A Presentation by the New Haven Philatelic Society

Why Collect Stamps?

    Collecting stamps (yes, those little pictures stuck onto envelopes sent via “snail mail”) continues to be one of the most popular hobbies in the world.  “Why?” you might ask.  “In today’s world we have the Internet, and Snapchat, and Instagram and Facebook, and on line RPGs and all sorts of ways we communicate which each other – so why would I collect stamps? After all, aren’t they just little bits of paper?”  Well, maybe.  In today’s world, you never know.  Stamps have been made out of wood, leather, plastic, and other odd things.  

One country enabled you to scan the stamp and receive a personal video message from the sender.  Our Postal Service still carries tons of mail for retailers who are interested in selling you their products.  Yes, Virginia, there is still mail.

Stamps Are History.  Stamps are Culture. Stamps are part of what we are. And our history and culture can be traced by the stamps we used and the letters and post cards that we sent to each other.   We have 169 towns in Connecticut.  Yet, we have had over 750 Post Offices in Connecticut over the years.  What happened to them?  Why did they exist in the first place?   Just where is Ore Hill and Mount Hope anyway?  

Printed on stamps you can find just about anything (well, close to anything).  So if you want to learn, stamps provide an easy way to learn about whatever you like.   They can teach, they can puzzle, they can make you wonder about far away places. 

You can collect stamps any way you want to.   There is no right way, or “best way”.  So it becomes something that is personal to you and can reflect your taste and what you like, not what others want.  The world has issued over 1,000,000 different stamps, and just about every topic you can think of.  

You can do it alone, or you can join a club and have it become part social, part learning, part fun time.   

If you collect stamps alone, you will find that it is a great way to relieve stress.  It makes you feel good, especially if you like completing a task- you gain a sense of accomplishment.   

There are no time constraints, and there are no weather constraints.  You can do this whenever you like, and no matter what the weather.  In fact, on snowy New England days, if you don’t ski or snowshoe, it might be the best alternative to sitting on that couch staring at the television and getting the same old movies day after day.  And if you watch sports,  this makes a good break.

There is always something to learn.  Every time you think you have learned all about a stamp or country, something new turns up.    And there are fascinating new ways to collect and discover things even when you get the latest round of “junk” mail delivered to your post box.  If you want mental stimulation, collect stamps.  If you want to enjoy exquisite miniature artwork, collect stamps.  If you enjoy human interactions, collect stamps.  

Cost?  Cost is like how to collect.  You can spend practically nothing, or you can spend a fortune.  So its really up to you.

Want to know more?  

If you want to learn more about the unknown realm of stamp collecting (or philately if you want to be precise), then come to :

Russell Library

Jan 9 1 PM

For a Presentation by the New Haven Philatelic Society.