Are You A Closet Collector?

When I was younger, I stayed "in the closet" with my hobby. When I got older and didn't care so much what other people thought, I had no problem telling anyone. It has led to many people giving me old collections that were their own from their youth or that were their parents. Nothing earth-shattering or valuable enough to retire on, but there's been some neat stuff in what I've been given. Lots of junk, too, but you take the good with the bad.

It's not something that I keep secret but rarely a topic that I share spontaneously. When hobbies comes up, I'm much more likely discuss things like hiking, skiing, and hydroponics, all of which seem to be of much greater common interest.

I do not collect closets, no.

I'm not shy about my philately. I don't start conversations with it (not sure how I would, anyway) but if hobbies comes up, I don't have a problem sharing. Honestly, I think the more specialized you get, the more interesting it becomes with others. "I collect stamps with butterflies" does not grab people in quite the same was as "I collect the postage of British Commonwealth territories and dominions occupied by the Japanese in WWII."

Have you ever seen a cover and
Just fell in love with it even
Though to others it's an ugly duckling.

No, I've been collecting since 1972 and always have been happy to talk about my hobby. It's not usually a conversation starter (but sometimes it is) if the subject/occasion is appropriate I enjoy letting people know the hobby is still alive... I have met some people who were surprised that people still collect stamps. When I was younger I was on a mission to dispel the myth that it's just an old man's hobby. Of course my siblings (and others) have always told me that I was born an old man.
FYI: I also wear a pocket protector at work, because it makes sense.

To be fair, the vast majority of North American and European collectors are old(er) men. This forum for example has more than a few members who struggle with computers and have never touched a smart phone… not a character flaw by any means, but certainly an indicator of age. This is not a hobby that generates the buzz that numismatics or sports cards does; it's just not a hobby that's sexy or dynamic in any way. I love philately, but it is what it is.

I used to literally have a small desk in a closet for my collecting (wife's option). I've now graduated to a whole room (kid moved out).

I've collected stamps since the 60's and have never hidden the fact that I collect stamps. I don't proselytize but if it comes up in conversation, I'm happy to discuss it.

It has paid off a number of times when a non-collector would save some interesting "stuff" for my collection.

I'm not a closet collector but my collection is in a closet.

It's the closet in a spare bedroom. No light and temperature/humidity controlled. Great place to store a collection!




Dan

I'd be shocked if people I knew didn't realize I collect. I post stamp stuff on Facebook all the time.