About difference between a stamp collector and philatelist
Yesterday (and as well as today) I got involved into a somewhat “interesting” discussion on MyPhilately that gathered tens of comments in matter of hours. Unfortunately, it turned also into a catfight between stamp collectors and philatelists in few responses. I can hear you saying “again…sigh”. My thoughts precisely. Why on earth can’t stamp collectors and philatelists co-exist in peace (especially on Valentine’s time)?
Anyway – one of the comments hit a nerve as it labeled Yours truly as a philatelist based on the fact that I know lots of stamp related stuff (as well as share it openly with others).
Personally I consider myself nothing more than ordinarie stamp collector, as 99,9% of my time with stamps goes into hoarding large worldwide lots and filling spaces. In my books it definitely doesn’t qualify as philately.
Most monarchs and rulers of the past days used to collect stamps. But were they philatelists?
Why should an stamp collector NOT be aware / interested of things such as postmarks, errors or printing methods? Who has said it is philatelists exclusive privilege to be interested of these things?
Though stamp collecting is simply a task of filling spaces, there is a very clear need to know all sorts of stuff. Such as how to identify two printing methods from each other to successfully fill a specific gap. Or to verbally express one’s need very accurately to a seller / dealer / trading partner. Or to simply look out for all those “eBay bunnies” that try to sell “bogus products of crapmanistan” as the real thing because stamp collectors buy it all.
Both stamp collectors and philatelists share and live in same world where knowledge is power. It would simply be damn foolish for a stamp collector (or philatelist for that matter) to remain ignorant!
So what is the difference between a stamp collector and a philatelist? My personal opinion is that the main difference is in attitude towards collecting.
Stamp collectors do things with heart and with “easy rider” feeling. They are on a road to nowhere in particular, and they enjoy pretty much of everything (and all the stamps) that life throws at them.
Philatelists on the other focus on study and research, and take things much more seriously. And various “guidelines and rules” give them a very precise goal and path to follow for years to come.
I’m not saying that neither of the paths a collector can go is better than the other. And they are not even mutually exclusive…So let’s let all the flowers blossom.
Just my 2 cents worth (again).
End of rant. Feel free to comment.
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Hi Keijo,
as you know I’m also a collector of world-wide stamps. I think stamp collectors are a kind of messie. At least my wife calls me so.
Best regards
Gerd
I think it goes with the “easy rider” attitude (though I like to keep things in somewhat good order)
LOL
Keijo, one of the characteristics of the messie-syndrom is the acquisition of a large number of possessions that appear to be useless or of limited value…..
Let’s think about!
Gerd
LOL.
All stamp collectors are philatelists to some degree, and all philatelists are collectors first and foremost. Whats the problem?
The problem, as written in the post, was it did hit a never.
I used to think a lot like you once. But since then my view has matured… Yes – all philatelists are collectors. And yes, they still collect stamps but the reasons behind this are far from “filling spaces”. They seek knowledge, research, study, understanding etc. as their goal. That is what makes them philatelists… For me the goal is simply collecting little pieces of colorful paper, putting them on place in my albums and having fun while doing it.
As always, very interesting post!!!
In your terms, I consider myself a stamp collector: I prefer spend time adding stamps to my collection than reading about stamps…
It’s just a manifestation of “the need to classify” psychology, that people end up classifying some type of people as “collectors” and “philatelists”.
Sounds pretty arbitrary to me!
The bottom line is both types of people enjoy collecting stamps , and finding out interesting stories behind their collection and that’s that.
You are absolutely right about the necessity of knowledge for both. SOME philatelists can be quite snobby and arrogant thinking they have a monopoly on knowledge.
I consider myself both, I collect worldwide but have started studying a couple of issues that are devoid of info as far as I have found.
The two are symbiotic – living together for mutual benefit. The philatelist needs to acquire accumulations to study varieties and the collector needs the philatelic studies to help determine varieties.
edit above:
Doh!… “I consider myself both (philatelist and collector, not arrogant and snobby)”
The “need to classify” is the curse of man. And as discussions such this are highly arbitrary, we may be on with an never ending debate
Symbiotic relationship between a collector and philatelist is something nobody can’t hopefully deny. Sometimes philatelists produce and collectors consume; and sometimes vice versa… So in that sense it’s like the chicken or the egg metaphor.
just my 42 (”Ultimate answer of life”) cents worth
This is the way I’ve always looked at it: I don’t believe there are any finite steps between philatelist on one side and stamp collector on the other. I think one can flow back and forth over one’s lifetime and be somewhere in between most of the time.
As far as some philatelists being snobby – I’ve seen it happen, but not often. Philatelists are usually more than ready to share their knowledge, even with the unwashed stamp collecing peasants.
)
As for me, I’m 90% stamp collector and 10% philatelist.
I’m an organizer/collector, it seems like I’m always organizing in order to attach those cute little squares of paper in their proper place but I do enjoy it tremendously the rest of the world just vanish when I’m organizing, trading is the most fun for me, it doesn’t have to be all about profit. You all have a Great Week~~~~~
I know what you mean with “rest of the world vanishing”
(and about few minutes later I usually get a reality check as my kids do have a supernatural instinct to notice when I’m “away” and come up with “something” to grab the attention)
Hi Keijo,
IMHO, they are different, but a person can easily be both, or, if they choose, just one of them.
Although I am “into” stamps, coins, and banknotes of my country, I also used to be into minerals. I started as a collector, a “rockhound” we used to be called, and amassed a lot of material,…and eventually became a dealer. I found out that there were those who collected because they liked the aesthetic beauty of the specimens, or, they were passionate collectors, right up to people with Doctorate degrees who were into the field for scientific research. I found myself as a dealer having to understand the passion of collecting while at the same time researching and studying the scientific aspects of minerals in order to deal with the other side.
So here is my two-cents worth – a collector is just that – a collector. Its the thrill of the chase, the amassing of material, the organizing of the material, the realization of holes to be filled. This can all be done in any field or hobby without an enormous amount of research. But with time, most collectors naturally start gaining knowledge and understanding as an offshoot of the primary goal of a collector – which is to collect! And not surprisingly, knowledge is usually gained quite quickly if in order to collect the $$$ factor comes into play.
So, as a stamp collector, I collect for the fun of it, the fun of collecting (and those who collect know that it is indeed satisfying when a series becomes “complete”). As a philatelist, I seek more the history, details, technical aspects, etc.. And herein is IMHO the most important difference – a philatelist does not have to be a collector! They often physically “work” with stamps for study purposes, but, at the end of the day, can relinquish the material back to its owner. They were more concerned at adding to their base of knowledge by working with an actual stamp than possessing the stamp. A collector wishes to possess the stamp. And, if the collector decides to equip himself with knowledge, in my way of thinking, they become philatelists. I know several people who own a “fortune” in stamps and know next to nothing about them, and know others who own next to nothing, but can spin circles around me in the knowledge department! And I know a lot of people who are both – of course, to varying degrees.
@Marvin… That is one excellent piece about the difference between a stamp collector and philatelist… I confess that for me possessing the stamp is much, much, much more important than studying the backgrounds of it; which is why I label myself as collector. Having something in my hands “just for research” (before taken away) would be pretty close to torture (and no, I still don’t confess being a addicted to stamps, LOL).
Philately (as Marvin so beautifully describes it) is the zen of collecting, and is the ultimate goal of my life journey. I can’t take those cute little bits of paper (as Jane calls them) with me. All of this hobby is empty and pointless and gets moldy without the sharing of material AND thoughts/ideas. (More fresh air, please.)
Ok guys(and dolls)…anyone can do whatever they like. Would you dare to tell me that sometimes you’ve get fed up of everything…including stamps…
I’m a amateur musician, I play for hobby, have 100’s of CD’ 99% Jazz and avant garde music…thousands of stamps, nearly 30.000…I use to make drawings (cartoons mainly) and caricatures…have a lot of housework to do and I go to bed at 1am and get up about 5.30am….let alone all the things I have to do outside the house, and what time left?…just to have a nap and back to the stamps! Lol!!!
Hi again Keijo;
I’m in the same place as you Keijo, collecting stamps if for fun and relaxation. If you are spending large amounts of time studying them for hours on end, unless it’s a paying job, you need serious help.
Get their noses out of the research books and into Playboy, or Penthouse, and choke the chicken now and then!
Altho I must admit some peoples hobbies have made them rich, like the school kid who wrote the application “Stuffit”! I don’t think anyone is going to make serious money studying bits of paper, most folks just throw away.
Happy collecting
Ken
Considering the advise of Ken, I decided it’s better collect
money… yes indeed! so the most you have, the richest you are…and they have beautiful designs as well…and really worth for crooks (and bankers) they are the same…LOL!
@Fred… If You ever get any unnecessary duplicates of the below, I can always take them out of Your hands
For some reason I never seem to have any of these, as my banker takes away pretty much everything I manage to get
JA,JA,JA,JA….DUPLICATES!!!…I’ll be happy if I have at least one of the lowest denomination!!! Keijo, take a seat and wait for it! L O L!
I’ve always wondered where a basic knowledge of philately caps a stamp collector and an advanced knowledge of philately qualifies a philatelist.
Hi Keijo,
Like many world wide collectors you count yourself amongst the “serious” collectors. Well, this is one serious collector who thinks otherwise.
Serious collectors specialize in a country, a geographic area, an era, or otherwise have some limitation on their interest. That allows them to have some coherance in their collections. The stamps of a world wide collector can never have coherance, and so the product of their effort is not a collection, it is perforce an accumulation.
World wide collectors exchange packets of stamps without regard to values. At the beginning of such an enterprise all the stamps will be new to this collector. After 10 years maybe 80% will be new, after 50 years they will be exchanging one group of stamps that are duplicates for another group of stamps that will be duplicates. No gain.
A serious collector is proud of the accomplishment of producing a coherent, complete collection, one that “tells a story”. They verify that accomplishment by competing in juried competitive exhibitions. They receive the acknowledgement of their peers. The world wide collector can never aspire to that.
Glorian
@Glorian…
I hope you don’t mind that I moved your comment under this page/topic; I believe it fits this page much better than “My exchange” page.
I can’t seriously think anything that would prohibit a worldwide collector from building a collection that is equally as good (or even better) than one build by a “serious” collector. A worldwide collector is absolute no “lesser” in knowledge or skills; he/she simply builds the collection in slightly different style and mindset. That’s pretty much the only difference there is.
Worldwide collecting is so much more than hunting down just face different stamps… Similar to what serious collectors do, also worldwide collectors hunt down for “better specimens” of stamps they already posses. I firmly believe that even after 50 years of exchanges, there will be A LOT I’ll be doing and finding from stamp exchanges. But I’ll promise to tell you the answer to this in 30 years time (I did my first stamp exchanges in mid -1990s)
I think a large credit of this goes to simple fact how competitive philately is built and judged. It’s very hard for worldwide collector to take part into competitive philately even if wanted.
As for receiving acknowledgement of peers… There’s so much more into this than competing or medals. A true friendship of a another collector is better anything else.
Just my 5 cents of worth.
-keijo-
Hi Keijo,
Stamp collecting is a recreational hobby with so many different levels of involvement and enjoyment. Whether you’re considered a serious or non serious collector by your peers is insignificant. What matters most is that you’re happy with your level of passion for the hobby and that you’re having fun with it. After all, it is you that decides the scope of this hobby and only you that can change its scope whenever you wish and that’s only part of the fun.
In general terms, this hobby is about collecting, sorting, arranging and displaying a collection to however it pleases the collector. Pride can be taken in bringing an accumulation to an organized state which is defined by the collector. In another words, you don’t need other people to tell you that you have a great collection to feel proud about your accomplishments. Even feeling humbled by your collection is a good thing.
For others, it’s not just about collecting per se. It may go beyond that. For instance, stamp collecting entails learning about the technical aspects such as the production or design or significance or meaning of the stamp and more. Nevertheless, it’s enjoyable and relaxing fun for all and it is entirely up to the collector to decide what pursuits pleases him.
IMHO I consider anybody who is passionate about this hobby whether they are contributing to the hobby in a positive manner or competing or not competing or keeping the hobby to himself and just plain enjoying it has the right to decide whether he is a serious or non serious collector. Regardless of what some others may think or feel. The beauty of stamp collecting is that it is for everyone.
Happy collecting!
Virgil
I think both sides of this debate are subject to a bit of ridicule: the collector mindlessly filling spaces and the philatelist obsessing over printer fly specs. How one approaches the hobby can be influenced by the album one chooses. For example, if you collect worldwide classic era stamps, the Scott International places few, if any, demands on one’s philatelic knowledge. It is a space filler’s dream. If one uses the Minkus Supreme Global for the 1840-1954 period, one definitely must examine stamps carefully for watermark, paper, and perforation varieties.
Another approach is to examine the subject matter or content of the stamp itself. Take, for example, the stamps of Hungary. It is a great country for collectors because hundreds and hundreds of spaces can be filled with cheap stamps. The philatelist can take a single issue and examine the many overprints, perforation, paper, and watermark varieties that the stamps of this nation provide.
On the other hand, the stamps of Hungary are fascinating if one looks at them as artifacts that document that nation’s interesting history. We can see stamps of the Kingdom, the People’s Republic, the Soviet Republic, the Regency period, the pro-German World War II era, and the Soviet dominated post war period all in less than 100 years.
Besides historical significance, stamps can also be viewed as representations of artistic movements. As has been documented elsewhere, we can find stamps that reflect the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements.
Others have shown how stamps can be viewed as “signs” or, more technically, as exemplars of the science of semiotics. See Jack Child’s book “Miniature Messages” and David Scott”s “European Stamp Design.”
And, still another way to collect, is to organize one’s stamps by theme or topic.
All of these latter ways (historical artifact, artistic style, sign, or theme) approach the stamp from the perspective of its content. So, if one wants to move beyond filling spaces or philatelic esoterica, there are many interesting and challenging ways to do so.
Dennis
@Virgil and Dennis… Words of the wise from both. Excellent comments – thanks for sharing Your thoughts