COLLECT STAMPS

There are few things in life as simple as a postage stamp, yet back in the 1830s they were every bit as revolutionary as email was in the 1990s.

While the history of stamps isn’t even two centuries old, there is something about them that eventually captured the public’s imagination, despite a cautious start.

Before the advent of stamps, if you wanted to send a letter, your greatest obstacle tended to be literacy. Sure, you might be able to read and write, but that didn’t mean the person you sought to contact could. There was also the fact that the receiver paid for the missive. Needless to say, a great many letters were rejected, probably for financial reasons. It wasn’t a great system. There had to be a better way.

There was. But when, in 1837, English inventor, social reformer and teacher Rowland Hill came up with the idea of a stamp, paid for by the user to send letters anywhere they wanted, he was ridiculed. Yet in almost no time Hill’s invention had revolutionised the postal system.

By 1840, the United Kingdom had produced the world’s first adhesive postal stamp, the Penny Black, featuring the young Queen Victoria. Within 20 years, the postage stamp had reached Australia and word had it the royal families of Europe were even collecting the wee things.

The public, too, soon became obsessed, with stamp-collecting groups and magazines dedicated to the topic springing up all over the world. By the 20th century, collecting was widespread, with stamps even being featured in museum displays. Despite the invention of rivals to the post, such as the phone, telegram and fax machines, stamps held their ground.

Then came email, followed by smart phones and text messaging, and the simple art of affixing a stamp to an envelope and posting a letter became almost defunct.

Stamps are part of a nation’s identity. They can honour a country’s great achievers and achievements while teaching children everything from geography to maths. Collecting stamps engages us with history, and in understanding our past we can better grasp the present and even foresee the future. It can also help to develop patience and research skills, which can be applied to pretty much all aspects of life, be you a child or an adult.

HOW TO STICK WITH STAMPS

•  The heyday of stamps may have only lasted just over 150 years, but in that time they have honoured all walks of society and, of course, the scarcer they become, the more valuable they are.

•  If you have an old stamp album from your childhood, dig it out: you may be surprised at the memories it brings back.

•  If you have school-age children or grandchildren, why not share your old stamp album with them. (You may need to explain exactly what stamps are and how they’re used.)

•  If you receive letters from friends or family around the world, save the stamps for your children or grandchildren – if they can be given a head start in their collection, they are more likely to run with the idea.

•  Depending on where you live, you may still be able to find a dedicated stamp-collecting shop to help you pursue the interest. Otherwise online markets are a great place to add to a collection.

•  Search the internet for local stamp-collecting groups or online message boards, where you can chat with like-minded people.

•  Use the internet or visit your local stamp shop for the latest on how best to store your stamps and their value.