Why millennials have fallen in love with stamp collecting?

Philately is gaining popularity with younger hobbyists, who are drawn to its vintage - and Instagram - appeal

It was once a byword for boring, but it seems stamp collecting is finding a new – young – audience, despite the fact that some hobbyists have never actually posted a letter.

Illustration from The Children’s Golden Treasure Book for 1937. Today people share their stamps via Twitter and Instagram. Photograph: Getty

Philately is gaining popularity among millennials, many of whom see the creative pursuit as an escape from their screen-based lives, says 37-year-old Suzanne Rae, from North Yorkshire.

“Philately is tangible: it’s relaxing and unplugged. It’s also very Instagrammable,” says Rae, who is only the second female chairman the Philatelic Traders Society has had in its 91-year history. “Twitter and Instagram enable young collectors to find people like them, and see that it’s not only a geeky old man’s pursuit.”

Rae gave up her job as a management consultant two years ago to make her hobby her business by starting an online stamp shop, Art Stamped. “We were one of the first stamp businesses using social media,” she says..

Nicholas Challinor-Halford, business manager at stamp auctioneer Harmers of London, believes that part of the millennial boom is the result of romantic notions of pre-digital life. “For Generation Y… [stamp] collecting is escapism with a nostalgic slant, giving collectors a physical link with the past.”

Sadie Medhurst, a 31-year-old fan, agrees: “Stamp collecting is presumed to be a solitary endeavour reserved for the older members of society, but this could not be further from the truth. Each stamp tells a story: I often like to think of the many hands they have passed through.”

Instagram stamp art by Suzanne Rae

Rae’s love of stamp collecting was instilled in her as a child, thanks to her grandparents.

“I grew up in Edinburgh where there was – and is – a stamp shop just around the corner,” Rae says. “I started off buying British stamps with my pocket money. As I travelled for work, I built up a Ghanian Gold Coast collection. More recently, though, I just collect what I like – stamps that tell stories or are graphically appealing.”

This feeling is echoed by 29-year-old Constanze Dennis, a senior auctioneer at Grosvenor Philatelic Auctions in London, who says stamp collecting ties together many elements she loves. “I have a scientific background, so the analytical side really appeals,” she says. “My personal philatelic interest is crash mail, envelopes salvaged from plane crashes. Definitely morbid but equally fascinating.”

One of the highlights of the stamp collectors’ calendar is the Stampex show, held at the Business Design Centre in Islington, north London every autumn. “There are lots of younger people there,” says Rae. “It’s not fuddy duddy; it’s engaging. You can … spend a lot of money but it’s a hobby you can enjoy inexpensively too.”

“From the outside looking in, stamp collecting makes no sense,” says 34-year-old collector James Leigh, who also works at stamp dealer John Curtin Ltd. “Why are people spending sometimes vast amounts of money on little bits of paper that look almost identical? [But] I find them utterly fascinating and I don’t care who knows it.”

“Stamp collecting is so much more than a hobby,” says Medhurst. “It’s a lifestyle, a community.” And, perhaps, the perfect salve for these constrained times.

Source: The Guardian

Stamp Collecting is Reviving Again - The Philatelic Revolution

There is a fascinating paradigm shift happening right now to a hobby that has connected people since the 1840s. Stamp collecting is getting social again.

This evolution in how we connect, how we share and how we learn can be seen on all corners of the internet - the Facebook groups, the thousands of Instagram posts to Twitter threads, the YouTube channels, the incredibly well-written and entertaining blogs, the revolution can be heard on the podcasts and seen in chat rooms and video conferencing so on.

Social media has definitely helped in bringing philatelists closer and giving them more chances to get hold of their desired items on internet and even from within their communities. It has undoubtedly enhanced the philatelic experience manifolds.

Has social media affected your philatelic community in any way?

Source: Exploring Stamps on Youtube

List of Most Collectable Postage Stamps of Recent Years

Recently I have fallen in love with collecting postage stamps issued on same theme by different countries. These may include joint issue stamps with same or different designs by two or more countries like Slovenia-Slovakia joint issue or Pakistan-Belarus joint issue set. In most cases,
Another more challenging variation of these issues is the collection of postage stamps issued on same theme by different countries without any coordination among themselves, thus ensuring different designs of all stamps. These may include stamps issued to commemorate the memorable event of , or 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, etc.

A few stamps issued for 2019 International Year of Periodic Table

Some of my favourite topics from recent years are as below (You can click on the links to see the list of stamps):

• Lion's Club Centenary in 2017
• International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017
•  FIFA 2018 Football World Cup Russia
• International Year of Indigenous Languages 2019
• International Year of Periodic Table 2019
• 50 Years of Moon Landing 2019

As the collection grows, it turns into a fascinating collection to brag about. 

A glimpse of private collection on 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism - 1

A glimpse of private collection on 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism - 2

Challenges in Collecting Stamps on Same Themes:

• Not-Well Documented: While joint issue stamps are well-documented and easier to find, these themes are often not listed properly. 
• Difficult to Find: In most cases the countries issuing joint issues sell the stamps of other country as well to help the philatelists, which is never the case in stamps issued on same theme by different countries.
• Issues from Very Hard Countries: Some of these stamps are issued by very small countries, which can prove quite a pain to find.
• A few Very Expensive Issues: To cash on the opportunity, some countries issue these stamps at exorbitant prices, which becomes tough for the hobby collectors to lay hands on. In some cases, the stamps or souvenir sheets are issued in very low quantity like 100, 200 or even 500. This gives the opportunity to the dealers to hoard the issue and sell the subsequently at a very very high price.

Do you collect such common topics stamp issues?? Which are your favourite themes??

Please comment below to share your thoughts.

An Article about Bahawalpur Postage Stamps by Bob Lamb

I found the following article in the April 2017 edition of "The American Philatelist". Copying it here for my Pakistani friends who have interest in the postage stamps from the State of Bahawalpur.

Bahawalpur

Status: Princely State in South Asia (Pakistan)
Area: 17,494 sq. miles (estimate)
Population: 1,341,209 (1941)
Currency: 100 paisa = 1 Rupee. Rs 1.30= U.S. $1 (1948)

A special stamp issued in 1933
 commemorates a century of
alliance with Great Britain.

Bahawalpur was settled in the 18th century by Muslim refugees from the Sindh. It became an independent state in 1802. The amir of Bahawalpur signed a treaty of alliance with the British in 1833 as protection from the expansive Sikh rulers of Lahore. The amir was a loyal ally who supported the British in wars against Afghanistan and the Sikhs. As a reward the amir was allowed to maintain his own army and received an annual stipend from the East India Company. As the site of the only rail bridge over the Sutlej River, Bahawalpur was strategically located.

The first five Official stamps of 1945 show
important irrigation pipes of the Sutlej Valley,
animals, and the Juma Masjid Palace, Scott O1 to O5.
The stamps were good only for domestic use.

When the amir died in 1866, the British established a “temporary” administration and set up the postal service. In 1870, responsibility for the post office was assumed by the Imperial Post. The amir pressed the British to allow him to issue his own stamps. Despite his close ties to the British, the amir’s repeated requests were denied. The British considered separate postal services for the princely states inefficient and duplicative.

The portrait of Amir Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan V
(1904–1966) is on five postage stamps issued in 1948.
Upon the death of his father, he became nawab at the age of 3
in 1907 and reigned with several titles throughout his life, Scott 3.

Hopeful of British approval, or perhaps to force their hand, the amir ordered seven stamps in 1933 from De La Rue in London. One commemorated 100 years of the British Alliance and depicted the British and Bahawalpur flags crossed behind a coat of arms. Six were attractive pictorials. But, again the amir’s request was rejected. Although it is presumed that the stamps were not officially issued, used examples are known.

Amir Muhammad Bahawal Khan I Abbasi
(reign 1746–1749) is on Bahawalpur’s
first postage stamp issued in 1947, Scott 1.

In 1945, the amir finally got the right to issue stamps. As a reward for Bahawalpur’s military support in World War II, an agreement was signed in New Delhi that allowed Bahawalpur to issue stamps for official use within the state. As with other “feudatory states,” letters sent outside the state would require British India postage. Under this authority, the six pictorials from 1933 were released overprinted “service” in Urdu.

On August 14, 1947, Pakistan and India broke apart. All the princely states were released from their treaties with Great Britain with the understanding that they would join either India or Pakistan by October 3. At least in theory, Bahawalpur was independent for about two months. The amir took advantage of this by overprinting 17 current British Indian definitives for local use.

Three amirs appear on a high denomination 10-rupee
Official stamp from a set of eight in 1948, Scott O24.

Bahawalpur became a part of Pakistan and on December 1, 1947, issued its first stamp under the authority of the Pakistani Post Office. Separate Bahawalpur issues continued until October 10, 1949, after which they were replaced by stamps of Pakistan. Bahawalpur was subsequently divided into three Pakistani provinces.

An India airmail stamp overprinted for use in 1947 in Bahawalpur. Cover courtesy of the Amirate of Bahawalpur: Postal History and Stamps, 1932–1949 (2006), by Captain U.A.G. Isani and Syed Abid Hussain.

1935 2½d “Prussian Blue” - The most iconic colour error in GB philately

The most iconic colour error in GB philately: It is one of the most iconic stamps in the world.

 

The story behind the discovery of the 1935 2½d “Prussian Blue” is one of the most well known in GB philately.

 

Great Britain 1935 'Silver Jubilee'
2½d “Prussian Blue”
SG 456a
A superb unmounted mint example

The story goes as follows…

King George V (known as the “Stamp King”) was a passionate stamp collector. So, on June 6th 1934, when he was asked for his permission for a commemorative stamp issue to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of his Accession to the Throne, he was delighted to say “YES”.

The designers put forward 12 different design ideas but the King was not impressed by any of them. So, On October 2nd 1934 the designers were sent back to the drawing board…

On October 25th 1934, a further 22 designs were submitted. Finally, the design of Mr Barnett Freeman was accepted.

On January 7th 1935, the King approved the final design. Just one question remained… what colour did he want the stamp to be?

 

Given the choice of “Prussian blue” or “Blue”, the King opted for the latter.

 

But, all didn’t go to plan…

 

Why this stamp is so rare

 

The printers, Harrison & Son, printed some sheets in the “Prussian blue” colour in error.

 

They realised their mistake and quickly destroyed the erroneous sheets, except for six sheets sent to the Post Office Stores for inspection.

 

The Superintendent Warehouseman was asked to destroy the six sheets apart from a block of four to be retained for reference purposes.

 

However, a further mistake was made and only two of the sheets were destroyed. The other four were accidentally placed with the correct colour sheets by a busy worker.

 

Three of these sheets were sent to the Edmonton Post Office in North London. The other sheet was issued to an unknown Post Office.

 

As a result, we know that only 480 of these stamps were ever issued.

 

A Profitable Trip to the Post Office

 

On June 2nd 1935, a collector, Mr A J Stavridi, sent his secretary to buy the new Silver Jubilee stamps from the Post Office in Upper Edmonton.

 

On inspecting the stamps, Mr Stavridi noticed that some of the stamps were different from the others.

 

Some were blue…others were “Prussian blue”.

 

Mr Stavridi quickly returned to the Post Office and purchased the remainder of the “Prussian blue” stamps.

 

Of the 360 stamps at Edmonton Post Office, 41 had already been sold. Mr Stavridi bought the remaining 319 stamps.

 

He mailed some of the stamps to his friends as souvenirs.

 

Of the 41 sold copies, ten were used on magazines sent to Australia, of which one survived; two were sent to a collector in Tonbridge. One other was used on a letter sent to Holland and was discovered in 1937.

 

To this day, the 2½d Prussian blue remains one of the rarest and most famous stamps from Great Britain. Quite simply, it should not have been printed.

 

Due to its rarity and desirability, the value of this stamp as an investment is well proven.