought, that's how we learn.

I love my stamps and covers...but sex is out !!

I think stamp collecting ceased being 'sexy' to the general public when the chances of finding an unusual stamp on your mail virtually vanished.

I remember in Australia in the late 60s, everybody scrutinised the stamps on the letters they received looking to see if any of the stamps had flaws etc.

These days, because of the improvements to the stamp making process, your chances of making a big find are so low as to not make it worth the effort. Nobody who isn't perhaps a diehard philatelist looks at the stamps on the letters they receive anymore.

Indeed I agree. Look how excited I got when the Canada 2010 Marine Life booklet issue was new last year. Lots of differences, errors, mistakes. People are still emailing me asking about what do I think this error is worth etc.

I, for one, will always look at those stamps if I get any in kiloware or a late use on a parcel or letter.

That does add to the thrill and excitement.

I get excited over something 'new to me' that I have just 'discovered' or something old that I have 'rediscovered again'. The fun never ends.

'Look how excited I got when the Canada 2010 Marine Life booklet issue was new last year. Lots of differences, errors, mistakes.'

Interesting!

This seems very rare these days.

Do you think many of these variations will end up being listed in the catalogues?

What stamps on letters? Except from fellow collectors and my own philatelic mailings, I don't recall seeing a stamp on a piece of mail in my mailbox for months ... with the exception of a couple of bulk rate "stamps" (such as they are.)

We're all hitting the same mark here. While we all want stamps to be seen on our mail, to use them on bills that go to some central processing center and the covers later get destroyed is not improving our hobby.

We need to send stamps on traditional letters/cards/packages, etc. The problem is that today's society is working against us, as letters/cards/packages are few and far between thanks to electronic communication and those pieces of mail that do get sent have all kinds of labels or meters or postage paid indicia on them (now on greeting cards, too) that effectively substitute for stamps.

Even some of the old time specialists who liked collecting postmarks are being targeted thanks to spray-on cancels that have taken the place of a traditional postmark, and most of the time the spray-ons are virtually illegible making them worthless from a stamp collecting point of view.

wt1, I still get stamps on at least 70% of my mail, including most items from the US.

The impression I get is that only the English-speaking countries seem to have moved away from stamps.

Whenever I get something from a non-English speaking country, e.g., Germany, Argentina, Hungary, it always has stamps on it.

Do others share my impression?

As I wrote before, there is a stampclub for teenagers at my public library. I don't know if many attend but I know some participates to exhibitions at provincial level and maybe national.

I think one will at least and maybe two, but most are a 'one of' type of thing.

wt1, yes, I did not think enough before I posted. Also the tendency to be thinking about identity theft and privacy laws is a thing that probably destroys many envelopes.

What has happened to being proud your name was on envelopes and people knew who you were and knew if someone was trying to impersonate you? Electronic me is not me, hand writing, twinkle in the eye or thoughts and reactions about stamps. lol

Mostly I get stamp mail so there are stamps on. I have noticed that some countries are tending towards FRAMA stamps (ATM) like Singapore and Spain mre so maybe that is akin to our labels and meters?

Are we dumbing ourselves down due to the clever marketing of computer and phone sellers? Is it all just another buck to be made? Does electronic email get the feelings across that writing can, the flow, the heaviness of the strokes, the type of ink or pen used, the colour?

Perhaps actually writing is becoming just for the rich and email and 'shortened' language is used by the masses? I myself haven't written a letter in a long while. I hear it's good for the soul.

well unfortunately its very true. last week, I said to my classmate that I collect stamps, she gave that weird look. I don't care what she thinks as long as I love this hobby!

I am thinking about collecting emails as an alternative to stamps, but it has me perplexed as to how best to display them.

Storing them is fine, as they don't take up much space at all.

Well, I also attribute the lack of stamp collectors to education. It seems to me that we don't spend as much time on history and geography as we should. Stamp collecting involves patience, paying attention to small details, analytical thinking/reasoning, research and study. For alot of young people these days that's just too much to ask. It's easier to vegetate in front of the nonsense on network television which passes as "entertainment".