Detroit Stamp Collectors Try to Attract Young People

The Detroit News reports, "Metro Detroit stamp collectors say they're trying to attract younger people to their clubs. Members meet monthly to discuss their collections, including stamps and first-day covers — stamped postcards or envelopes processed where the stamp was issued."
But it's slow going.

Henry Czerwick, 73, a former member of the Dearborn Stamp Club is quoted in the piece by Candice Williams, "It's really the older folks that have a passion for it. When they started stamp collecting, there wasn't the Internet. There weren't all the activities they have nowadays. In the old days, it was the way you learned about the world."

Fred Levantrosser, 72, said another club he belongs to, the Dearborn Stamp Club, canceled a show set for May 2011 because it lacked young, fit volunteers to put on the event. The average age of the club's members is in the 80s.

According to Candice, "Avid philatelists say that while younger people may be too busy to collect stamps or attend club meetings, it's an ideal hobby once life slows down."

Shown above, Fred Levantrosser, president of the Motor City Stamp Club, shows off some of his collection.

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