Resolve in 2025 to better understand the art of collecting

As a new year begins, it's a good opportunity to think about how you are faring inyour hobby whether you collect stamps, coins, pinback buttons or automobiles. It's important to understand that any type of collecting really is more than justacquiring new items. A hobby such as philately can be educational and informative. Stamps and postal history tell stories, record events of bygone years and teach abouthistory, geography and even pop culture. Let's review some key questions that any hobbyist who is building a collectioncan resolve to ask themselves and gain new insight in 2025. How much are you learning from the stamps and covers in your collection? We collect items for many reasons. Surely, there is enjoyment. There can bemuch more in the world of stamp collecting. Looking at a stamp or a cover and doing alittle research about the topic depicted or the addressee/sender of a piece of mail allowsus to explore a topic or local history. Stamps and postmarks can teach geography, history, science, culture andreligion. It can be satisfying to know the "why" behind a stamp or cover, allowing fordeeper understanding of the Are you building a research library, even if limited, that can serve as aresource to better understand what you collect? "Knowledge is power," the old adage goes. It's never more the case than inphilately. Books, guidebooks and catalogs have been published since stamp collectingbegan in the mid-19th century. Some publications take a deep dive that appeal primarilyto specialists. However, many books tell interesting stories about the hobby, individualcollectors and the development of a particular stamp issue. Various catalogs provide basic or detailed information about stamps. Amongthe best known is the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, published by AmosMedia in Sidney, Ohio. It is available in six volumes that cover the world, a U.S.specialized edition and a comprehensive volume focusing on classic stamps issued1840 through 1940. While the entire set of Scott catalogs can be expensive, local libraries usuallyhave them available to borrow. In addition, specialty catalogs focus on one country or a region of the world. For example, the Fischer catalog covers Poland; Unitrade focuses on Canada. Purchasing such a catalog every few years can serve as a great resource. Do you keep an inventory and is it up to date? The American Philatelic Society recommends that all collectors keep some kindof inventory, even if it is basic. An inventory can be comprehensive, compiled in an Excel spreadsheet, thatdetails the catalog number of each item, its value and even the purchase price and date of purchase. A simpler inventory might be a list describing what is in a collection, where it is stored and an approximate value. Ken Martin, APS director of expertizing, told the Black River Stamp Club during avisit in April 2023 that even a simple inventor is better than no inventory. It can be aninvaluable aide to heirs when your album closes for the final time. Do you subscribe to bulletins, journals or magazines that provideknowledge, discuss market trends or connect collectors with dealers? In the U.S., the weekly Linn's Stamp News has been published for more than 100years. In 2024 it went completely digital. It and its sister print magazine Scott StampMonthly provide news about new stamp issues, updates about the U.S. Postal Serviceand interesting stories about collecting. Other subscription publications include the monthly American Stamp Collectorand Dealer form the American Stamp Dealers Association and StampNewsNow.comwhich offers Mekeel's &amp; Stamps magazine and U.S. Stamp News magazine online. Do you belong to a club or specialty society? Local stamp clubs, like the Black River Stamp Club in Lorain County (see theclub's Facebook page for the latest news), bring collectors together, generally once amonth. A club can be as much social as it is about stamp collecting.Club meetings can include a program, short business meeting and opportunitiesto purchase items from members. Depending on your collecting interest, joining a specialty society can connect youwith others who collect what you do. They can be national or international in scopewhile giving members the opportunity to learn more about their interest. If you have aspecial collection, then there's likely a society you can join to learn more and share yourknowledge. Most publish a journal or bulletin several times annually.Dennis Sadowski can be reached at sadowski.dennis@gmail.com.