Benefits of Stamp Collecting and Philately

Benefits of Stamp Collecting and Philately

Stamp collecting is a hobby pursued by both school children and kings.  It generally refers to the collecting of postage stamps and related material.  It is one of the most popular hobbies pursued by people all over the world. According to Wikipedia, there are probably about 25 million stamp collectors in the USA alone.  Although it seems to be less popular today, Wikipedia estimates that there are about 200 million stamp collectors in the world today.  Stamp collectors accumulate stamps for the sheer joy of collecting, exchanging or trading and simply putting them into albums.

The interest in stamp collecting probably started some time after the world’s first adhesive stamp, the Black Penny, was issued by Great Britain and Ireland on the 1^st of May 1840 but officially put in use on 6^th May 1840.  By the 1860s, many started to collect stamps from all over the world as more and more countries started to issue stamps. 

Some collectors simply collect first day covers, where stamps are affixed on specially designed covers (envelopes) and cancelled with the day that the stamps are first issued.  Some of these covers are well designed and there are some that have high value because of their scarcity.  Malaysian first day covers are noted for their colourful designs and some of the designs of stamps on them are of high quality.  This hobby has sometimes been referred to as the hobby of kings and the king of hobbies.

Philately

Philately is not the same as stamp collecting.  In stamp collecting the pleasure comes from acquiring postage stamps and related material without bothering about further details regarding the stamps.  Philately is the study of stamps and related material and is thus more serious than sheer stamp collecting. 

Philately probably progressed from stamp collecting as some collectors began to observe that there were variations and sometimes errors in stamps.  Variations or differences in watermarks, perforations, gum, types of paper, etc. were noted and studied.  Over the years philately has branched into various areas such as:

* Traditional Philately - Study of the technical aspects of stamp production and stamp identification such as the design, production, paper, gum, perforation.

* Thematic Philately - Study of what is depicted on the stamp such as flowers, animals, trains, wind, water, fire, etc.

* Postal History - Study of postmarks, post offices and postal authorities, postal rates and postal regulations.

* Aero-philately - Study of airmail, airmail envelopes, and mail carried by airplanes.

* Postal Stationery - Study of stamped envelopes, postal cards, letter sheets, aerogrammes and wrappers.

* Cinderella philately - Study of objects that look like stamps but are not postal stamps such as Christmas seals and Easter seals.

* Philatelic literature - Documentation of the results of philatelic study and includes periodicals, journals and magazines.

* Revenue philately - Study of stamps to collect revenue in the form of taxes and fees on items such as legal documents, alcohol, court fees and playing cards.

* Maximaphily - Study of maximum cards; a maximum card being a picture card with the same theme and as the stamp and cancelled, with maximum concordance between the three.

Benefits

There are many benefits to be gained from stamp collecting and philately.  The following is not meant to be a comprehensive list but would probably be the main ones enjoyed by pursuers of this hobby.

Beauty

Some stamps are simply beautiful to behold and a lot of pleasure can be obtained by just admiring the designs on the.  The miniature sheet on the left is one issued by Pos Malaysia and the design is rather creative with the shape of the miniature sheet being shaped like a stamp.

History

Much can be learnt about the history of a country from the stamps issued by them.  Malaysia has had many stamps on Merdeka, besides depicting other events such as the recent Angkasawan stamps and the Suzuki Football Cup stamps.  Many countries issue stamps to commemorate historical events that take place in their countries such as the Olympics and significant anniversaries of their independence.  The miniature sheet on the left shows the World Dragon Boat Competition that was held in Penang in 2008.

Geography

You can learn a lot about the geography of a country without even having to make a trip there.  Many countries showcase scenes such as mountains, hills, glaciers, rivers and lakes.  Such depictions on stamps can arouse one’s curiosity to find out more about the geography of a country.  Of course the internet can help you achieve the same but the stamp may be the trigger point to make you surf on the net for more details. The stamps above was issued by Pos Malaysia to highlight the need to protect our natural habitats and they give outsiders some idea as to the geography of our country.

Culture

The culture of a country can be learned from a stamp.  In Malaysia, there have been many issues of the various costumes, food and customs of the various races.  These help Malaysians to better appreciate each other’s cultures and norms as well as inform foreigners about the richness and diversity of our culture.  Other countries have depicted local costumes, musical instruments, artifacts, local games and other aspects of their culture on their stamps.  Pos Malaysia recently issued a set of stamps on the headgear of the sultans of Malaysia and a set of stamps on traditional children’s games using the Upin & Ipin cartoon characters.

Social

Stamp collectors and philatelists find that there is a kindred spirit between them.  Whenever stamp collectors and philatelists meet, they already have a special bond between them because of their common interest.  With stamp blogs and stamp websites available nowadays, it is very easy for stamp collectors to discuss about various aspects of stamp collecting and philately and this sometimes ultimately lead to face-to-face meetings on a more personal level.

Stamp exhibitions and philatelic competitions also serve to bring collectors together and there is a great exchange and sharing of knowledge between stamp collectors and philatelists which help to further develop their knowledge and expertise.  Many novice stamp collectors have benefited greatly from such exhibitions.

Investment

While stamp collecting and philately are strictly for personal pleasure, there is an investment angle in this hobby.  With the knowledge gained about stamps and philatelic items, the stamp collector or philatelist can, if he or she so desires, find another avenue to invest excess funds to hedge against inflation. 

There are stories of collectors who started collecting stamps from a young age and who have been able to auction off their collections for huge sums of money.  The stamp on the right is probably the most expensive stamp in the world as of 1996 and would set you back some 2.5 million Swiss Francs.  This one only specimen of a stamp (the normal stamps were printed in green) was found by a schoolboy in an old attic.  Malaysia’s most expensive stamp is probably the King Edward V11 Revenue $500 revenue stamp issued between 1906 and 1911 and catalogued at a conservative RM500,000 for a mint stamp in the Standard Stamp Catalogue of Malaysia Singapore and Brunei, 28^th edition, 2011 by International Stamp & Coin Sdn. Bhd, owned by Mr. Steven Tan, who has his shop at Pertama Complex, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur.

Surprises

While stamp collecting and philately do not have profit or speculation as their main motive, it sometimes happens that some stamps in their collection may prove to be worth a lot at a later date.  The monkey zodiac sign stamp issued by China in 1980 was worth only a few Malaysian cents but today is worth well over RM2,400, with the demand by a whole new generation of Chinese collectors in China.  The 2 cent butterfly stamp of Pahang issued in 1978 is today worth RM250 used or unused.  The miniature sheet shown here of the unique birds of Malaysia was issued without the word Malaysia within the perforated area of the stamp making it a genuine error.  The face value of the stamp is RM5 and it was issued in 2009.  It now retails for between RM15 and RM20.  Stanley Gibbons catalogues it at £9.50.

References:

1.      Wikipedia.

2.     Standard Stamp Catalogue of Malaysia Singapore and Brunei, 28^th edition by International Stamp & Coin Sdn.Bhd. 2011.

3.      Stanley Gibbons Commonwealth Stamp Catalogue Brunei, Malaysia & Singapore, 3^rd edition 2010.

4.      2 Clicks Stamps website (for the image and write up of the Treskilling Yellow Stamp (1855)