Why We Collect Stamps

American Philatelic Society (APS) Executive Director Peter Mastrangelo reports on the APS Stamp Collector Survey in the May issue of The American Philatelist

According to Peter, “Why we collect stamps is no different for either group as a whole, but we found that there was a significant variance for one subset of collectors: those under fifty years of age differ in their reason as to why they collect stamps."

He goes on to give a few examples:

• Twenty-five percent of all of those surveyed indicated that “history” was a major reason why they collected as compared to 48 percent for those under age fifty.

• Thirty-three percent of those over fifty emphasized that a major reason they collected stamps was because of the “relaxing” nature of the hobby (compared to 10 percent of all those surveyed). This same group also enjoys the hobby because they find it challenging and intellectually stimulating (14 percent versus 5 percent of all those surveyed).

• The general population of respondents (20 percent) emphasized that they collected stamps for the “overall enjoyment” as compared to 7 percent for those under fifty years of age.

• Each group seems to be almost equally captivated by the artwork and beauty of stamps as well as the opportunity to learn about other countries and people.

• Those under fifty are more inclined to cite the “hunt and discovery” aspect of stamp collecting as a major motivator in their interest in the hobby.

To read the entire survey, click here.

For more on the American Philatelist Magazine, click here.