Stamp Show Attracts Young and Old

California's Sacramento Press reports organizing a stamp expo is "no small feat."

Chris Clemens has been involved with the expos for more than 20 years. He organizes and runs stamp expos in Northern California including this past weekend's Winter Sacramento Stamp Fair. According to the write-up, "Hundreds of collectors converged on the Knights of Columbus Hall to buy stamps and trade with dealers and each other."

Chris is quoted as saying, "I actually got into all of this working for a guy who organized the shows. I took over and started doing it myself. Now, I collect and deal advertising covers. Each show, I try to have a variety of items available through different dealers. It's difficult gathering the dealers with unique items for sale. Northern California has a big stamp-collecting following."

Well-known stamp dealer and philatelist Dave Cobb, who had many rare and expensive items for sale at the show, pointed out to reporter Matthew Ceccato, "It's tough trying to get younger children involved. Stamp collecting can be very good for kids. It teaches them careful handling, history and goal setting and achieving by filling their stamp books."

Matthew pens, "With some stamps worth up to a million dollars, many collectors are worried about what will happen to their collections when they die."

One collector said, "I'm lucky that my son enjoys and respects the art of stamp collecting. It worries some people I know that collections will be sold at low price or neglected by their heirs."

Howard Tuner is quoted as saying, "I told my daughter and her husband to sell everything when I'm gone. They don't collect and I want all the money to go to my granddaughter's college fund. That's what's important to me."

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