NATIONAL STAMP COLLECTING MONTH | October
National Stamp Collecting Month is an annual designation observed in October. Stamp collecting has long been one of the most popular hobbies in the world. Stamps were invented in 1837 as a means for people to pay for their mail, and it wasn’t long after that that people started collecting them! In those days, stamp collectors were also called philatelists… A term that has stuck for some of the more die hard stamp collectors. Se the 1800’s, stamps have undergone many changes. They’ve been perforated, coiled, and printed, and have become more and more colorful. Looking at a long timeline of stamps can actually be very beautiful!
Today, many people collect stamps as families and pass them along to their children. Believe it or not, it’s been so popular that some have called it “the world’s most popular hobby” and “the hobby of a lifetime.”
HOW TO OBSERVE
Add to your stamp collection or start one. Use #StampCollectingMonth to post on social media. Stamp collecting is an easy, fun, inexpensive hobby… and it can be pretty educational, too! Here are some fun places to go stamp-hunting this month.
- Your local post office. If you let them know you want to get into stamp collecting for National Stamp Collecting Month, they may be more helpful than you expect!
- Your local public library is a great next step. They may have some great ideas or cool books for you to check out regarding stamp collecting.
- Local merchants are always a good stop to make, too. Visit with your local retail shops and see if they have anything fun to offer you. If you’ve never been big into stamp collecting… You probably don’t understand all the hype at this point. But there’s a reason 5 million people in the U.S. do it!
HISTORY
National Stamp Collecting Month began in 1981 by the Council of Philatelic Organizations and the United States Postal Service.