By Ed Kroft,
President, RPSC
Hi everyone. I hope that you and your loved ones enjoyed a healthy and happy holiday season and wish you a happy and healthy new year. This is a great time of year for all of us to enjoy our hobby and to perhaps turn to starting a new area of collecting or dusting off ones we have not turned to for some time.
I have recently turned to collecting postcards that relate to those areas of stamp collecting and exhibiting that I enjoy. I am using them in an exhibit I am putting together to assist in telling the relevant story.
Technology and Stamp Collecting - Reviving the Hobby
I was pleased to read an engaging article in September 2019 on BBC News entitled
“Tech-savvy stamp collectors energise an old hobby”. The article speaks about Anita Lo, a 26-year old collector. The article says the following: “Not surprisingly, as a younger collector, Anita takes a digital approach to her hobby. She shares her collection on Instagram and WhatsApp and uses an online catalogue to search for items by price or country, instead of the hard copies traditionally taken to auctions. However, with its fusty image, her hobby has raised eyebrows amongst her peer group and she admits its “geeky” reputation can leave her feeling conflicted.
Anita states, “It’s my interest and I do enjoy it but I don’t go to the big trade shows and would never join a club or society; my perception is that they are mainly full of people my parents’ age, are a bit nerdy and I don’t want to be viewed that way. Because I don’t know anyone else my age doing this, it’s a hobby that I do very much alone.”
Very insightful for those of us trying to reach younger collectors.
The article also speaks about Graham Beck and his You Tube channel, Exploring Stamps. It states: “To date, he has uploaded 70 videos which see him select a stamp at random and explore the history behind it, a journey that has taken him to an Icelandic volcano and the three Statues of Liberty in New York, Paris and Las Vegas. The South African native, now based in New York, says it is the story behind the stamp that is resonating with the new breed of philatelists (as stamp collectors are known) rather than particular paper types and printing styles which often enthuse the old-school collector.” Check out his videos on You Tube!
John Lennon, Freddie Mercury and Stamp Collecting
I visited the Smithsonian Philatelic Museum last June and saw John Lennon’s stamp album on display. I took some photos for your viewing pleasure. I also just learned that Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, was an avid collector in childhood, entrusting his album to his father when he went off to art college. I read that his album was one of his few personal effects not burnt (in line with his Zoroastrian belief) on his death, and apparently is now owned by London’s National Postal Museum & Archive. Do you know of other stamp albums of famous personalities that are on display?
RPSC Seminars on Stamp Collecting
Our members always enjoy attending a seminar on some aspects of stamp collecting. The RPSC encourages volunteers to put together a PowerPoint presentation to show at clubs and stamp shows. I gave a presentation at Vanpex in late September 2019 on the use of a title page and synopsis in stamp exhibiting. I am sure many of you would be interested in such topics as estate planning for your collections. Any volunteers? Any other topics? Please let me know.
RPSC Board Activities
Our most recent meeting of the Board was held on November 24, 2019 by teleconference. The Board and other dedicated volunteers discussed a variety of topics dealing with the operation of The RPSC. Once approved, minutes of Board meetings are posted on The RPSC website, https://www.rpsc.org. The next Board meeting is expected to be in February 2020.
Information and Articles for The RPSC Newsletter including Chapter Listings and Chapter News
I am gratified that many of you have expressed to me and other board members that they are pleased to receive the electronic newsletter from the RPSC. We are always looking to attract new members to the RPSC and new collectors to the hobby. If you wish to write a piece on stamp collecting for the RPSC Newsletter, please contact me or Mike Walsh: mwalsh@vaxxine.com
The Canadian Philatelist contains listings of chapters every two months. The RPSC is interested in seeing more collectors attend RPSC chapter meetings. We hope that the newsletter will assist in this regard and will contain details of upcoming chapter meetings, including the names of speakers and locations.
Best Wishes For 2020
Enjoy the months to come. There will be local, regional and national stamp shows across Canada, an international stamp exhibition in London, and The Royal in June in Fredericton.
May you and your loved ones enjoy a healthy and happy holiday season and new year and all good things to come.
Best regards
Ed