When Did You Begin Collecting Stamps, As An Adult, Or As A Child?

The 88% that report starting as children is more a product of the demographic responding than anything. Reading through the comments in this thread just about everyone is in their fifties northward.

I agree that that this community probably does not represent 'the typical stamp collector'. I think this community is more technically inclined and many are probably more active than the average hobbyist.
Don

Willwood42,

Whoops, I see you post of Sept 30. You are correct. It was Hamilton. Same as angore's avatar.

Jack Kelley

I just started collecting about 2 years ago, I'm turning 35 this December. I got the bug while randomly going through ebay and remembered my dad's Harris Liberty binders as a child, I was shown them but wasn't allowed t ok look at them.
I started off enjoying US revenues and Air Mail. Then started buying random Canada and Great Britain and what ever world wide caught my eye. Now I have pared down to Great Britain, Australia (and states), New Zealand, Canada, India, US Revenues, Hong Kong and anything else that catches my eye, I'm kinda spastic.

-Willie

I started at 5 or 6. My grand father made all his grandchild to collect stamps so he can increase his own collection . I was very proud when my collection became bigger than his and when he started to ask infos to me.

Hi

Started about 7. My aunt worked in the millinery business and saved stamps from correspondence. She started me collecting. She took me to Gimbals and bought Minkus and Scott Modern albums for me; and a Israel 9 stamp. After a military stint in French Morocco, I collected France.
When I married a woman from Colombia and found her house and relatives on Colombian stamps, I sold the French collection to fund a Colombia collection. Since then I only collect Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. Believe it or not I still have that child starter collection.

Jerry B

I started collecting 2 1/2 years ago. I'm 32 years old. I grew up not knowing anyone who collected stamps. All of a sudden, now that I collect, I'm finding people have been collecting all along and I just never knew!

My Nan started me off when I was about 10, we used to get a lot of US stamps and they formed the beginnings of my collection. When I left school, other things took precedence but around 15 years back I was able to continue collecting and I enjoy just as much as I did when I was little.

I started at the age of 9 in 1974. I lost interest when I went to college and my collection sat dormant for years. About 10 years ago, I saw a copy of Linn's Stamp News at a bookstore and picked it up. It rekindled my interest and I spent the next year or so adding to my collection. Unfortunately, I just did not have the time to persue it the way that I wanted and ended up putting it back in the closet. About a year ago, I decided to sell my businesses and retire early due to some health issues and out came the stamp collection. Now I have all of the time I need to concentrate on my collection as well as the economic position to do things with it that I couldn't do before.

Every collector that I know started out as a child and most stopped for school, work, or to raise a family. They all returned to collecting after their children were grown and they were approaching retirement or were already retired.

to the Family, Coastwatcher!

I began in 1964 at the age of 26. Switched from coins to stamps and have been at it ever since. Began with U.S. commemoratives and now collecting used WW and covers. Collecting world-wide keeps me active and interested. Always something new to add to a WW collection. Same with covers.

Don

Started when I was 6 in 1960, stopped around 1979, sold my collection around 1995, and started collecting again in 1999. I find it much more enjoyable on the 2nd time around.

Loupy!

I started at about 10 years of age. My dad had an envelope of old stamps we used to rifle through, I had a well loved uncle who was an avid collector, and some cereal (Muffets?) started giving a way packets of stamps in their boxes. A perfect storm!
Put them away at age 17, when beer and girls became more important. Started again at age 50. The rest is history (or my-story I guess).

Beautiful things, hobbies. They ask for nothing, but are always there when you need them. I think FDR credited stamps with extending his life. Probably did by distracting his anxieties and worry over WEII and the depression and tempering his blood pressure; at least for a time . Probably preserved his sanity as well . At least that's my opinion and personal experience with hobbies as well