The word ‘philately’ was devised as early as 1864 by a Frenchman M. Herpin, who coined it from Greek words – philos (love), ‘A’ (negative) and telein (to tax). Since the postage stamp was evidence of a letter’s coming free of charge to the recipient, the postage stamp rendered it untaxed. Earlier, the hobby was called Timbromania (from timbre in French, meaning stamp). Philately is the collection and study of postage stamps, postal stationery, postmarks, stamped cards and covers etc., usually as a hobby. If indulged in a big way, it is pretty expensive, but limited to select subjects and themes, it can be enjoyed without undue effort or expense. Philately is distinct from other hobbies in that it is a safe investment, and an attractive aid to learning, in addition to being an absorbing pastime.
Types of stamp collectors
There exist two types of stamp collectors – the philatelist, who gathers all possible knowledge about the stamps that he collects and appraises their value on the basis of their design, quality, topicality, novelty and scarcity, knowing it to be the only hobby yielding fast dividends. And the second type is the mere stamp collector, who acquires all the stamps that he can get hold of, and sticks them in his albums, without an iota of knowledge about their value in the market. Sooner or later, he tires of it, and in turn passes it on to his younger sibling or friend, and the process continues.
Often, under such situations, stamps of great value are damaged to the point of becoming valueless. Unfortunately for philately, most collectors in India fall under the latter category. Furthermore, with advanced technology, the Philately, the king of hobbies The delightful hobby of stamp collection has not waned despite the decline in the use of postal services worldwide. A. Radhakrishnan takes us on a stamp collecting spree and tells us why this hobby should be cultivated. dependence on the postal system is on the wane and the writing habit at its lowest ebb; but nevertheless, this interesting and engrossing hobby is catching up.
With thousands of stamp clubs worldwide, this is a fascinating hobby for people of all ages. All you need, for a start, are some stamps purchased for a few rupees and a stock book to keep them in. Great collections are started with a treasure hunt, searching among old letters or correspondence stowed away in the attics of homes, or from friends who save them, or purchased from a dealer.
The best and less expensive way is to buy a ‘world packet’ of stamps, an excellent foundation for building your collection. Very old and rare stamps found ‘once in a blue moon’ are likely to be worth more if left on their original envelopes, but generally all stamps should be cleanly separated from any attached paper before sticking into the stock books.
There are some great online resources which give you the worth of stamps. Apart from price comparisons of ‘like’ stamps online, there are also industry-standard price guides, like the ‘Standard Postage Stamp Catalog’, the Scott Postage Stamp Catalog, Stanley Gibbons Commonwealth and British Empire Stamps Catalog or sites like https://www.indianstampghar.com
Interesting trivia
The most valuable stamp in the world is the one cent British Guinea 1856 that was sold for US $ 2,60,000 in 1970. The Mauritius first day cover with copies of the 1847 ‘Post Office’, fetched US $ 1,58,000 in New York in 1971, a world record for any single cover. The world’s first perforated stamp was issued by England in 1854.
Harrold G.D.Gisburn opines, ‘Collecting stamps without the aid of philatelic literature is much on a par with endeavouring to learn music minus a tutor; in both cases it is an example of ‘so far, but no further’.
C.S. Ernst cautions you, “Do not speculate in stamps, get what you like and only to the extent that you can afford. Keep them over a period of years and enjoy them as any collector will enjoy them”. In conclusion, have you heard this story? Every day for a year, a man wrote to the girl he loved, asking her to marry him and when he came home to ask her personally, to his dismay, he learnt she had married the postman who delivered his letters!
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A. Radhakrishnan
The writer is a freelance journalist, poet and short story writer based in Pune. He was Editor of the now defunct Philatelic Bi-Monthly.[/column]