Can Topical Stamps Increase Kid's Interest in Stamp Collecting?
Many in the broad SC Forum have lamented the old days when stamping was all the rage and the hobby was far more popular and mainstream. Using my own experience I must say that when I was a kid my collecting knowledge and skills was rudimentary at best. But it was my childhood collecting that brought me back to stamping in my 60's. This is true for many avid adult collectors.
One way to address the aging of the stamp collecting population is by expanding the involvement of next generation collectors. A bunch of us in SC are discussing developing a creative outreach platform to reach young kids and engage them with stamping that catches their attention. Succeed at that, and we feel many will return to collecting in adulthood.
My assumption is that most kids are more easily drawn to stamps depicting topics that already interest them, more so than to broad collecting like world wide collecting.
Making stamp collecting interesting to kids is no easy task, however if we are concerned about the state of the stamp market, and maintaining a healthy long-term stamp hobby, we, today's collectors and business marketers need to address the stark reality -- in 2015 stamp collecting is enjoyed primarily by old people.
An APS survey in 2007 found 70% of all members were 60 years or older. That was 8 years ago! At the time only 2% of APS members were under 40 years of age.
FYI, a team of SC members is forming to develop a way of making stamp collecting appeal to more young kids. Maybe you would like to consider plugging in your skills as well?
https://goscf.com/t/46963
Posted 12/11/2015 11:44 am
