There are many aspects of United States Philately that simply don’t exist with the stamps and the collecting of other countries. Certainly, the emphasis that American collectors have placed on Revenue collecting is unparalleled in the philatelic world. Revenues are stamps that are issued by governments for tax paying rather than postal purposes. United States […]
Private Proprietary Stamps (Match and Medicine) Read More »
The three different kinds of collecting have different strengths right now and differing market futures in my opinion. Mainstream Philately will continue with its strength largely determined by the number of new collectors who come into the hobby. Over the next decade or two we should continue to see relative strength as the Baby Boomer
Three Philatelies Part II Read More »
We tend to think of Philately as one hobby when it is really three separate and distinct endeavors, each with its own goals, problems, future and marketplace. The three are Mainstream Philately, High-end Philately and Aspirational Philately. Mainstream Philately is what most of us engage in from the youngster enjoying his first packet to the
Three Philatelies Read More »
Philately has always been a cold weather hobby. Its popularity nation to nation and region to region has always increased south to north with the highest concentrations of serious collectors where it is the coldest and darkest. The reasons are clear- a cup of hot chocolate, a stamp album and some new additions to mount
According to studies, most Americans are very worried financially about their retirement, and we have good reason to be. Social Security is probably going to be OK, but the age at which you can receive it, the means testing, and the decrease in cost of living adjustments mean that it will be a smaller and smaller part
Francois Hollande just beat Nicolas Sarkosy for the French presidency. Such political events do have philatelic repercussions though not in the way that most collectors think. It doesn’t matter much in the short run who is the President of France when evaluating the effect on the market for French stamps in the United States. The
What Does the French Election Mean for French Stamps Read More »
It is doubtful any philatelist would change his vote based on what either of the two candidates in the November election could do for stamp collecting. And it is doubtful that the policies touted by either candidate would have much short term impact. But the candidates do have starkly different visions on tax policy and
Election 2012-The Impact on Philately Read More »
Differing sub specialties of philately are collected more avidly depending on the country. Americans have plate blocks and First Day Covers but booklet and booklet pane philately has never been very popular among US area collectors. The United States issued its first booklet stamps in the 1890s but the real engines behind booklet pane collecting
Booklets and Booklet Panes Read More »