Confessions of an aging stamp collector.
I’m turning 36 later this year, which means I’m literally somewhere between a young adult and middle aged family guy. As much I hate to admit it, in recent years I’ve noted several (inevitable) age related changes in me that affect my every day collecting behavior as well.
I do have eye glasses. I have worn glasses since 7th grade, but they’ve been there to support my distant vision. In recent years though I’ve noted changes in my near vision as well. Last night I was doing some Czech Republic stamps, and I rough sorted them to stock book pages based on imprinted year on the stamp. Few years back I was able to do chores like this easily without any kind of visual aids, now I had to rely on my magnifier glass in order to see the tiny year imprints properly. I’ve also noted that I need more light to read and see catalogs, stamps etc. better – yet another common aging vision symptom.
2001 Czech Republic. Fine art, Mi#308, sheet. This is one of my favorite czech stamp issues. Almost all Czech stamps do have small inscription with year & engraver name. With this issue it's on center of bottom frame ("B.HOUSA 2001").
In a way it’s scary to acknowledge that some day in future I may not see the all the marvels & flyspecks I once noted so easily. Of course a new pair of glasses & modern technology will solve some of the issues, but still… Anyway, I’ve got an appointment with eye doc scheduled up for near future.
1998 Czech Republic. Easter. Blue color has shifted notably on lower stamp. This kind of small gems turn up pretty easily from unsorted kiloware if having good eyes / vision.
Some people (and now everyone reading this) are aware that I have a disease called ulcerative colitis. It’s a nasty bugger, that not only affects how often I go to loo & what I can eat, but also other parts of my body as well.
A somewhat common sidekick of IBD diseases (such as colitis) is arthritis. I have days when my spine hurts so much that I can’t sit down more than half an hour constantly. I have days when handling heavy items (such as 64-pager stock books or single-volume worldwide stamp catalogs) makes me feel discomfort. And I don’t expect things to get better in near future; more likely the opposite. Luckily my fingers are one of the few areas untouched by the disease, and I have no trouble making my tweezers fly when sorting stamps.
In a way it’s highly surprising that there are so few supplies / applications besides the magnifiers and loupes to ease the life of (aging) collector. I know that Actulite makes (somewhat expensive) lighting systems for museums, collectors and other special target groups. But is there anything else?
Personally I’d like to see a “stamp collecting chair” with sleeves/pockets (for tweezers etc. misc stuff) aside, as well as some sort of additional trays to spread around stuff. And inbuilt USB-microscope / scanner & display for quick enlargements would be useful too. I just fear the price of this kind of “space age” collecting chair would be quite astronomical 
Maybe I’ll try to built something as such some day (after all, most of the additional gear can be purchased separately at quite cheap prices; the rest would be plain work of incorporating them into any chair).
Here's something my 10 year old kid made for my last birthday: a handy pair of holders for tweezers, perf gauge etc. philatelic accessories. Simple & effective solution that has helped me a lot. No more lost tweezers 
Join the discussion on this topic below. There are 58 responses already!
Want more?
Sign-up to weekly newsletter and get notified when new articles like the above are published at Stamp Collecting Blog. The email-newsletter is sent to You once a week (during the weekend) and it contains a summary of latest new entries and discussions.
Show that you liked this article - and support Stamp Collecting Blog!
Clicking the Like-button below promotes this article on FaceBook:Clicking the +1 button below promotes this entry on Google and GooglePlus.
Thanks for your support!
I am a 69 year old retired naval officer. I have been collecting stamps since the age of 7. Why do people find it so difficult to believe that a man of My age can still be an avid collector?
@Vijay…I have no problems believing that people of any age could be avid collector… But some people sadly do see age as an obstacle to do things and enjoy life. Either you are too young or too old, but never of right age. LOL.
hello Mr Kapre
I am with Keijo on this one. Being much closer in age to you, Mr Kapre, than to Keijo, I have taken more interest in stamp collecting as my years advance. I too began collecting as a child and continued my interest on and off through my career at one of the large international accounting firms. Now that I have retired from that career, I find that stamp collecting mixes well with my second career, college professor. And frankly I am more knowledgeable about stamp collecting now than I was when I did not have as much time to dedicate to the hobby.
So Mr. Kapre, you and I can continue to enjoy stamp collecting despite our “advanced years”!!!
Regards
Dell from California
Ahhh, now we’re getting into the field of inventing. I, myself, am more of an observer in this arena.
@Carol… Best inventions are those made for true needs. And though I’m definitely not a builder type (I can hardly nail straight
), I’m known to have “moments” when I grab my toolbox and whirl up something that vaguely resembles what I’m after. LOL.
Well, Keijo, I have some very bad news for you. It gets worse. But the worst thing about it getting worse is that the deterioration slips up on you. Some activity that you no doubt enjoy at 36 and find almost automatic will be gone or greatly limited but you will not have noticed the decline until one afternoon you drop the tweezers (tongs) for the second time or in bending to snatch something that has fallen you suddenly discover that the floor seems to have gotten quite a bit further away.
” When did that happen,” you will ask yourself and the answer will not be apparent.
Okay, I will be 72 in a few months, so take my word for this eventuality and try to enjoy the skills and pleasures that you are able to avail yourself of now because age is very sneaky. Of course complaining to others will fall on deaf ears. I have lots of friends, shipmates and former schoolmates who would love to still be able to listen to the complaints but who are silent now.
There is a song by Tom Leherer that was popular in the 1950s;
” … An awful debility, a lessened utility, …..”
” … A loss of mobility is a strong possibility, …..”
” … In all probability I’ll lose my virility, …..”
” … And you your fertility and desirability, …..”
” … So let’s act with agility while we still have facility,
” … For we’ll soon reach senility and lose the ability. …..”
Trust me, that is the future.
Dear Keijo,
Your ten years old son has really made something interesting for you, and which I appreciate philatelically. Otherwise honestly speaking the new generation does not pay any attention to this hobby. So enjoy long and I pray for the long life of your son who was so kind enough. Best regards.
Y M Kakar,PAKISTAN.
Thank You for the wise word of the elderly, Charlie. I’ll definitely try to seize the day before it gets too late.
Actually it’s a she, like all of the four
What a beautiful girls…! I have two but they are big girls now, 34 and 32 years old…but that picture remind me of the bygone years…hmmm! I think the pain in my back is quite acute this morning! thank you Charlie for the poem!!! you make my day… auchhhh!!!
Hi Keijo,
I understand you perfectly… I also have UC and it CAN be a real bugger at times…. Fortunately, our “hobby” is indoors! (look at the good side of things…)!
And I LOVE your daughter’s gift! I think it’s really useful! Actually, I think I may need something like that too! I’ll have to talk someone into buying one for me or something because they’re not so good with handicrafts…
Bye!
Hey Keijo,
WELCOME TO THE CLUB!!!! ROFLMAO!
I could only wish for 34 these days! Now,…I could go on (and on and on) about all my aches and pains, but suffice it to say that as the years go by it only serves to build “character” (and based on that, I must be quite the character! Har Har).
And as a sidenote,…with such beautiful girls you will have to push past the pain and remain a “powerful” father,…for the boys will most certainly come a knocking!
Now, where did I put my glasses and Ibuprofen,….???
@Alexandra… Yep. UC definitely teaches to value the small things on life (such as heated floors on toilet/bathroom
). I’ll definitely tell my daughter that her woodworks has received some praise on the world 
@Marvin… That must explain why I’ve developed a ‘grumpy old man’ attitude in recent years. The more pains, the more ‘lovelier’ I get
Speaking of pain… I just came back from oral surgery. The chipped wisdoms tooth (I wrote nearly month ago) is finally gone, but boy I feel severely bruised… On the positive side of things, I’ll get to eat mountains of icecream (and Paracetamol) for next few days.
Hi All
I can well understand the problems associated with aging.
While I am doing ok overall, I have just recently (just over a month actually) had to get a new pair of prescription glasses for reading. Having said this, they are the new ‘progressive lenses’ and I am finding it a little difficult to adjust to these. I am far-sighted but I am expected to wear these all the time even though I am not required to need glasses for driving.. My optomitrist realizes my predicament and suggested I go back to my old glasses for computer work only.
For the past 6 or 7 years, I have been down-sizing my collec tion so that i can concentrate on the areas I really want to have better items for. My regular glasses are not the best for this type of reasearch, but, I do have magnifiers that help a lot.
To sum up, I guess I am certainly not alone in this predicament and can only hope that my vision will hold out. I have also been told that I have cataracts and in about 3 years or so will have to have something done with them.
I guess it is only time that will tell all this.
Chimo
Bujutsu
Hi Keijo!
I understand you, I’ve turned 36 last Sunday!!
@Larry…I recall my father had also troubles getting used to PAL lenses too. His solution was simple: look under or above the glasses.
@Pablo…Congratulations
The problem arises when you peering deeply for years on the stamps, to see if you got the jackpot!…Keijo you are the youngest among all of us! and don’t know much about pain… (painkillers does the job!)
it’s a matter of time,that’s all
re: I’m looking at your wooden block with envy!!! give my compliments to her and I hope such fortunate invention, became as popular as your excel!
Possibly true… Sadly painkillers and CU don’t mix well together. Usually I choose the option to endure aches and pains instead of taking the risk of having my CU to flare.
Will do so.
I can empathize with you regarding spinal pain. Its no fun. Hope you can get some help with your eyesight difficulties.
Great job on the blog! Its always helpful and informative.
I like your daughter’s project she made for you. My 3 granddaughters are about the same ages as your kids and they keep me busy! I got a real good halogen desk lamp recently, which didn’t cost much and it really helped me see detail better. (I’ve had tri-focals for years) Keep up the good work. Don’t get down about aging. Life gets better and better!
(just had 64th birthday)
Thanks Graham
And to continue the Colitis /CU topic…
It seems the painkillers were too much for my guts, as I’m now having a flare
So much for taking care of one’s health… Fix one problem, get another instead. Sigh…
I can’t add to this because it all as been said already but this article I really enjoyed tremendously, some made me smile from ear to ear and other comments “OUCH”,,,I just had my 70th birthday this week and have the prog. lenses glasses too (for 25 yrs) without my glasses there wouldn’t be any stamp collecting,
Oh ! U have beautiful girls and very smart for the invention,, we all could use that, just awesome intelligent daughter U have,, U lucky son-of-a-gun..
Congratulations, Jayne
70 is a true milestone (and I’m only halfway to getting there).
Will definitely pass the the compliments to my girls.
Dear Keijo,
You keep us happy with interesting philatelic news may Allah keep you safe and sound for us. Reaching the age of 36 means to a smart young man and avoid think about aging at this stage. I am already 65 but still keenly stuck up to philately and am performing the duties of pick and drop of 3 kids of my brother in law from my village to the schools in the town and then I am there in the local GPO till such time that the kids are to come out of school and leave for home ? The GPO staff is very cooperative and I help them in their daily/routing clerical jobs and keep myself very busy till school time when I leave. No doubt I had a tough time at the Bank where I was on the post of an Assistant Vice President and Secretary to the Regional Chief Executive. I used to sit on the seat before sunrise and to leave for home late in the evenings. Now after my retirement I feel the life is very very easy and I have sufficient time for my hobby.
Best regards.
Y M Kakar
Keijo,
I wish I could even remember when I was 36! Time flies.
In my case, my eyes are about the same they were 35 years ago and I don’t have any health problems, so I consider myself lucky in that regard.
As for your suggestion that they make more products for aging stamp collectors, I think that is a great idea. The problem is whether there are enough of us (or enough willing to pay for it) to make it profitable.
What is probably better is if we share ideas to adapt other tools and technologies that are widely available at a reasonable cost.
Of course, if we have 10 year olds who can build it for us, that’s even better!
@David… I fully agree that sharing (easy-to-implement / low-cost) ideas & innovation makes most sense to get the ball rolling. And who knows, if the any of the ideas turn up great, maybe they could have a commercially sustainable future as well.
The average American 10 year old can’t wipe their own butt, let alone design and build a storage for stamp collecting tools and the boys are even more brain dead than the girls.
It’s not their fault…blame the parents and the schools.
Fortunately at least the schools seem to working up (in Finland). I was heavily surprised when my oldest kid (11 years) got a summer assignment. They have to collect, press and mount 20 specific flowers / plants during the summer. Yes, plant collecting has made a comeback to school curriculum after nearly 50 years of absence. I’m definitely thumbs up for such changes.
Lucky you Keijo…the schools from primary up to university in this country had collapsed and got running down the hill…damn!
the things change quick!…when I remember my old days…DISCIPLINE!!! IS WHAT LACKS ON THE WHOLE WORLD!!!
And so are everything…even stamps!!! (damn…again)!!!
Hello All
I have a question that when my wife saw me do it she asked and when I gave her the answer she said “You stamp people”. How many of you collectors, if you have a copy of a stamp and find an even better copy of it, replace the old copy with the new just because it would look nicer? I did that with a French stamp from the 1940’s or 1950’s, and it looked so much nicer and cleaner.
Also I think when I get my stamp table up and going again, I’m gonna see about making myself something like Keijo’s except I want it all made out of one straight block of wood so that my wife cant pick up a small block of wood and sling it at me.
@William… I do it constantly.
What does your stamp table look like Keijo? I have not seen that picture.
I need a stamp table. I’m approaching 12k stamps (picked up about 2k in the last 2 weeks. 
@Erik… This post has several pictures about my “stamp den”: http://www.stampcollectingblog.com/a-matter-of-storage.php
(Honestly speaking it’s a whole lot more chaotic right now, as I’ve got tons of stuff spread around… LOL)
Loved your story, Keijo, about why you collect used (About Me, comment no. 103). I made a decision about two decades ago not to organize my stamps chronologically by country, because it would be just a repeat of a catalog with holes in it. Intuitively, I started organizing by themes. Later I learned about topicals and became intrigued with joint issues. Free association is what I love best about the stamps I have and the ones I discover when I’m on the hunt. Most of my collection is loose inside envelopes by theme or topic, allowing me to arrange and rearrange. Sometimes my stamps gel onto pages that I design. As to used or MNH, price almost always trumps my purchasing decisions. The untold story of a used stamp has a very mysterious, spiritual quality to it that adds to its value for me.
@Carol… Loved your story too…
Used stamps (IMHO) reveals first, the personality of the Post Office’s clerk on duty that very moment (crucial)…the rest is history.
@Fred…
I wish it were true here in the US where machines frank the vast majority of letters.
@Carol… Same story here too…
Well, you have the reason to collect worldwides….your daughters;-)
Keijo, Your blog is wonderful. I am a retired school teacher and a retired Anglican priest who dabbles in stamps on a limited budget
I started collecting when I was in the 6th grade & then gave it up when I was in high school…but, when i married 48 years ago I started again. Once a philatelist, always a philatelist.
Because my health limits what I can do stamps are my friends to spend time with.
@Roger Stinnet… Thanks
I think the life of most collectors (me included) includes a limited budget. I confess that for last month or so I’ve been having a “serious itch” to get something nice (like a big sack of world kiloware) for the holidays, but as my stamp budget for this year is gone, I’ve simply neglected my desires, and focused on sorting / going through what I already have.
I definitely agree stamps make good friends in times of degrading health.
A peaceful Christmas to You & Yours from central Finland!
To all us old fogies, may I remind you all, that old age is a privalige and is not given to everybody.
Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings.
36 is not so bad, even – You are very young!
best regards
Milco
So sorry, Keijo. I am having colon problems myself due to the radiation treatments for prostate cancer. Little did i realize the discomfort colon problems cause. I wish for you..better health.
Roger
@Roger…
I can’t blame You. I too knew / realized very little too before hitting my first flare out of the blue (a result of extremely heavy antibiotic treatment for sinutis)… Even in this modern society of ours some subjects (like colon problems, prostate issues etc) are largely a taboo and rarely discussed in publicity. They simply lack the sex appeal
It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to weigh side effects against treatment. Pharmaceutical companies and doctors and anyone who is healthy cannot understand why patients fear side effects. Sometimes quality of life is more important than length of life. Each of us has to live with the consequences of our choices. Keijo, you may want to consider starting a medical blog.
Carol….if you knew!…I’m struggling everyday with medication, for my wife and myself…counting tablets, pill capsules… a never end task!…more than 20 each day…side effects?…yes of course, but then you don’t know what is best: the remedy or the unhealthy condition! sigh!
Yes! I will be the first on line for that medical blog…LOL!
@Carol…. I so much agree that sometimes quality of life is more important than length of it. But it’s up to each individual to make up those decisions.
@Fred… I leave the medical blogging to doctors… I may set up “A Whining patient” blog some day to criticize how stupidly the health care system operates. I have a feeling the right hand of public health care has no idea what the left hand is doing
At last…I hear someone say the big truth about public health system!!!…yes Keijo, completely agree with that and more!!!
Whining and violins and dogs howling and an occasional shower of tears… A good night’s sleep, then back to stamps!
…Carol…you’re are really something!…mean while… I’ll be back to my music…good night everybody!
I enjoyed reading about your stamps. I have been collecting them for more than 50 years, and have inherited them from my wife’s dad who was a huge collector who gave them to his kids most of whom gave them to my wife and me. I have many stamp albums now but the docs only give me about 2 and 1/2 years to live.
@Joe… So sorry to hear about your future “life expectancy” (ugh… it’s such an “ugly” word). But I guess the end is inevitable for all of us (sooner or later). I just wish you’ll have good times with the stamps as long as possible.
Come on Joe!…we all are on the same boat!…just concentrate on what you enjoy the most (stamps) and it will make you forget about doctors say…just don’t think about it, and keep a good memory of all happy hours you appreciate our hobby…
The above discussion reminds me of the old saying: No one facing death regrets not having spent more time in the office.
Unless, of course, one has an office in which they sort their stamps!
But seriously, I wish everyone well in spite of age-related problems. I like what Andrew wrote above in comment #43
Hei Keijo,
I will be 64 on 17 July. I have worked at my current job for 32 years and will retire next year. Like you, I have a few health issues, but they don’t prevent me from enjoying our hobby. I wear glasses, have arthritic knees, and occasionally my back, neck and feet cause pain, but I have good health care providers who treat whatever needs repair or a mild fix, for which I am thankful. I believe that I will always enjoy our hobby and will find ways around whatever health problem may try to interfere with my joy of stamp collecting.
It’s well said from Andrew. Like me, now at 62, enjoyed to the fullest in my hobby, browsing with the net, met new friends, chats and exchange stuffs. To enjoy the privilege of being in day to day activities. This is the life from HIM ! Thanks and regards Keijo.