Philately

What do NASA astronaut Henry W. Hartsfield, Jr., former world chess champion Anatov Karpov, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John Lennon and I have in common? We’re all philatelists. No, that doesn’t mean we belong to the same mysterious cult which monophonically chants in candle-lit spaces. Rather, we share the same passion as millions of others all over the world. We are stamp collectors!

Philately, the collection and study of postage stamps, has been around for more than 150 years. Great Britain issued the first adhesive postage stamp to prepay for the delivery of mail in 1840. The Penny Black was the idea of Sir Rowland Hill, whose standardized postal rates would be determined by weight, not distance.

My fascination with the pastime began a wee bit later, in 1969, when I was only ten years old. Ask a myriad of collectors why they collect stamps and chances are you’ll get a myriad of answers. I am motivated by no more than the joy of collecting. I still get just as excited today as I did then when a letter or package arrives adorned with one of these unique, colorful works of art.

Stamps are like the Readers Digest Condensed version of books. They allow us to relive history and meet famous people of the world. The persons, places and events they honor provide a wonderful source of enlightenment. And just about any interest you could possibly think of is depicted on stamps. From A to Z, architecture to zoology … there’s something for everyone!