Aging Graciously: Stamping out a new hobby
I already have too many hobbies that take up too much room in my house and consume too much of my time, and yet, at the request of a friend, I went to a Tuscora Stamp Club meeting this week. We don’t hear much about such an organization today unless one is a member. Years ago, stamp clubs were popular in schools, especially during WWII when air mail stamps let us believe that our loved ones were receiving our letters faster. Those with foresight collected stamps from all over the world.
Our local stamp club hosts 30 some members who invest a great deal of time and money into this hobby. Now I can see why. The little pieces of gummed paper are mesmerizing. One picture leads to another, which can lead to an entire collection. Little pieces of history recorded in an inch or two can capture the imagination and fill an album. When you see them displayed, you want them all.
Tuscora Stamp club was formed in 1950 for the organization of postage stamp collectors and to promote interest in Philately. The origin of that name is interesting. According to history, George Herpin, a French stamp fancier in the 1860s, when stamps were a fairly new invention, coined the phrase from the Greek root, “phil” meaning love, and the Greek word,” ateleia,” meaning “tax-exemption.” Stamp lovers happily adopted it. This came about because before stamps, the recipient of a letter, not the sender, had to pay the postage. Stamps forced the sender to foot the bill and created a lot of stamp lovers among folks on the receiving end of the mail.
In the early days of the local organization, the meetings were spent showing favorites of each other’s collections. Today, a number of different activities are included in each session. Members have the opportunity to earn “funny money” based upon a variety of activities from attendance to bringing in new members and participation in the annual stamp show. This money can only be spent at special auctions that feature special lots purchased from dealers at the annual show. After each business meeting, the club holds a mini-auction of stamps contributed by members.
Each October, the club sponsors a benefit auction with all proceeds going to Community Hospice of Tuscarawas County, and there are social events throughout the year. This year’s Tuscopex stamp exhibition and auction will be held Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Tuscora Park Pavillion from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, and there will be free stamp packets for new and junior collectors.
I can’t help but think what a great hobby this would be to spark interest in history in young children. Maybe it seems a little tame by today’s standards, but those who are deeply into collecting are building equity, sometimes very large equity, in an almost forgotten commodity. And of course, there is always that little tease at the back of the mind that says, I might find a missing stamp worth thousands ... maybe millions of dollars. It seems like it might be worth a try.
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This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Aging Graciously: Stamping out a new hobby
