Please Help Me Identify Niger Stamp Plus A Few Questions

Hello again, I hope you I am not asking for help too many times. Please let me know if I am and I will stop. I don't want to abuse your willingness to help. You have all been very kind.

I am identifying stamps from a pack of stamps which had a theme of "Ecology", following is the Republic of Niger stamp that has me stumped tonight, I cannot find it using reverse image search either - result is there are no other images of any size of this image.



I had a couple of questions that have been buzzing around in my head, one is that I keep hearing or getting the impression that stamp collecting is a dying hobby - am I picking this up wrong? I have never been exposed to stamp collecting before and am regretting that I did not have this as a hobby as a child, I wish I had - or as a younger adult.

As it is I am feeling like I am starting out late in this hobby - I am wishing I had years of stamp collecting behind me as I feel I would have amassed a nice collection by now, as it is though, I don't mind starting out this way, I am having a great time working on what I do have.

Thank you all for your help and for being so kind in this forum. It is really nice to have landed here.

Julie

Keep asking, especially when you've tried and could find no joy.

This is Scott #92, a realistic picture vs. the more drawing-type giraffes 25fr that Scott uses to illustrate the set.

Depends on what the definition of "dying" is. Back in the day, every boy and some girls collected all kinds of things. Not so much now with maybe video games being the common thread to all. For serious collectors that purposely buy stamps to collect (or other collectibles), there's probably a much smaller population proportionately than there was 30-40 years ago. People have to have disposable income to do collectibles and it's not like that much anymore for a lot of folks. But look at all the PO sales of stamps to people who casually save interesting stuff. There's some interest there, just not expanded into making it a "real" hobby.

The idea that the hobby is dying comes from people (some would say grump, old men) who like to frame the health of the hobby upon 'the way things were' in decades past. In other words, they measure the health of the hobby based upon APS membership levels, Linn's subscribers numbers, the number of brick and mortar stamp dealers, the number of stamp show attendees, and/or 'falling' stamp prices.

These are all metrics which were greatly impacted by tectonic paradigm shift we call the 'internet' and no longer accurately reflect the health of the hobby. Without question our hobby has drastically changed over the last decade or two and the truth is that trying to understand the health of the hobby is currently almost impossible. Our hobby been very slow to adopt technology and deal with the change. This has impeded attempts to measure its current health.
Don

Julie

This is one of a set of sixteen issued between 1959 and 1962 (this one's from 25 July 1960), and the first issue by Niger as an independent country "within the French community". This meant continued French influence over its former colonies. It also meant that many stamps from the newly independent countries continued to be printed, often by recess, in France, with attractive designs - some of the most attractive modern stamps, in fact.

It doesn't really matter when you start doing anything - as ling as it gives you some innocent enjoyment!

Geoff

Thank you once again for identifying this stamp, I think what threw me off with this one is that the bird is labeled "grues couronnees" - that is what I was looking for on the stamp, I did not realize these birds were the same as an ostrich. I guess I am going to have to slow down and be more thoughtful about some of these stamps.

I agree that one is never too old to start something new, I just regret that I had not stumbled on this hobby beforehand. I would hate for the hobby of stamp collecting to become a thing of the past. As for whether the hobby is dying out, I do relate to the explanation that people do not have as much disposable income in the current financial climate, when they have more money they will purchase stamps, collectibles, and even jewelry - I have been noticing that my jewelry sales have been slower than normal this year. Hopefully it is temporary.

Thanks to each of you for your information on this thread, I do like reading the history behind the stamp too!

Julie

In the 1970's, the collectibles market was extremely strong due to the inflation of the US Dollar. The price of stamps was always on the rise due to the fact that it was tangible; something you could hold that would generally not lose value value unlike a USD where the value could be diminished overnight. Due to this, everyone and their mom was involved in stamps, some as collectors, and some as business men trying to make a profit. Due to this, the market was extremely hot which led people to believe that the "hobby" itself was extremely popular, though, a decent portion of the market was held in control by investors. After the US Dollar was renewed to a more stable state, stamps fell off the map as "investment grade material" and the market of stamps crashed. The collectors remained, but the extreme amount of investors and dealers dissappeared. If you compare the amount of collectors to the amount in the 70's, the number wouldn't be AS large, but I would predict that it would be right around the same size. Though, if you were to compare the number of dealers/APS members, the numbers would make it appear obvious that it is a dying hobby, though it is a misconception.

I HIGHLY recommend the book "Stamp Investing" by Stephen R. Datz. The beginning portion of the book goes in detail about what I just talked about, relating stamps to the stock market and explanations on inflation of the USD. It is an extremely fascinating and educational book, and can be read in about 2 hours. It also explains different grades of stamps and other great tips for stamp collectors and investors alike.

One more thing before I go. I am currently 15, and was referred to stamp collecting by a music teacher of mine with whom I was very close with at the age of 12. I was fascinated by the subject and had a great time of non-serious collecting. To keep the hobby "alive", it is our job as collectors to help the youth engage in stamp collecting. I never even knew people still collected stamps until I was introduced. They are the key to preserving the hobby!

-Jake

Hi Jake, are you really only 15 years old? Amazing, you post like an adult. Thank you for referring me to the book "Stamp Investing" by Stephen R. Datz, I will see about locating this book and reading it.

I was only wondering if I should try to get my grandchildren involved in stamp collecting, if you are 15 they are only a couple of years behind you at 14 and 12 years old. I am going to figure out some way to give them something stamp related for christmas this year.

Thanks Jake for taking the time to go into the "dying" of stamp collecting, what I am thinking from what you said that the number of collectors is pretty stable, it is the fluctuation of the market that sees investors and non-serious collectors come and go - having people come and go would skew the numbers, which is what I am thinking has already happened.

Thank you for your reply Jake. Julie

This is most likely the best price for the book on the internet. The book is 1.99 and shipping is 3.99, resulting in the final cost being 5.98.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/p/st...678230479712

Thank you very much for giving me the link to the book Cook Islands Specialized 1, I had to pay 14 cents tax so it was actually 6 something, I am looking forward to receiving the book sometime next week. Thank you so very much :) Julie

I actually just finished the book about an hour ago. It is an extremely easy read and very fascinating. The writer was a stamp dealer for many years, and his insight is phenomenal. He has written other books and I've ordered a few more of his books (On the road:The Quest for Stamps and The Wild Side to Stamp Collecting). Enjoy the book and try to soak up the information as best as possible. If you have any questions while reading, I'd be more than happy to help!

Thank you so much Jake, I am really looking forward to reading the book. It sounds like it will be very interesting and educational at the same time. Thank you so very much!