Does Philately Have More 'Self Interest' Than Other Hobbies?

Collecting stamps is deemed "nerdy", hence a reluctance to share. Collecting/restoring cars is deemed "macho", hence a willingness to show off. Everyone remembers all the cars they have owned and the ones their parents owned while they were growing up and seeing old ones can cause nostalgia even for non-gear heads. Show a 50 year old stamp to the average person and it does nothing for them. The "need for speed" is very different from the need to fill an album space or the desire to learn about a stamp's subject or to understand a postal systems workings.

There are different ways of sharing info; online like here, in person at stamp shows and local clubs, and publishing articles/books. I've written more than a few articles, but find it very difficult and time consuming and that limits my output.

Back in the 90s there was a vert active trading network for US stamps (plate numbers and varieties), but the USPS killed that off. Not everyone shared everything with everyone, myself included. I found some people worth dealing with, others not.

A local club I used to belong to before moving appears to be on the brink of collapse. Not for lack of members, but for lack of people willing to run for office.

There are lots of sponges out there, just little water.

I disagree.

I'm a bit late to this thread, but I think the original proposition of collecting stamps vs. other hobbies is a bit off the mark. I believe it is more accurately acquisition-based hobbies vs. activity-based hobbies. I've been a collector my entire life, at different phases collecting sports cards, vintage comic books, world currency, rare/import music CDs, and high-grade U.S. and world coins, in addition to stamps.

The reluctance to share information as a means to gain competitive advantage or be able to "cherrypick" others is endemic to ALL collecting/acquisition-based hobbies. It is not unique to stamp collecting.

As to the quote I reference above, I've found that the distinction as to whether a hobby is "nerdy" or out-of-vogue only matters when sharing with people OUTSIDE the hobby. It is most definitely not a hindrance when sharing with other like collectors.

Many collectors, myself included, get satisfaction/endorphin boost/ego boost/whatever out of sharing our latest or rarest finds with other collectors. I've seen that with other collectors for decades regardless of the actual collectible in question. The finding of a scarce item, completing a certain set or album page, is something we usually like to share with others. It's a matter of pride or accomplishment (whether you personally find that laudable or not).. it all depends on the audience in question.

For me personally, the hunt, the "thrill of the chase", the anticipation, and the act of acquisition is more satisfying than actually owning much of what is in my collection. The only reason I don't flip most of what I find is that I am also at core a bit of an OCD completist in many areas, which prevents me from relinquishing material that I otherwise haven't looked at in years.

While I do definitely keep certain pieces of knowledge "close to the vest" for competitive acquisition purposes, I also believe in sharing information and providing resources for other collectors, hence many of my posts here as well as the information I publish on my website. I think both things can be true at the same time and not at odds with one another.

If I understand correctly, I do not agree with the differentiation that philately is an acquisition-based hobby vs. and antique cars is an activity-based hobby. Statista estimates that that the United States classic car market (parts and autos) had a revenue of between 11 and 12 billion U.S. dollars generated in 2019. As a fellow who walks through 40+ acres of car parts at swap meets several times a year I can verify that acquisition opportunities abound.

But it was not my intent to debate car collecting vs. stamp collecting; it was simply my observation that car enthusiasts share information more than philatelists; I was curious if other had opinions about other hobbies they participate in.

RE: info sharing
My opinion is that there is a LOT of different influences in our hobby which push folks towards not sharing. Self interest may be one of the bigger reasons. The fact that it requires effort is also one. And as noted in this thread, some folks do not like to put info out there due to the perceived risk.

What has not been mentioned, and I think is also a factor, is that when you dedicate a lot of time and effort sharing info it goes 'unrewarded'. Our hobby's legacy was to 'reward' info sharing when a person worked up some frames and shipped them around to shows. Some 'reward' was also gleaned when authoring articles in terms of notoriety. But I do not think that these 'rewards' have been well transitioned to internet. The internet tends to be more anonymous and as it was rightly stated in this thread, the quality of the info can be more suspect.
Don

In the scale model railroading hobby, generally, the level of information-sharing has been high. By and large, the supply of available physical items vastly exceeds demand, so there is little incentive to hide the fact that Retailer R is selling Model M. In knowledge transfer, the hobby has a long tradition of multi-day conventions in which even the best-skilled modelers have been willing to share techniques and practices. With pandemic lockdowns, these ended for nearly two years, and are only gradually resuming. However, this tradition is under pressure from the emergence of fee-supported video channels and digital magazines with paywalls. Now there is a handful of highly-skilled modelers who make a full-time living, or nearly so, via Patreon-supported video channels, or by writing only for subscription-based digital magazines. If you want their knowledge, you have to pay up. Or, join a national association like NMRA and participate in a local, in-person division meeting where someone who is a Patreon supporter of one of the modeling "celebrities" might pass on what they learned from a paywalled video or article.

I think this hobby is what each of us puts in, makes of it or takes out of it. To some it's simply acquisitions, to some an activity, to some academics, to some self-interest driven by different forces while others may seek something else or a combination of things...

Personally, I see this as an introverted solitary hobby (my own instance of it) which the Internet is helping to "open the kimono" on a bit. In my case I don't know many local people who are interested and there aren't a lot of group activities I'd be interested in, outside of shows or perhaps the odd academic project. Collecting at it's base is solitary for me.

Not to further the debate about car vs stamp. But I would like to point out that it's mot like the days of old as a motor-head. Our dad taught us to work on cars. I was the parts number/interchange knowledge, sound system and mechanical guy, one brother specialized in engine-drivetrain 'tuning' (not the same as tune-ups) and transmissions and the other brother was the body and paint guy (his truck's name was "Bondo"). Electrical and Interior was muddled through by all. We'd all knew some about all but worked together on cars in my 6 car garage that I rented for $100/mo in the 70's. We'd work on each of our cars and those of others. Although there was always an adversary, it was a social activity. I've never seen that kind of co-op in a stamp collection. It just doesn't happen.

Don, I have to agree with what you said above about rewards.

Prior to the internet, this is exactly what you had to do in philately.

In many respects, it still is.

revenuecollector - "The reluctance to share information as a means to gain competitive advantage or be able to "cherrypick" others is endemic to ALL collecting/acquisition-based hobbies. It is not unique to stamp collecting." Of course I agree with that.

As to you other point "As to the quote I reference above, I've found that the distinction as to whether a hobby is "nerdy" or out-of-vogue only matters when sharing with people OUTSIDE the hobby. It is most definitely not a hindrance when sharing with other like collectors.", if you are used to having people outside the hobby admire your car, you are already practiced and more likely to be comfortable with sharing inside your hobby.

"Many collectors, myself included, get satisfaction/endorphin boost/ego boost/whatever out of sharing our latest or rarest finds with other collectors. I've seen that with other collectors for decades regardless of the actual collectible in question. The finding of a scarce item, completing a certain set or album page, is something we usually like to share with others. It's a matter of pride or accomplishment (whether you personally find that laudable or not).. it all depends on the audience in question." It really depends on what is being shared as to whether the viewers really benefit or if it is just the shower getting his ego stroked. If the item come with a story and that story is shared then the viewer learns something.

I think the answer here, as others have noted, is that stamp collecting is a nearly entirely solo venture and car collecting is not. There are exceptions, or course, but the vast majority of stamp collectors will never display their collection. They will work in isolation to collect what they wish for their own enjoyment and, for the most part, no one will ever see it until they are dead and it's time to dispose of the collection. Car collectors, however, especially antique collectors, they want to share their vehicles. They will attend shows and meet-ups and put their hard work on the line for lots of people to enjoy. It's a much more social hobby inherently than stamp collecting and other similar hobbies.

"If I understand correctly, I do not agree with the differentiation that philately is an acquisition-based hobby vs. and antique cars is an activity-based hobby. Statista estimates that that the United States classic car market (parts and autos) had a revenue of between 11 and 12 billion U.S. dollars generated in 2019. As a fellow who walks through 40+ acres of car parts at swap meets several times a year I can verify that acquisition opportunities abound." The difference is that for most stamp collectors, after they buy they just put the stamp in their album (or a desk drawer) and that is it. For car collectors, buying a car or finding a part is often only the first step. They then restore that car with those parts. Once the car is done or well on the way, they merely have to get it to a show and prop open the hood. If a collector want display their stamps at a show they have to write up an exhibit. This is much additional work and not every one has the skill to write up an exhibit but everyone can prop open a hood. Of course displaying here much less work.

I do not see any hobby that passes down information to subsequent generations effectively and definitely do not think stamp collecting is any worse. There is a lot of information out there if you want it. Heck, some seem to have to have the news to tell them not to drive when the road is icy.

People can be "individuals" or "social beings".
In any hobby, a certain amount of compromise is required. No man or woman is an island.
This compromise is accentuated when we actually join a stamp club or society.
The origins of Stamp Collecting lie in Leisue...it is a consequence of of having Time and Money to spend. Pre World War Two it was about Kings and Presidents. Post war, it is or was about "ordinary" people and yet the old culture remains.
Certainly as I made the transition from juvenile to novice to serios collector, there were times when I felt excluded and outside the Pale of the Culture and the prevailing "group think".
Two non philatelic examples. I used to own a horse stabled on someone elses land. This brought me into contact with horsey people. Most were ordinary decent people. Some invited me to join them fox hunting. I politely declined. Maybe I didnt sound polite. I am after all a dazzling urbanite and like Oscar Wilde might have said the unspeakable chasing the uneatable did not appeal to me. To be clear, not all horsey people are fox hunters but it is very acceptable within that world. You cant live in Rome and fight with the Pope.
Likewise I used to collect and paint plastic toy soldiers. There are still 3,000 in my garden shed. It sems a harmless even childish activity but it was an introduction into a very different world, some (not all) of which I found very sinister. But that is THEIR world not MINE and it just has to be acepted.
It is ok to compromise
It is never ok to compromise myself.
Thus in Stamp Collecting I have generally avoided groups and societies. A group think emerges and some people feel the freedom to express views that are normal within the membership. Others like myself might feel uncomfortable with conversations we hear and the assumption that we must accept them

Yet we do need this exchange of information. Or do we?
Likewse we need to be social? Or do we?

There are aroound 200 nations in the world.
Thirty years ago I am sure we all got random requests to exchange stamps or replied to adverts in magazines.
We might think that all requests should be treated equally. It would certainly be wrong to assume that a random stamp collector was a supporter of a very bad regime or government. Always assume the best.
Is it relevant.
WEll in 2021, a random request fom 200 nations can be proceesed on social media. Look at the profile on Facebook and oops.......he is a big supporter of PDR North Korea but on the other hand I would really like a letter addressed to me fromPDR Korea. Compromiseor just compromising myself.
Some would say it doesnt matter.....cancel culture gone maaaad. But I think it always matters.
If I look at aprofile and say I would not shake hands with that guy or woman or invite him/her to my home....then sure thing I wont be exchanging stamps or sharing information with him.

There was a time when I thought I was excluded from mainstream ideas in this hobby. Now I exclude myself.

Well said FITZJAMESHORSE .

FitzjamesHorse - Thanks for your post. I enjoyed reading an Irishman's perspective. It is seldom that a conversation that makes me ponder, and yours was one.

Yes, being able to pass info from one generation to the next is a HUGE evolutionary advantage and is one of the things that makes humans special. This is why books were invented, why libraries exist, why schools exist and is one of the tools that parents use to try to give their children a better life than they had. If information did not need to be exchanged, humans could give birth and just walk away and let their offspring discovery the world for themselves.



Yes, humans have been social creatures since we lived in caves. This is why the term 'anti-social' is a pejorative. For countless generations humans have come together in groups and avoid being isolated and being alone. If nothing else, it is an absolute requirement for the continuation of the human species to be social enough to have a mate and reproduce.

The point of the thread is about sharing information compared to other hobbies and the 'sin' of losing information due to generational passing. The assumption is that as humans any given group will have the same attributes. A group of plumbers would be the same as a group of golfers, a group of stamp collectors would be the same as a group of teachers. And the assumption is that we are social creatures and that we share information. Based upon these assumptions, are there any attribute(s) that makes sharing info in this hobby any different than others?
Don

Don - I think you probably hit upon the answer to your question with the term that no one likes to use because, as you say, it is pejorative. I suspect that people attracted to this hobby are, in fact, on average more antisocial than most of the population. I don't belong to a local stamp club, but it is the impression I've gotten from the majority of interactions I've had at stamp shows.

If we want to make it a more sharing hobby, we'll just have to continue setting an example doing what we can. This forum and StampSmarter are two great outlets for people who do like to share information, and I'm glad we have them.