Will Stamp Collecting Survive?

We all try bookbndrbob

Just keep asking questions, and we will try to answer them.

Chimo

Bujutsu

Hmmmm - targeting kids or adults?


I certainly agree - I'm in that camp 100%. However kids on the other hand is more attracted by the drawings/topical aspects - or the adventurous feeling of having a small piece of a foreign and far-away country - or an 'unbelievably old' stamp, even older than grandpa! So, it's really difficult to make a comparison as the hobby is attractive in different ways for the young or the adult.

Still I can agree it must be adults that can bring the hobby into the future, so maybe it's better to target them. But - IMHO - I do not think too much adults will consider to take up stamping - at least not with great affection - unless a tiny seed was planted in them in childhood... I think it would be difficult to win anyone into this hobby unless the person have some nice memories and feelings involving stamps from their childhood, like a present from grandpa or the sweet memory of sorting stamps in your bed... So, even if almost all the kids most likely will loose their interest at some point - they carry on the seed that can be watered later.

So, my 2 cents is basically to target both the young and the adults - we must sow the seed - and water it later....
Jon

I will just say that if we don't get more adults to either join or come back to the hobby now and in the near future, there will be no hobby in the future for todays kids to come back to.

Stamp collecting has been around much longer than any of us, and collectors will likely continue to come and go as they always have. I am sure most of us started as kids, then took a hiatus or two away from the hobby, and then got back into the hobby later in life. So, I have no doubt that stamp collecting will persevere well into the future.

Comparing stamp collecting to other more specialized collections such as beanie babies, barbie dolls, or cigarette lighters is folly. People have been collecting stamps from the very first issue. Within 10 years after the first US stamp a booklet was published to help collectors identify fakes and forgeries. Unlike other 'collectables' the hobby of stamp collecting is not a craze (other then perhaps a brief period in the 70's/80's when people tried to capitalize on stamps as an investment) driving by a sudden rush in a very limited market.

I think the hobby will continue to flourish as we introduce our children and grand-children to the hobby. And let's face it...stamp collecting is really not a cheap pursuit, nor is it one that offers instant gratification. While young children may initially be attracted to stamps out of curiosity, few continue to pursue the hobby throughout their teens or early 20's. Some may return in their 30's or later after they establish a career, have some disposable income, and have time to devote to the hobby.

IMHO, unless you are personally involved in local clubs, or take action to form a local club if one doesn't exist, support national orgs such as APS, etc. it does little good to speculate on the future of the hobby.

Yep, I made a point earlier that the general environment in which stamp collecting arose was dramatically different than the world we live in today. Stamp collecting has endured that entire time, across cultures and through revolutions, wars and upheavals of all kinds. That tells me that stamp collecting somehow appeals to something innate in people, or at least certain kinds of people. I do think the number of collectors will probably decrease somewhat, though. However, I think one can say with confidence that philately will be around at least a couple more generations. Personally I think it'll be around a lot longer than that, assuming humanity is still around.

For it to survive, the veterans of the hobby need to be more motivating and less critical when someone comes forward asking If they've found something valuable when it's not even worth the paper it's printed on.

All I hear on these types of threads is people complaining about people thinking they have something valuable when they don't and going through that over a year ago, it put me very close to not wanting to continue.

Stamp collecting will survive as long as it remains a hobby that people are interested in - ergo, to answer the survival question, we need to understand what draws people to collect stamps, and evaluate whether these factors will still be present in the future. As a first step, I would suggest we put together a list of the factors that attract people to stamp collecting.

Dw9540, I'm surprised you feel such a negative vibe. My own experience in this community has been 100% positive. I have found this forum to be an extremely generous, patient and welcoming community.
That contrasts with the often nasty interaction I've encountered on sports or political chat boards.
There are over 6000 members in SCF, so some are bound to be impolite, impatient, or tire of being asked by every newbie, "Is this thing worth some money?"

But since I began being active I have learned a great deal. Because of experienced folks who were willing to take time to share their experiences and knowledge. And I try to share what I can to help others. That's what SCF is all about.

I do think membership in SCF should include a willingness to invest some time to check out the many archived discussions on so many topics. It's easy to post a vague request for help in identifying stamps. But I do think the majority of the SCF's "pillars" (the folks who post very frequently and often) hope that newcomers will eventually roll up their sleeves and begin to self educate themselves by referencing stamp catalogs in libraries or buying their own.

As a teacher, I wholeheartedly agree with wanting people to "self-educate" or do some research. And, many times I don't provide an answer by point to easily accessible references (usually online) and then follow up to see what they learned.

Unfortunately, not all public libraries have Scott's catalogs on their shelves, and for many novices the costs of many catalogs are prohibitive. Also, I suspect that many "newbies" are completely unaware these exist and Interest searches ended in dead-ends, which is perhaps what drove the "newbie" to this site to begin with.

In this world of immediate online access for information (for free) is something the younger entitlement generations are all too used to. IMHO it is not a good thing, but it is what it is.

It does not benefit a community to publicly excoriate new members or disparage novices even when the same question is asked repeatedly. If reflects negatively on the community as a whole.

The search engine / program used on SCF here is somewhat clunky I find myself.

However, searching via Google or other outside search engine is profitable also.


Sometimes it is hard to know the correct word or words to use so as to even ask a question.

A Glossary with pictures, similar but expanded visually, like the olde Dr Phil (philatelist) online glossary, defining words used, but now having pictures, is almost necessary to understand what half of us are talking about to start with.

I am always learning many hings about rare or even common stamps that I didn't know or was able to take in before. But with the many well described definitions on here (and elsewhere too) it is becoming easier and easier to learn.

For fun, to learn about a stamp, scan an image of it and upload the pic to an online data storage site like photo bucket and then search by image.
It's how I've found out about stamps that have no discernible words.

owsi, your points are well taken. If current stamp collectors want to encourage others to take up the hobby, we need to be helpful and supportive.

I realize many newbie collectors or folks who may have inherited a family collection may not have access to the great public library that offers Linn's Weekly and has Scott Catalouge. However, I have purchased all of my catalogs used from sellers on Amazon. In fact, I will soon list my 2010 Scott US Catalog for a small fraction of the cost for a new 2015 making it an excellent way to self-educate.

What are you talking about here?
The majority of members here bend over backwards and go
out of their way in helping and answering question posed
by newbies or anyone else.

Just go to some other stamp forums and see how newbies
are treated when asking questions.
Simple thing like not posting a decent pic or asking what they decide is a stupid question will get your post locked there.

Will be nice if new members ask a question like this

" I found ( or someone give me " a stamp album, it's so interesting, what can I do next ?"

no the typical question is: " someone in the family died and I get those stamps , do you think I'm rich ? "

area66, I agree with you there.

There are many people who come on SCF and
other stamp forums whose only interest is on finding out what their
"treasures" are worth and have no intentions whatsoever in stamps
as a "hobby"
And when they find out that their rare and valuable inherited or $2 garage sale bought collection is basically worthless
they're gone, never to be seen again.

If you think this is the kind of "collector" who will save our hobby
then heaven help us.