Melissa And Linn's Stamp News

Usually when I go to my doctor's appointment I bring a book or a magazine. It can be a long waiting. Yesterday I had Linn's Stamp news issues of September and October. There was this cute and quite little girl Melissa beside and her mommy. I showed her the September issue with the inverted Jenny on the cover page. "What's that?" and me "It's a plane?" Turning the pages it went on like that for a good 5 minutes and I was loosing my english. I show the mother the inverted Jenny and start explaining all about it. Rarity and value. Then I ask her where you are from. "I'm from Africa but I worked 9 years in China". "Where about in Africa?" "I'm from Cameroun" And I replied "The Germans were there?" And she said "Yes, they tried to establish a colony but didn't succeed" I replied "But the French did?" She smiled and said "Oh yes" We stop discussing as I put the magazine in my pack sack.

timbres
I see no-one responded to this post and thought I would make an observation or two.

Stamp collecting is always a subject that is difficult to explain to a non-collector and it is particularly difficult to explain its educational value. I learned more about the world from philately than I did in school and it has been especially gratifying in my retirement to visit some places that I had seen only previously on stamps. For example, the first issue of Czech stamps depicted Hradcany Castle in Prague; everyone has one or two of these stamps but I had the pleasure of visiting the castle last year, so I now have a much deeper appreciation of this Czech issue.

I think a lot of young people could be lured back to stamp collecting if they could make the connection between learning about the world around them and our wonderful coloured pieces of paper. I often wonder how many stamp clubs reach out to young people in this fashion. I think it would be fun to create displays of stamps and use them as a way of teaching young people about history.

NBSTAMPER

It's a coincidence i'm on SCF just when you post. My tv show on TV5 has been replace by a Kennedy program. It's great to visit what we see on stamps like the Hradcany castle. Stamps are a great media most ignore. A stamp is the start of further research on the net to get more infos. When I was young I use the dictionnary. Years ago I got my daughter in law interested with stamp collecting. She did collect for a while but she quit now and gave me her album. When a teenager get older there is so much to do and where to spend your little money that stamp collecting is put aside. I did the same to come back more than 25 years later.

Your point about the net is so true. The internet has not only turned the stamp market into a world wide market but it also provides an instant source of information about the stamps in our collections.

I'm trying slowly to get my granddaughter interested but have already learned not to rush her. She now knows how to soak stamps (she's 7) and I can get her to look at my albums once in a while but don't think it's time yet to give her a stamp kit.

By the way, this is my 200th post; have had a hard time getting here. I am always amazed at those who have several hundred or thousand posts. I don't think I know enough to make that many comments.