A Poll: Who Else Enjoys Your Collection?

Is there an audience for your stamp collection other than yourself? If so, please elaborate. Just curious...

Yes, my chocolate Labrador Retriever, Mouse, who loves joining me in my stamp den, although I sometimes wonder if its more related to the box of Milk Bones I keep near my desk than the stamps or covers I'm working on.

On a more serious note, those of us who exhibit, by default, have eyes on our collections, or at least parts of them. I also have philatelic friends and members of local societies who, when visiting, invariably end up looking through my albums. Its what we do.

Have a neighbor niece that likes to look thru them when she comes to visit him. I have some multiple stamps im doing up to give her.

While my partner feigns interest in my collection, she isn't really interested in my collection. I appreciate the effort, but don't expect much.

Dale

My sisters and my brother-in-law finds the whole idea of collecting stamps interesting but like @StatesmanStamper said, I don't expect much other than that.

I'm single and my relatives and friends considere my philatelic hobby something curious and harmless, although somewhat expenssive. Nothing more, which is strange considering that they all have university degrees, and we live on a country (Catalonia, W. Europe) where culture is paramount. But, the ignorance of stamp collecting is widespread.

Well..... surprise surprise! (Thank you Gomer Pyle)
9 year old granddaughter came over today and showed genuine interest in my early Canada, Egypt and USA!
Her favourite stamp so far?.... The 50 Canadian Bluenose!

My daughter's shelves full of Beanie babies used to take what appeared to be a benign interest, but, now that they've gone to my neighbour's daughter, I'm on my own, aside from a wooden toucan.

Sadly, no. My sister is of the opinion that the only pieces of paper that should be so valuable are 50 and 100 dollar bills.

B.G.

Interest ranges from short duration focus (Grand babies) to "are you doing stamps, again?!?" (wife)

Although, I've built stamp kits for the Grand babies it's hit and miss for them.

My youngest daughter loves to sit and sort stamps for me, but she's at some distance and rarely visits.

Well, I take that back. There is one member of the household that is extremely interested in my stamp collecting, especially when one hits the floor. The dog! She finds French stamps the tastiest!!!

No ...but thats how I like it. I think the last time I said "do you want to see my stamp album" I was about 12 years old.
My wife has been tolerant and supportive, often drivinglong distances as I dont drive. And takes an interest when something arrives by mail. But generally speaking she takes the same interest as I take in her yoga.
I suppose the people who have most appreciated my stamps are the dealers that sold them to me.
But they wont ever see them again as they will never go back to them to be re-sold.
Realistically I dont want them broken up...not even common stamps of the world. It is more about a "room" now...or an archive. It seems unfair to leave the contents of a room to be appreciated after I am gone...not even for re-sale.
As it was only really appreciated by me in life, my family understands my wish that every stamp and postcard is incinerated and the coins are buried or whatever.

My immediate family, wife and three daughters and their husbands, have never looked at my collection. Their are supportive of my collecting, but absolutely no interest in what I collect. I don't have a problem with that.

The only exposure my collection has is via collecting forums such as this where I interact with other collectors and occasionally post some of my collection on line.

Don

I think the OP asks a very important question that has direct impact I believe on one of the other recurring posts about how to get the younger generation involved in stamps. The answer seems pretty obvious: unless you are able to get kids involved in organized philately leading to exhibiting, it is going to be a very tough go. And I imagine that those that exhibit, did so not initially, but after being in the hobby for a long time.

I would be interested in the OP's answer to his/her's own question, but here is my answer: nobody. In fact, the stamp collection has become as more of a joke within the family as in "don't stick that collection on me" if you precede me and "we have no interest whatsoever in the stamp collection." The former comment from my wife and the latter comments from my sons, approximately age 40. These are all highly educated people and I am not judging them when I list their responses. Just stating something we all have heard or if not heard, seen by facial expression as in "why would I want them?" Or "why do you collect that?"

As far as the stamps are concerned, this was a collection that was originally started by me when I was around 10, then I inherited a part of my uncles/grandfathers collection ( mostly low value Central American stamps) then added by me subsequently when I got serious about collecting in the late 1980's/1990's. Ultimately this turned out to be a pretty good assemblage including several rarities. The boys interest does not extend even to asking about the rarities.

But the lack of interest is not confined to stamps; it extends to other phases of my collecting over the years including early coinage, currency, fossils, autographs. Again, I am not assigning blame or regret here, only reporting my own experience that I suspect mirrors many other readers of this post. The single area that seems to attract them is vintage sports, but again the interest is greater related to items related to events or people that occurred during their lifetime as opposed to items originating decades before they were born even if the item was signed by legendary stars.

Would I have loved to have a descendant take an interest in one of these fields to add to the collection as a family heirloom: sure. But I accept the fact that the younger generation of today's seems more interested in the here and now and the future as opposed to the past. Which is the way it should be, every generation deciding for itself what interests them. As a corrollary, however, and as it seems that the baby boomer generation has delved into collectibles much more than generations before or after it, and considering that this coincides with proportionally much greater levels of expendable income, I think this state of affairs says more about us than them.

Absolutely no one.

Nope. Fitz...it is great your wife is tolerant and supportive as mine is neither. She only supports me when I sell something.

Fitz posted



She's probably taking note of how much you've spent LOL