Our Sept. 3 meeting starts the new collecting season and will be in-person. Please plan to attend.
We hear many people say how philately is dying and collectors are
disappearing. Methods of communicating are going digital and letters may
disappear. When I send emails to collect club dues, I receive a small percentage of payments. When I follow up with a written letter request for dues, the percentage collected increases substantially.
We hope that mail will continue into our future and for future generations. Certainly, package delivery is increasing. While we may not have the power to ensure the future of mail delivery, we can do our part to ensure the future of
philately. The first step is to be optimistic and speak positively about the future of philately. Assist and encourage new collectors.
Stamp collecting was at or near its peak in 1935. We had prominent well-known collectors in President Franklin D. Roosevelt, King George V and President Herbert C. Hoover, along with many stamp stores and collector clubs. Pre-packaged stamps and covers were available at the local 5 & 10 cent store; articles appeared in local newspapers and large corporations spent advertising dollars recommending stamp collecting.
Ivory Soap Co. sponsored the Ivory Stamp Club with Captain Tim Healy who hosted a regular radio show on NBC with thrilling stamp stories. Ivory soap wrappers could be traded for stamp collecting packets. Nearby are the front and back covers of a stamp album published by H.E. Harris & Co. for Ivory Soap.
Harris & Co. also published a booklet, “The Fiery Throne and Other Stories from Postage Stamps; How to Start a Stamp Collection; How to Organize a Stamp Club” from “your friend Jack Armstrong, The All-American Boy.” Nearby is a picture of the front and back covers of this booklet sponsored by Wheaties Cereal.
I trust all of you are enjoying our great hobby of stamp and cover collecting and supporting your local philatelic club, especially the Garfield-Perry Stamp Club. The following is a quote from Captain Tim, “For grownups, for children, collecting stamps is more fun, and more
worth-while and educational, than any other pastime in the world!”
Philatelically yours,
Howard S. Chapman