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philately today

And philately tomorrow…..?

Does philately have a future?

There is an opinion afoot that philately is on its last legs. Postal services are being supplanted by emails. Stamps will soon be obsolete (do you like the latest self-adhesives?).  Even parcels will be delivered by drones (apparently there is already a service in operation which ensures medicine is made available to remote patients on isolated islands). In general the postal authorities have in any case prostituted the hobby by flooding the market with stamp issues with the sole purpose of fleecing stamp collectors, beginning in the second half of the last century with the communist states of eastern Europe, followed in the eighties by Caribbean islands and today by most operators.

Furthermore philatelists nowadays are represented mainly in the realms of the retired, they (or we), pardon me, are dying out. Spare time is being dedicated now to the Internet or social media. The pursuit of “little square pieces of paper” is being superseded – annihilated - by technology.

Talk is only of the closure of local philatelic societies.

But no! If this is the case why is the market for philatelic material so buoyant?  Has so much money ever been deployed in the hobby? Or is it just a matter of partial substitution of investment opportunities following the recent contretemps in the financial markets? There may be something in this. Why are the market-makers so active? Dealers are very keen on merging and expanding. There is much more competition for our custom. Our costs are coming down. National societies are doing well. Everything bodes well for a fantastic LONDON2015 Europe-wide Stamp Fair.

I am optimistic. Am I mistaken in thinking that the attraction in philately is so wide that it can overcome all of the challenges above? The philatelist has a wealth of material at his beck and call. There is something for everyone. Human nature appears to be drawn to the accumulation of “things”. But where is the competition from cigarette cards, beer mats etc.? There may be in ancient books and expensive art, but the investment required………. I contend that the serious study of philately, not necessarily requiring great investment, has an element of intellectual content that exercises the mind in a way that the medical profession recommends for a long and fruitful life!

We all have an interest in prolonging the life of philately. We have a duty if only to ourselves to assist in this. But do we know how to go about it? I would say that we don’t after witnessing attempts over quite a number of years. This is a very personal opinion of mine, but I would like to register the following:

Abandon pursuing the very young. They are hooked on electronic toys. They will abandon any early progress very quickly – examine the so-called “schoolboy collections”. There are practical problems I do no want to go into here.

Teenagers. Attraction to the opposite sex will soon overcome any initial interest. They rightfully should concentrate on their studies in the struggle to survive among their peers.

University students. Their challenges are even greater plus paying off their student debts.

Middle-aged and senior citizens. It is here that I find that the relaxation and mental dexterity of philately has a home.

This is a very personal (and perhaps lonely) view. Do you agree or strongly disagree? Do you have anything to add, positively o negatively?

The debate is open.

Published on 31 Dec 2014 | Mr Malcolm Bentley