The other day, I received a belated Christmas card from a cousin, in Australia. On the envelope was a very attractive Christmas-themed postage stamp. It reminded me of the stamp album that belonged to my grandfather and was passed down to me when I was a schoolboy.
Unfortunately, it must have been mislaid during one of my many moves, as I no longer have it. The collecting of postage stamps is related to philately, which is the study of stamps and you may know someone who has, at some time, collected stamps as a hobby.
I wondered if stamp collecting is still popular and whether or not the use of email and the diminishing of letter writing has affected this hobby. Well, according to lifestorage.com, stamps are one of the most collected items. Others include: comic books, coins and currency, vinyl records, classic cars, trading cards, dolls and toys, wine, fine art and jewellery.
Which led me to think about how other hobbies may have been influenced by changing times. I know some of the toys my siblings and I played with, as children, would now be highly-valued. Many things have become collector’s items due to their increasing scarcity, others due to their novelty factor. I know people who collect various objects, from theatre programmes to beer mats, old cameras to thimbles snow globes to blue glass bottles.
The only thing I now collect are the number bibs from the various races I have completed. Fortunately, these can be put into a ring binder and only take up a small amount of shelf space. Tom Hanks, however, collects typewriters and has written a book about them. In 2017, he said “I probably have 250 plus typewriters in my collection, I would say 90 per cent of them are in perfect, working order.”
You may have to actively go and search for the items you collect. It may mean you have to make contact with others in order to acquire certain items. There may be a group of enthusiasts who share the same hobby as you. I wonder what items you might collect and what is their appeal?
Do you know someone who collects objects that were once considered commonplace, everyday items? Which items that are everywhere today but could become collector’s items for future generations?
You may not even collect objects, perhaps your passion is gathering experiences, like tackling challenging hikes, running a series of races, visiting certain places.
Whether it’s building a collection or some other hobby, it’s good to have an interest outside of your regular, everyday experiences. It expands the mind and can, in certain circumstances, lead to meeting people and being proactive.
Whatever your hobby, I hope it gives you as much pleasure as stamp collecting obviously did for my granddad.
© 2019 Martin Parnell
www.martinparnell.com
