"Stamped Out" in the New York Times

John P Fields

Today (Saturday, Sept 30) we see a prominent article in the NYT Op-Ed page telling of the decline and fall of our stamp collecting hobby. I know this is so, and took time to note it on the HIP discussion forum after a sad visit to an August stamp show here in Nashville. It is a must read for collectors here. It is not comforting; I believe it speaks the truth as the Times story reflects much of my own experience. We see the value of our stamps purchased over the year flat or often less the prices paid 30 years ago.

The APS has suffered a 50% decline in membership. Here we have no stamp stores or store stamp departments.

I still love collecting and our HIP auctions, but I I an old-timer at 85 seeing changes I can't like! And have no younger collector friends....
not one. I am familiar with the many reasons, they are really quite obvious and probably will not change.

John John H. Talman

At 11am this morning I mentioned the NYT article as an opportunity in "Stamps or Candy at Halloween." on the Forum.
Many of the collectors he spoke of in the column (those 65 to 70) will live for more than 20 years and I know of many collectors a lot younger than that. We can still stimulate new collectors and there are plenty of old collectors who can have their interest renewed.

George DeKornfeld

The one thing the article omitted was the effect that the internet and venues such as eBay and HipStamp have had on our hobby. Collectors are able to access huge amounts of information on the internet, and are able to electronically interact with other collectors, probably making organizations like the APS less necessary compared to pre-internet times. Its a massive shift from what we grew up with but electronic collecting has slowly taken philately over. From where I'm sitting, the hobby is a lot stronger than the article implied.

andrew Hellenschmidt

I found this article to be poorly written and agenda biased.

Tania Radley

Not seen that article but we have had similar ones in England and it is true that their has been a decline in the hobby but more to it being "less fashionable" at the moment rather than it being "terminal". It would say that rare and high value stamps are even more popular as investers put their money into them. In the UK every town used to have one or two small Stamp Shops but they have all disappeared now partly because of some decline in the hobby but mainly because of the introduction of the internet for selling and buying stamps (greatly reduced business overheads).

Royal Mail - in recent years - have "increased" new issues of Postage Stamps, First Day Covers and other related products each year, so they appear confident that the hobby is here-to-stay. UK schools are starting to introduce Stamp Clubs again (where there is an interested teacher) and stamp fairs here are fewer but larger events. I also attend "car boot sales" every Sunday (I think you call them Swap Meet's or Garage Sales?) mainly to sell antique & vintage costume jewellery and I always take some packets of Starter Stamps which I still get youngsters buying from me.

All it will take is for some giant multinational company like Mcdonalds to say "stamp collecting is fun" and the kids will come flooding back.

Yes things are not what they used to be but I am sure that your Hobby is still safe for now and for many many more years into the future.

Tania & Nigel https://www.hipstamp.com/store/stampsfirst-day-covers-and-curios

andrew Hellenschmidt

Tania, that is a wonderful idea, "All it will take is for some giant multinational company like Mcdonalds to say "stamp collecting is fun" and the kids will come flooding back."

Agreed, "Yes things are not what they used to be but I am sure that your Hobby is still safe for now and for many many more years into the future." The world has changed as computers have taken over our lives in every aspect.

I found the article insulting with statements like nobody cares about stamps anymore or knows the inverted Jenny.
"There was a time when my collection might have fetched a good amount, because there was a time when people cared about stamps."

Trent Tyler

Also, remember when stamps were stamps and not stickers? Another effect on collecting?

Dennis Jorgensen

Large companies that have bought out stamp companies have not helped the hobby or themselves that much. H.E. Harris was bought out by General "something" and where is H.E. Harris today? It was dumped after General "whatever" could not make money from it. Across the pond a famous large dealer has had ownership bounced around for a while with mixed results. Now if Micky D's was to give away a packet of stamps with each slushy or slurpy or whatever that might be a help but where would a new collector go after he/she/it finished with the stamps from Micky D's?

John John H. Talman

We should welcome ideas to stimulate stamp collecting. Lets be optimists and not pessimists about our great hobby. For instance I can't believe that an 85 year old collector has no younger collector friends. Fred Fields there are no strangers here only fellow stamp enthusiast you haven't met and a lot of them are younger than you. Reach out and meet them. Your threads have attracted some interest and you also went to a stamp show. A great start!

John P Fields

I wonder how viable stamp companies such as MYSTIC really are? Who do they sell to? Their catalogs look pretty classy! One sees stamps for sale and at several times what you will pay at an internet auction. I am posting an interesting link, or one can google stamp values, or try iconic Stanley Gibbons which is in big trouble.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/investing/8582410/Investors-warned-off-stamp-collectors-promise-of-rich-returns.html

It may be our hobby may settle down and appeal to relatively well heeled collectors who can pay $30 or $300 for the stamp they want, but we will see fewer collectors who soak and buy $10 assortments. I soaked some stamps back in the day; what kid now would even think of it? I learned my geography which has remained a life long interest. Remember those nations' flag stickers one put on his album with each new country?

John P Fields

In answer to J Talman.... no, I do not know a single live stamp collector. In metro Nashville (pop 1.8 MM-I looked) I have located one stamp club meeting across town with a drive of 45 minutes if one is lucky. I do not drive so UBERis the option! I reported on the stamp show here, sad, sad. In a rundown strip mall with 2 visitors and 4 dealers. on a Saturday morning.

John Wagner

I have been up and down with stamp collecting since I was 12. I am now 66. I stopped collecting when I enlisted in the Navy. Then I got married, raised two children, went to college, seminary, and finished my doctorate. During that time I resurrected my collection once for a couple of years. I started buying stamps through Herrick's standing orders. I went to a stamp show in Denver and was really awestruck by the exhibits of collector's pages. I got home and started creating my own pages, then went into dormancy again. That was about 20 years ago. Then last year I had my third back surgery and while recuperating I watched the Olympics. My 1995 Scott's catalogs were staring me in the face on the shelf next to the television, and decided to pull out my Olympic collection. I had forgotten how many hundreds of stamps I had purchased and put in glassine envelopes. I began sorting them. Found Hipstamp online and began adding to my collection! As I mounted my stamps, started making new pages, I created a blog to share my stamp collecting endeavors. Then just recently I discovered the Facebook stamp collecting groups, and joined two of them. Now I feel like I belong to an active, international, stamp club! Just a couple of weeks ago I pulled out my space exploration collection and began the sorting and mounting process with them. I am on a major roll with my hobby again! So, I think reports of the demise of our hobby are greatly exaggerated!

John John H. Talman

John Wagner: Great input to this thread. I know john Fields has a computer because he started this thread and I think following your example he can find many new friends who are stamp collectors. Among my many philatelist friends both collectors and dealers I have not seen many of them for years. But they are still friends who are still stamp collectors. I am not young (I am 79) but have been in stamps for my entire life and repeating you "So I think reports of the demise of our (GREAT) hobby are greatly exaggerated." Sorry John but I thought I should ad "great".

John Wagner

Emphasis appreciated!

John P Fields

I can now report on my poll. I live in independent living apartment building in the middle of Nashville. I conducted my poll at lunch today when I asked my fellow residents if they were aware of anyone young who collected stamps. Any grandchild, heck, any child, and the answer was no. Not a one. Growing up, all had their collections.

John Wagner

John P.Fields, I have a suggestion for you if you're interested. If you are on Facebook, join the "STAMP COLLECTING" Facebook group. Here is the actual link to it: https://www.facebook.com/groups/19028887128/ I have so much fun interacting with other stamp collectors from around the world on there. We post pictures of our stamps and our album pages, we offer stamps to trade, we offer each other advice and encourage each other in our hobby. Try it, I think you'll like it.

Ron Carmichael

In the last couple years I have seen the stamp papers post articles proclaiming the demise of the hobby, most of the same things we're discussing here. At the end of the article is a note that it is reprinted and the original date.... and the articles were originally printed back in the 30s or the 50s or the 60s or the 80s...or whatever... you get my point.

I've only been selling for about 40 years, but I have seen a dramatic changes.

The days of going to the stamp store are generally past, and interest in clubs, shows etc seems to be waning as well.

I think much of the reason is the ease of access the online world brings to collecting.

One doesn't have to get out and warm up the car and drive to a stamp club on a cold winter night when one can talk to fellow collectors with similar interests around the world anytime one wants through vehicles like facebook.

I am amazed how many stamps sell between 11pm and 5 am (local to the buyer) time. Stamp stores, clubs and shows never fit those hours anyway! People can search and purchase stamps whenever they want from anywhere in the world. Our hobby was well versed in mail order long before there was an internet.

I know we've worried about how our kids sense of community is lost because the only way they know how to talk to each other is through their phones.

The sense of community seems to be changing in the stamp world as well, but to my mind it is growing.

On a separate but related note, I've noticed in my own family that my nephews obtained some of the hockey stamps because they're big hockey fans. So does that make them a stamp collector? 30 years from now will they find them again and expand their collection?

Personally I think the post office's move toward more popular topics like hockey, football, star trek etc is one thing that has a decent chance of invoking interest at a young age that may reawaken later on again.

I don't think I'll probably be here in 30 years to know, but I think it's an optimistic way of looking at the current state...

John Wagner

Ron, I agree with you. Things have changed a lot over the last 30 - 50 years! But some things have happened for the better. Growing up we had one stamp store in town, but they only sold US and some world stamps, but not many. I've tried actual stamp clubs too, but they turn out to be half a dozen people who have known each other for years. Being a visitor to the club was not a very good experience...I didn't feel very welcome. Yea, if you look at the people you can meet and interact with on line it's amazing how many people are collecting stamps! So even at my age (66) the internet has made my stamp collecting come to life and has made it much more fun!

John P Fields

There are experienced dealers on this board who can throw light on the subject with less emotion. Who buys your stamps, are they buying more expensive pre-1930 issues and classics, or do the collectors buy inexpensive topicals, FDCs. Or do they buy 1000 unassorted? What about approvals? Don't tell me times have not changed but, rather, let's talk about what is really going on....not see this through rose colored glasses.

There are NO youngsters collecting. Well, we may have a nerd grandchild etc. Yes, I know, there are no nerd g-children.

Mark Schwing

I went to a show this weekend in Kalamazoo Mi. The room was filled with about 25 or so dealers and each one had 3 - 4 chairs in front of them and they were almost to capacity. The downside was that at 58 most of the people there referred to me as "young man" and the kids corner had several brand new Harris albums up for grabs and no takers. But I wouldn't quite call for taps just yet.

John P Fields

At my last trip to a stamp show I talked at length with a dealer (he had a huge stock). He said times at the shows were not
good. The crowds were way down so the nice venues were unaffordable by the clubs. Nashville's only club the sponsor BTW.

What I wanted to ask was did he have a lot of his net worth tied in his stamps, but of course I did not. Maybe high end items are doing well. Any comments? And one does see auction prices for the great, great classics doing well. Records are seen, but then the stock mkts are at all time highs. What of the 20 dollar stamps I bought in the '80s? I think they have appreciated but very slowly. I never considered my collection an investment.

Ted Tyszka

The New York Times has published a letter rebutting their Op-Ed piece.
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/10/11/opinion/stamp-collecting-isnt-dead.html?referer=https://t.co/lxUJFyxZdH?amp=1

andrew Hellenschmidt

How about that Stamped In. Ted thanks for sharing!

John P Fields

The NYT letter does nothing to change my opinion.

Here is a link to Chinese collecting which is thriving!

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2009/03/philatelists_republic_of_china.html

John John H. Talman

There are optimists and then there are pessimists. Duh! Lets try to figure out who is who in this thread. Sorry only two choices.

Rich Hemmings

John Fields - I think you nailed it. It's American collecting that is having difficulties. In China they have many average people collecting including tons of kids. If I say this to my friends here In PA, though, they say well the APS is dying. And that is all they can see. Frankly, I think that is the APS' own fault that they have fallen behind.

Tania Radley

I get a lot of ebay sales and inquiries from India. Seems still to be a lot of interest there also.

Ted Tyszka

Yes, Tania, I see a lot of participation in the Google groups from Indian collectors.