2009/08/21
THE hobby of stamp collecting has lost its sparkle in East London, but two local enthusiasts are out to get it back into full swing.
Nearly 30 years ago the East London Philatelic Society had a membership of 250; today it has only 28 members, who are mostly well into their middle age.
The misconception that stamp collecting is for the old or rich who have a lot of time on their hands, has stopped young people from taking up the pastime. The commercialisation of the hobby has also made it expensive to be a collector.
So far, it hasn’t been easy to break the stereotypical view of stamp collectors among youngsters; at the schools that the collectors have visited, pupils have shown little interest in the hobby.
“We use to have a strong youth group before the computer age, but that all fell through with the arrival of PlayStation,” says Charlie Miles, who has been collecting stamps for over 60 years.
Because of this and the Internet, “ kids today don’t like what we used to”.
“Our aim is to get the black youth involved and to reawaken the white youth (to the benefits of the hobby) as well. It’s the easiest and cheapest way of learning about other countries and you can also collect stamps that are linked to your interests, like cars, presidents, boats and trees. It’s a hobby that stays with you forever.
“I have seven children and 25 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, and throughout all of this my stamp collecting hobby has persisted,” says Miles, who resides in a retirement home in the Quigney. “You can be any age, from 10 to 110 years old to start. The activity will never become boring and in fact opens so many avenues that you will be surprised with what you can find,” he adds.
At 79 years of age, the balding Miles still has an impressive collection of South African stamps as well as stamps he has been collecting from all over the world.
His love for stamps began after the death of his grandfather, also a collector, who passed on his collection to Miles’s uncle for Miles to use in the future, to keep the hobby in the family.
At the time Miles was not really into the hobby, and he swapped a bunch of stamps he received for a model plane.
“I realised I had made a huge booboo because the plane flew away the first time I used it and never came back. I lost the plane and I no longer had the stamps,” he says. Seeing his friends in his neighbourhood collecting stamps haunted him further, and he joined them.
Back then stamps cost less than five cents, and today you can get them from 10 cents upwards. A really expensive one can cost thousands of rands.
Despite the advancement of technology, many enthusiasts still use the trusted method of steaming an envelope to remove a stamp.
Although it may look like a hassle, collecting stamps is mainly done through the people one associates with.
Through word of mouth within his family and group of friends, Miles started collecting all kinds of stamps and developed an interest in German and British stamps. His most valued possession is a stamp that was issued in South Africa in 1910.
His hobby proved to be a much-needed investment when his late wife fell ill 20 years ago, and needed an operation.
“She had a tumour in the brain. My medical aid did not cover it. The money that was asked for the operation was more than I could manage, and I had to sell my German collection at an auction, and subsequently she had to have another operation.”
The cost of the operations was R140000. “My history and association with stamps has been my wife’s salvation.” Despite his difficult financial situation, he has retained his collection of South African stamps.
“Stamps give me comfort and nostalgia, and nothing else can beat the thrill when I get one,” says Miles.
For his friend Dave McWilliams, who is the president of the association, collecting stamps is therapy. “It keeps my brain going. I get to forget about all the troubles life throws at me,” says McWilliams.
He has spent the last 30 years collecting stamps and envelopes.
Despite the challenges, the two are far from giving up on getting young people interested in stamps. “This is a good educational tool that you can give to a child. We won’t stop going to schools and convincing teachers how important stamp collecting is, and the role it can play in a child’s life,” says McWilliams. - By LINDILE SIFILE
Tips on how to collect stamps
YOU need a pack of assorted stamps which can be bought from a post office, and a stamp album or a stock book.
You can buy packets of stamps that deal with a variety of subjects, such as countries, animals, people or world themes, depending on your interests.
You can also join a club that provides you with the stamps that you are interested in at a reasonable price.
You can ask friends and business colleagues to give you the stamps on the envelopes they receive from other countries.
Get in touch with other collectors to swap stamps or purchase duplicates.
Never try to remove stamps from envelopes when they are dry. You might damage the stamp.
To remove a stamp, place an envelope in a bowl of water face up, and when it is soaked remove it and place it on clean paper. Lift the soaked stamp and leave it to dry. — DDR
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