I attend many stamp exhibitions each year, and I never fail to notice that only those local collectors who are already affiliated with organized philately manage to visit the shows.

These are the people who are already informed about the fine points of stamp collecting. The unaffiliated collectors, who far outnumber those in attendance and who can most benefit from the knowledge to be gained by viewing a good exhibition, rarely show up!

A stamp show in a western city recently recorded an outstanding turnout. Yet, despite attractive newspaper, radio and television publicity, eight unaffiliated stamp collectors of my acquaintance couldn’t find time to see the excellent exhibition.

This just shouldn’t happen. Philately is more than placing a hinge on a stamp and putting it in an album. Philately is a sharing of knowledge and ideas. No matter how much you may know about the hobby, you are sure to learn a little more by observing another philatelist’s efforts and perhaps another philatelist can learn something by observing your efforts as well.

You don’t have to join a stamp club. There will always be a place in the hobby for “lone-wolf” collectors, but if the avocation of stamp collecting is good enough for you to be one of its followers, then it should be of sufficient worth for you to support it. One way to support philately is to attend the local stamp shows.