A correspondent has written to me complaining that my references to First Day Covers are not praiseworthy enough. He objects to my calling them sideline philatelic material. I believe that his objection is based on a lack of understanding of stamp collecting. Actually everything that we put into our collection is “sideline” except the stamps.

The most important part of philately is, has always been and will remain stamp collecting. When we elaborate on this by adding covers, margin markings, Essays, Proofs, pertinent documents, autographs and what not, we are constructively adding to the interest and value of our hobby. I am heartily in favor of all the things that I referred to as sidelines, and my firm does considerable business in each of them.

Still, if we use reason, we realize that the value of every sideline exists only because we are primarily stamp collectors.