Do Youngsters Collect Stamps Today ?

I think that one of the reasons older people collect stamps, coins and antiques is because as we grow older we gain an appreciation for older things and an insight into how these relics of the past can help explain it.

Also, there is an undeniable affection for those "antiques" from when we were younger as we grab bits and pieces of the past which hold some meaning for each of us individually.

Just my thoughts...

I do not understand the focus on kids. Kids have always had ephemeral popularity trends; Silly Bandz, Furbies, Hula Hoops, Barbie, Pokemon, Magic 8 Ball, Easy-Bake Oven, Lincoln Logs, Slinky, and Cabbage Patch Dolls are all examples of things which enjoyed kids fickle fleeting acceptance. My parents leaned on me for spending too much time playing with Lincoln Logs and Matchbox cars.

Of course the 'bucket' or pool of collectors needs to be refreshed for the hobby to stay viable as we lose our oldest hobbyists. And while kids are an attractive demographic since they represent the longest term investment; evidence shows (much like Stampman2002 and others have noted) that the best pool of non-collectors to attract are the 30-55 year-olds. Do we have to stay relevant to young people? Of course. But why should we be targeting the 'kid' demographic?

Kids will always chase various 'cool' trends, every generation has done this. We need to stop using the excuse that latest trend (i.e. video games, smart phones, etc.) is why our hobby has changed. Our hobby has changed because our lives have changed.
Don

My 2 year old son and 4 year old daughter are avid collectors with stamp albums. They even use tongs!

How is that?

I seek out and provide them stamps that support their interests as they develop and change.

For my daughter her album is butterflies (age 2), lizards (age 3, we live in Florida), mushrooms (age 4), and now she has taken an interest in gemstones and dinosaurs. She has nearly 400 stamps in an album with Vario-type sheets.

My son has teddy bear stamps, animals, and cartoon characters in his own album.

They have been at it consistently. The stamps support their current interests, much like a topical collection. They are a timeline of their development. I even put little notes and years in their pages of their age, and how they pronounced the word.

Will they collect when older? Don't know, don't mind if they don't, but sure hope so as the hobby is so rewarding and covers virtually every possible interest a person and child could ever have.

Crouse27, that's the spirit - keep up the good work!

I'll say this one more time and I hope it doesn't come out as a rant.
I started collecting by soaking stamps off envelopes gotten in the mail and then discarded. The supply was generous and free. Being only eight money was unavailable.
Then I discovered the concept of albums, and made it a project to acquire one.
Today, this is impossible because stamps cannot be soaked off anymore. Another importand consideration, stamps are no longer available on most envelopes - postage is printed.
So there's really nothing to collect for a kid, or at least nothing to attract him. Most new stamps are sold to attract collectors.

i am not really young at 47, but only started to get into collecting 2 years ago. I did collect about 3 months as a kid but lost interest ;-)

sleepy,
Some countries have not moved to exclusive use of self adhesive stamps. And self adhesive stamps can indeed be removed, some with water and others with a release agent.
Don

My introduction to stamp collecting at the age of five was an end-cap display of boxed Harris Pioneer stamp collecting kits at the local Woolworth's. It looked so interesting, I absolutely was not going to leave the store without one.

I'd wager good money that if some enterprising company made up an appealing starter kit, and got them placed alongside the puzzle books and stickers at a retailer such as the Dollar General Stores in the USA, we'd get some new collectors of all ages into the hobby in very short order.

"So there's really nothing to collect for a kid, or at least nothing to attract him. Most new stamps are sold to attract collectors."

Sleepy, the quantity of used stamps is still huge around the world. Almost every single extended family has at least one member to own a few stamps from when s/he was young.
My feeling goes along with what Ursa says: it is a matter of re-creating the right type of market for younger generations.

Actually, the move to topicals (comic book heroes, Harry Potter, etc.) is trying to attract people. Of course, I do not care for them but I guess others do. The mainstream movies is dominated by comic book characters.

My 7 year old daughter and I spent the past 2 days at Ameristamp in Birmingham, Alabama. I asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday and she chose the stampshow. We had a blast together, she learned a lot and she got a lot of stuff to go through. The quality time of the hobby outweighs the monetary aspect...at least for now.
Greg

My three daughters and I were at Ameristamp as well. 9-year-old twins and a 7-year-old. One of the 9-year-olds is fairly serious about "her stamps." They had a very good time, particularly sorting through the table where you could fill a bucket for $1.

The one issue was there was more than a little "preaching teaching" going on. Example: We're walking through exhibits and one of my daughters asked, "Do you think they have a binder here?" Someone heard her say this and thus came this lesson - and not a short one - that they are albums, not binders. Thing is, she keeps her stamps in Vario pages and she needs a new binder for her pages. After the guy walked away, she told me that is the one thing she doesn't like about the show.

It's a minor thing, and it is VERY well intentioned, but I know my kids were tired of being "taught" by the time we left. They just wanted to buy stamps and get home to sort and organize them. The best way to do this was demonstrated by Topper Stamps. Mr. Topper was away and his wife was manning the table. She spoke to my daughters like collectors. She wasn't being a teacher in the traditional sense. She spoke to them about the stamps and covers, helped them with stuff, and answered their questions.

There are two keys to keeping kids involved in stamp collecting.
1) Let them have fun. They don't want to be at school, so let them be collectors, be careful of the teaching moments, and approach those moments carefully.
2) Collect WITH the children. Clubs try to do this, but a lot of stuff - Stamp Collecting Merit Badges, etc., - info is thrown at the kids and then they are sent on their way to fend for themselves.
3) Remember to play the long game. Will my girls be active collectors through their teens? I hope so but statistically it isn't likely. However, there is a better chance than not that they will become adult collectors, pass on to their kids, and enjoy the hobby again later.

In and of itself a teachable moment: Grown-ups don't always know what they're talking about.

Agree with ecmorgan. the way to attract other participants to a hobby is to share the enthusiasm you have for it with others. Loved ones and friends are a great place to start. This will not attract everyone but sometimes serves as a bond between generations that occaisionally takes on a life of its own. My father, nor either of my sons were or are collectors per se, but professional sports have served as that initial bond that continues to this day--60 years later.

Very nice thoughts and info on kids+stamps. I was a kid once and loved stamps but was not "pushed" by my father - no stress.....enjoy....

Rene

No kids at this time in my life and future......hahaha