Stamp collecting is one classy hobby. The whole phenomenon started in the late 19th century and reached the peak of its popularity during the 1950s and 1960s. My dad used to be a stamp collector himself. During his days, stamp collecting was very popular among both kids and adults. Postal delivery was also a much more respected profession then. Kids would literally swarm the mailman every time he showed up, just so they could get their hand on the letters.
For the people who lived during the peak period, stamp collecting was not only a hobby; it was also a passion. On the eve before the day a new stamp was to be released, stamp enthusiasts would organize social events where stamp collectors in the neighborhood would converge, meet, and discuss about the new stamp. The spectacle extended to the next morning as people would form long lines in front of their local post offices, hours before they were even opened for business. The number of first-day covers each post office offered was limited; no one was willing to miss out on a chance to grab one.
Back to the present days, stamp collecting has been relegated to an obscure hobby. With the invention of emails and pre-printed stamps, it has become rather strenuous to find a stamp on an envelope or a package. I checked my mailbox yesterday and found a dozen or so envelopes, mostly junk mails. None of them actually had a “stamp” however. The tradition of going to the post office to buy first-day covers is going downhill as well. You can now purchase first-day covers through the online postal store. In fact, you can buy first-day covers 3-4 years after the stamps were first issued (???). How convenient!
In recent years, my passion for stamp collecting has diminished somewhat. But every month or so, I would purchase a book or a coil of stamps, and meticulously scan each stamp to see if it is misprinted or has features that are unique from the rest. The process is similar to buying a lottery ticket, only that the ticket is worthless after the drawing (if the numbers do not match.) On the other hand, you can still use the non-distinctive stamps for mailing. That’s to me a much better investment.
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