Stamp Lovers Keep Philately Alive

In response to an article that appeared in California's Monterrey County Herald, reader George Krieger responds...

"Your May 17 article on philately focused too much on economics.

"Philately is a hobby for most participants. For a few, some dealers, it may not be much more than a business and thus the economic slant may have been based upon who you decided to interview, one a dealer.

"Philately is a window on geography and history. Studying the origins and reasons for a stamp or a series is a trek into a fascinating world of history, people and geography. I started at age 8 and by age 10 knew every country that exported coffee or tea. I knew their currencies and rulers and the importance of coffee or tea to the livelihoods of the residents.

"I am able to enjoyably occupy many hours researching and writing about what I have learned so others do not have to but can pick up where I left off. I have made friends in in several countries who have similar collecting and or research interests. When I used to travel, my knowledge of a country's postal history led to much more interesting conversations than the latest movies and led to meeting people I might not have met otherwise.

"Philately is so much more than finding a piece of printed paper to fill a spot on an album page."

Shown above, Gary Haas, who is quoted in the article as saying, "If you were to buy everything, from all the countries, released in one year, you would need $10,000." 

To read the article, Stamp Lovers Keep Philately Alive, that Krieger is referring to, click here.