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Stamp collecting, or philately, dates back to 1840 when the world’s first adhesive postage stamp, the Penny Black, was issued in Great Britain. The hobby has enthralled millions since then and became a worldwide pastine with stamp clubs, catalogs, and a plethora of periodicals supporting and engaging a vast community of collectors. In recent decades, however, the prevalence of email, online billing and bill payments and declining mail volume in general has led a lot of folks to consider stamp collecting as a dying hobby. “It’s true that very few people get mail with stamps on it anymore,” admitted Bruce Pollock, the president of the Victoria Stamp Club. “Kids don’t even see stamps come into the home like they used to, and that’s bound to have an effect on young people developing an interest in this hobby.” Pollock’s own fascination with stamps began when he was in Grade 5 and came into contact with a teacher who was an avid collector. “I started collecting back then and never stopped.” While the hobby has changed, it is far from dead. There are still a lot of stamp enthusiasts, and, on Dec. 16, they’ll be gathered at the Sandman Hotel in Victoria where dealers will offer stamps, postal history and other philatelic materials for sale. Admission is free and there’ll even be some free stamps for the kids. “We hold four of these fairs every year and we find that there are still a lot of people out there who collect,” said Pollock. “We’re starting to see a lot more young people show up as well. I think it’s like the fascination with vinyl records. Young people are attracted to some of the analog stuff and more and more young people are discovering it and are really getting into it.” Pollock explained that stamp collecting is a fabulous way to learn about geography and history. “It’s a great way to explore the art, history and culture of other countries and, at these fairs, it’s an opportunity to speak face-to-face with long-term collectors who have a tremendous amount of knowledge. It’s not only stamps that have collectable value. “We’re also interested in postal history and collecting the actual envelopes and postcards that were sent so very long ago. With the internet, we can research these people and find out what happened to them,” said Pollock. “I have a postcard that was sent by a young guy writing from Spain on his way to fight in the Boer War. He was very excited about this adventure, but I discovered that he was killed in South Africa.” The chance of finding very valuable stamps still exists, of course, but they are very uncommon and not a good reason to get into the hobby. “There are ‘holy grail’ stamps out there, and some of those are very expensive. But some are just what we call freaks, oddities and errors — but they are still interesting.” The Victoria Stamp Club holds regular meetings, and everyone is welcome to drop in and find out what all the excitement is about. More information is available at vicstamps.com.
