Reports About The Death of Philately are Somewhat Premature
In the article a secton is given to philatelic investment where the author highlights Stanley Gibbons who have recently reported increased demand from investors for rare stamps and autographs has driven a rise in profits for the first six months of 2011. Better yet, the article references a Salomon Brothers statistic that claims stamps were among the top four investments of the 20th Century and produced an average return of 10 per cent per annum.
Apart from being bullish about stamps as a vehicle for investment, the article highlights how internet trading has driven growth in the popularity of stamp collecting and I was somewhat surprised to learn that stamps are now the third most popular category on eBay. This supports my personal belief that the hobby is far from struggling as some doom mongers claim, it is simply adapting to the modern world.
The internet trading sites have enabled modern collectors and investors to indulge their love of wheeling and dealing to build collections at any hour on any day so is it really a surprise that local philatelic societies may struggle to attract active members who will populate meetings on cold winter evenings? Is it wrong to to think some stamp fair organisers daren't acknowledge their dealers pricing can be somewhat uncompetitive compared to the offers online? I would argue that the reports of philately's demise are somewhat premature... if anything the hobby has been reborn out of sight of some longer toothed philatelists who are perhaps unwilling to adapt their ways or open their browser eyes.
The internet has allowed many collectors to regularly cut out the traditional bricks and mortar or postal dealers who used to dominate the philatelic marketplace. Collectors today can actively and easily trade between themselves to build collections and there's no longer any need to look at dealer buying prices which are set at a third of their sale prices.
So I can see why some elements of the hobby believe things are declining but I doubt an eBay executive would agree with any whinging stamp dealer or club secretary!
Read the full FTAdviser article.
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