Values of currencies, relative to each other, change over time. When the European Union first consolidated their currencies and issued the Euro, they initially pegged it at $1.30 to the Euro. For a year or two in the early 2000s just after the Euro was issued it traded as low as 90¢ as many doubted that it would hold a place in world trade next to the dollar. Soon however it was back to $1.30-1.45 where it traded until a couple of years ago. Then the Euro began to drop against the dollar daily steadily until now where the Euro has consistently traded below $1.10 for some time.
The low Euro has presented a good philatelic opportunity for stamp collectors. Stamps of European countries have their prices set ultimately by the value of the Euro. What German collectors and dealers will pay for European stamps determines their price in the United States. So for the last couple of years, the price of the stamps of the major countries of Europe—Germany, France and Austria among them—have been much lower in dollar terms than they have been in many years.
Many people buy things when prices are rising. They purchase homes in a hot market, not learning that they should be buyers when prices are low, not high. When stamp prices of Europe declined because of the strong dollar, they saw low prices a symbol of weakness, not a buying opportunity. If collecting the stamps of Europe has ever appealed to you, you can collect them now at prices that may well appear very attractive in the years ahead.