Stamp collecting
With so much correspondence done by e-mail, many people feel stamp collecting as a hobby is nearing extinction. Gone are the days when it was an adventure to get an envelope from a faraway place and dream about what it must be like to visit such a foreign place. The hobby was a means to discover and learn about different countries and their cultures. The good news is that stamp collecting remains a hobby which can yield profits as well as adventure and enjoyment, as some coveted stamps sell for millions of dollars.
Postal stamps have been around for more than 170 years, starting with the British government creation of The Uniform Penny Post on January 10, 1840 and the first postage stamp, called the Penny Black, produced in May, 1840 to create uniformity in the charge for delivering postage based on the weight of the envelope and its contents. The first stamps featured Queen Victoria and her grandson, King George V was among the most prominent stamp collectors and he used his collection to learn geography and acquire a better understanding of the British Empire and its power.
The United States started issuing stamps on July 1, 1847, featuring Benjamin Franklin of a 5¢ stamp and George Washington featured on a 10¢ stamp. Stamp collecting reached unprecedented popularity during the Depression because it was an affordable way to get one's mind off of the grim economic environment. President Roosevelt was an avid collector from the time of his childhood and when he was stricken with Polio many years later he found stamp collecting to be very therapeutic. The hobby continued to grow in popularity and radio broadcasts, magazines and department stores all helped continue to growth of the hobby.
To counter the idea that stamp collecting is a dead hobby due to the advent of e-mail, a visit to E-Bay will quickly show the excitement of stamp collecting is far from history. In fact, internet clubs have formed, including highly specialized clubs with interests in particular stamp topics. It is estimated there are about 25 million active stamp collectors in the US and more than 4000 stamp shows are held each year.
Among the trivia associated with stamps is:
- Candles were once used to determine postage rates. If the candle light could be seen through the envelope, the rate was less because it meant there was not a lot inside the envelope.
- The United States will not put an individual on a postage stamp until at least 10 years have passed since their death, unless they were a president. A deceased president is honored with a stamp on the first birthday after their death.
- The American Philatelic Society was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in Bellefontaine, Pennsylvania.
- Rock and Roll icons Freddie Mercury, John Lennon and Ronnie Wood were all avid stamp collectors, as is tennis star Maria Sharapova.
- Benjamin Franklin was the first person in the world, other than a head of state, to be pictured on a stamp.
- Captains of ships were the first mail handlers in America. They picked up the mail from mail bags that were hung at various taverns in different towns.
- In 1879, Belgium was the first, and last, country to use trained cats to carry bundles of mail from town to town. The 37 kitties were soon unemployed as they proved to be unreliable workers!
- The United States lays claim to the largest and smallest post offices in the entire world. Chicago’s head post office is the largest one and Ochopee, Florida has the smallest one.
