A Stamp of Disapproval (Stamp Collecting’s Fate in the Internet Age)

Robert McHenry writes on the Encyclopedia Britannica Blog, "One of the innocent victims of our Brave New Electronic Age has been, I suspect, the hobby of stamp collecting."

"I’d give odds that there are a great many young people who are only dimly aware of the existence of the institution known as the Post Office. Who needs the Post Office when there is email and texting and tweeting and heaven only knows what else, for I don’t?" according to Robert.

He goes on to say, "It’s a pity. Stamp collecting was once one of those phases every boy (and many girls) went through, along with a passion for dinosaurs (or horses) or an interest in space flight (I’m not sure what the feminine equivalent might have been for that)."

Adrian Keppel commenting on the post pens,"I know that it is a favourite complaint of collectors and all too easily made, but I’m not sure whether it is really true. Sure, things are different now from when we grew up but there’s still a lot of youth activities and school activities here in Britain centred around kids. The ways of collecting may have changed but seeing that there are umpteen swap clubs on the internet, who also have a youthful membership, I think it’s more a question of changes in collecting habits rather than that we’re dealing with a dying hobby. I’m sure old-fashioned dealers will complain of less custom but indeed, this is offset by lots of traffic on various on-line auction houses and eBay. so there’s hope for us all yet, I would say!"

Shown above, the Boy Scout merit badge for stamp collecting.

To read Robert's entire post and leave your own comment, click here.