Stamp Collecting, The News Of It's Death Are Greatly Exaggerated.

Am I the only one? Every stamp show or exhibit I go to all I hear about is the hobby is dying, prices are dropping, what to do? But when I visit the bourse or attend an auction, prices are only going up! Here in Toronto, show season is well under way, and I see women and young couples sitting at the dealer tables, children picking out their "stickers" Plus lots of us old farts. The last 3 auctions I attended I bought nothing because the sell price was higher than cat.! Am I the only one that see's this?

I keep hearing about the imminent demise of stamp collecting too. I've been collecting for three years, so I don't have the decades of experience that other collectors might offer, but I get the sense that "the hobby is dying" has been a mantra for decades. I've only been to one stamp expo and one club meeting, and both were populated primarily by 60+ year old white men. I've seen on this site that there are other collectors my age (I'm 40), but I haven't met any collectors younger than me. The internet seems to show a pretty robust worldwide market for stamps, but maybe the hobby is dying in America? It seems to me that stamp collecting is moribund as a family hobby that sees heirloom collections passed from one generation to another with continued collecting. I don't know if that necessarily spells the death of stamp collecting.

The speculation that the hobby is dying is largely based upon the traditional ways it was measured. The methods were things like the number of subscriptions to Linn's, the membership numbers of organizations like APS, the number of brick and mortar stamp stores. Additionally people fretted over the decline of stamps and first class mail and the decline of stamp values.

Obviously about 20 years ago these methods and concerns became invalid when collectors and dealers began interfacing with hobby online. Apparently even now, some 20 years later, some have ignored this fact or are ignorant of this fact.

We do not currently have new methods defined enough to make any conclusions on the health of the hobby. There are indications that the hobby is is very good health but there are also some significant challenges.

What we do know is that transformation is underway and many of the traditional aspects of the hobby are experiencing a shake up. People do not like change and those who refuse to adopt to it will be left behind.
Don

I used to be a regular ebay buyer and seller. What I have seen is that there is a dwindling amount of interest in either. For years I found the things that were rarely offered at good prices so that many could get the things they wanted. Now we are left with a worldwide disinterest in stamp collecting as mail declines and interest in new issues as well. I see the only salvation of the hobby as a reaching out to others with an understanding that this is a historical pursuit and not one of innovation. As collectors we do not like to think about becoming obsolete. We also try to diminish the value of market value as an important aspect of our world but it is. The tree is dead but we can continue to look at the beautiful colored leaves, for awhile, anyway.

Oh good grief. Stamp collecting is alive and well. It's just not taking the same form as traditional organized philately. Old school analog measurements of club/society memberships and show attendance do not take into account online ecommerce and collaboration, not to mention the myriad of people that can now participate from their living rooms across the globe without having to be part of organized philately.

"Woldwide disinterest interest in stamp collecting"? I think not.

"Oh good grief" is right. I might also add "oh my goodness".

The traditional, pre internet markets no longer have the monopoly they once enjoyed. But dying? I think not. Internet sellers seem to be doing quite well.

As a buyer I can participate in an auction every day now. If one starts collecting in a new area, as I have recently, the purchase choices are numerous. The number of choices on line for British Colonies alone is mind boggling.

Worldwide disinterest?? Maybe in the West, but any glance at the state of the hobby in China, India or SE Asia would definitely suggest otherwise...

Sitting through the Schuyler Rumsey sessions over the last 3 days, ain't nuthin' "dying" about the hobby at all... The Mexico items were impressive, as were some of the results. Most collection lots (regardless of area) are going for at or above estimates.

To the "hobby is changing, not dying" crowd - you don't have the data to prove the hobby is not in decline any more than the "hobby is dying, just look at these outdated and thus incomplete metrics" crowd.

I have made this point at least 3 times in the last few weeks and do not know how to say it any clearer. Over the last 3 years I have literally begged people to develop new metrics and offer new ideas to understand the health of the hobby. Others have done the same; a poster started a thread a year or two ago here at the SCF where they were tracking and calculating the total number of philatelic listings and sales on ebay.

Can anyone name one 'hobby is dying' justification that has NOT been influenced by the internet?

The 'hobby is dying' is over used for several reasons; one of the primary reasons is that it gives an excuse for those who don't want or like the change. There are other strong motivations to use this excuse such as the justification that R-S went belly up, why membership numbers are declining, or why sales have dropped.

And what is the impact of this speculation to the hobby? It seems to me that the 'hobby is dying' is far more insidious than saying it is not. Is it not more logical to 'push back' on those who are damaging the hobby more than those who are trying to help the hobby?
Don

eyeonwall - look at the rapid rise in values for material from China, India and Southeast Asia over the past couple decades - if the hobby was "dying" worldwide we would not have seen, or continue to see, prices for even "meat and potato" issues continue to strengthen.

For example Indian commemoratives from the 1990s that were less than US$1 each at time of issue are now selling for several times that, if you can find them.

Same story with Malaysia and Singapore, stamps that were cheap as chips 20 years ago are now much, much more expensive to buy, be it colonial era or more modern material.

Is the hobby in decline in the West - depends on what area of the hobby you are talking about. But for other parts of the world, interest in philately is not just not declining, but becoming stronger.

As a test, just walk up to a dealer's booth and tell the dealer that the market is crashing and that you are looking for some bargains. In fact, even if it were crashing, the last place you would see it would be in Scott's catalogue and the dealer table.

The real question is not if the overall values are dropping but can they make a sale at a lower price. For example, if they cut dealer prices would they expect sales would rise, fall, or stay the same. If it would increase, the marketplace is working. It just means it is overvalued. It is simple supply and demand working. Lowering prices should increase demand. The market can just be looking for the price level. It can be propped up for a number of reasons (collector or speculator demand, etc).

If dealers are paying less for collections and the market is working properly then it should show up in their resell prices. However, dealers like to retain the extra profit for as long as they can. They make money off the margin so as long as there is a margin there is a marketplace.

I have to agree with Revenuecollector. The prices realized in the Schuyler Rumsey auction were very strong across the board. Same goes for other recent auctions at auction houses that serve different types of collectors more or less. Rasdales last auction for large lots of all types rock and rolled. Siegel's auction results speak for themselves. There are 30 auctions within the next 30 days on SAN. None of this takes into account ebay. I am far from a glowing optimist but things look pretty darn good. And when selling is good buying is good. I have consigned material to several auction houses in the past 6 months including Siegel, Harmer and Rasdales and was very pleased with the results. Onward and upward!

I think that pricing/values is probably the worse example to use argue that the hobby is dying. Comic books, coins, baseball cards, antiques...every single collectable that had its marketplace turned on it ear when the internet became part of everyone's lives. Is the argument that ALL hobbies are in a steep decline?

Not only did the internet greatly impact availability of 'rare' items, it turned millions of people instantly into 'sellers', it provided everyone a way to connect with each other, and made it very easy to do world-wide transactions.
Don

The internet has been a blessing to our pastime for sure. Every time I bid on SAN I think about the selection that I have access to from around the World instantaneously.

Don said it correctly ----"The traditional way it was measured" is dying ."A new method is need to define it ."