Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Has anyone here conducted a class on stamp collecting? I am thinking about applying to offer one in October (Stamp Collecting Month!) I know that there are online resources for introductory classes such as the APS.
I have a few ideas on what I might do: include a small packet of stamps as part of the class, provide a list of stamp related websites (including SOR!), mention local stamp events, tell a few stamp stories (C3a comes to mind). There is lots to talk about.
But I think I need a hook - something to interest people. I'm in an growing Minneapolis suburb with a lot of distractions for everyone. CE classes are more geared to older people, where I think that's the place to start. I also plan to get to the local stamp club for advice.
I'm in the early stages of this, but any input from the SOR group is greatly appreciated!
Geoff
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Hey Geoff, what an amazing idea!
Since you are in the U.S. I think I'm going to shamelessly steal your idea in my hometown and pretend it was mine!!! 
A couple thoughts:
~ There seem to be lots of people who inherit stamp collections and have no idea about how to evaluate them, or where to sell them. A section on that would be useful. (And you could introduce them to the SOR community).
~ Stamps provide great information on geography, history, politics, sports, and many other subjects. As a kid I learned so much more about those subjects than my peers (and 50 years later still do have more such general knowledge). You could cycle through those learning areas.
~ Maybe you could include a "trading session" - best uncomplicated by having people just swap 1 for 1 on stamps they like.
~ You could conclude with participants making a brief presentation on any stamp-related subject they like ("my 50 favorite cat stamps", "the transition of Colonial Africa to free nations", etc).
I think the sky is the limit, maybe asking participants what they'd like to do in these classes. Hopefully you'd get some younger people, but us old geezers always like to sit around yakking about stuff anyway...
Sounds like a lot of work for you, but very interesting and fun. I'm sure SOR members would be willing to help however possible if you can get this going. (I certainly would).
Good luck, Dave.
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06:29:47pm
Maybe a short history of the postal system pre-stamps which leads into the "why" stamps were created. Always introduce the penny black. Stamps wouldn't be what they are without it.
Topics are good. Sports, history, geography, art, etc.
That's my idea for a lead in.
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Great ideas. I am thinking about using the Stamp for Every Country from the National Postal Museum as a start.
Geoff
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One time not that long ago I saw the materials for the Scout merit badge in stamping. It may or not overlap with other resources you may be using, but it might be worth checking out. I found it interesting to see what they thought it was important for a non-collector (or beginning collector) to understand.
- - - -
I just did some Googling:
Here's the pamphlet from the Boy Scouts about the requirements for the badge (written for the scout, not the instructor):
https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/Merit_Badge_ReqandRes/Stamp_Collecting.pdf
And here's the material prepared by the APS:
https://stamps.org/Scout-Merit-Badge
I appreciate that your audience would be quite different, but it may trigger some ideas for you.
Like others have said, what a great idea!
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Great ideas Geoff!
I was strictly US and postage stamps only. Very serious. Very precise. I started a collection of examples I don't collect (like revenues and postcards and Cinderellas and postmarks and FDCs). It was a nice little collection until I realized I needed to add an RPO cancel, paquebot usage, state Marijuana stamp, and Local Post. Then I learned about Mourning covers, turned covers, naval covers, ladies envelopes. It kept going on and on and I kept learning more and more. I'm not an expert in any of those areas (just US postage stamps), but it was LOTS of fun, I learned a ton, and that "collection" is now 6 albums.
That was so fun I decided to print off the pages for "Stamp for Every Country" on card stock and put them in a 3-ring binder. You can fill it half way at least with stamps that sell for pennies! I really enjoyed that. I just counted and I'm at 92% completion, but that last 8% will take as much searching and researching (counterfeits) as the first 92%. It's a great collection with instant gratification and ongoing challenge.
I would say the same thing about a topical collection. You can decide for yourself how deeply you want to research the topic, and since you get to pick the topic, it's likely something you wouldn't mind researching. I picked Mermaids. How hard could that be?!?
Then I had to differentiate a mermaid from a harpy or sprite or nymph, etc. I also had to try to determine if the mermaid represented a particular legend or was just a generic mermaid. Language was an issue. Mermaid breaks down to "Sea" and "Girl" - easy to lose something in translation. It has been a BLAST and the kind folks here have helped a LOT.
Hope that helps.
Lars
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Geoff,
There are many ways to put your class together. Philately can cover so many different ways to go about collecting. I would try to approach it in general terms. You might want to check out "Foundations Of Philately" by Winthorp Boggs, published 1955.
Here are scans from the table of contents and a list of illustrations.
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Geoff,
I'd try to find the interests of the class in front of you, and let them know that it can be expressed in stamps. I'd stay away from any of the technical info-that will come in time.
Let them know that there is no right or wrong way to collect-it's all about finding one's passion and expressing it.
Good luck,
Dan C.
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I agree with Dan.
Not so much the technical aspects as the personal connection. Getting serious about press types and such can come later if they want to dive deeper.
Lars
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Topical collecting I am sure would attract some people
eg 'snail mail' molluscs on stamps? 
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Given that you're talking about CE, you could include information on the relationship between stamps and history, on a broader scale than just postal history. For example you could tie in historical events that are commemorated on stamps. Or how stamps / postal history directly tied into events. i.e. the settling of the American west and the Pony express.
David
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I have a number of teachers find Stamp Smarter and write me to say the kids love the stamp related online games and puzzles http://www.stampsmarter.com/features/Home_games.html
In the future, I have been considering adding downloadable lessons plans which include philately related topics. By posting downloadable lesson plans, it will save teachers a lot of work and greatly increase the likelihood of them being used. (It is pretty easy to throw a good idea out but much more effective to actually do the work.) Let's face it, people love anything that saves them time and effort; teachers are no different. Additionally, a teacher may not know much about philately or have experience in presenting stamps in the context history, geography, or cultural studies. We do.
I also have had pretty decent response to introducing young kids to stamps with decoupage lampshades. http://www.stampsmarter.com/learning/HowToDecoupage.html
I can make these in a day or two and try to add thematic stamps like flowers, space, Disney, etc. which might seed a kid’s interest. So far a number of kids which received these as gifts (I give them a new desk lamp and stamp-shade) have come back to me and asked about collecting. This allows me to hand out kits of albums, stamp packets, and hinges.
Don
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Hi Everyone;
@ Pogopossum;
The younger generation is the future of our hobby. So I don't think gearing towards older folks is a good idea AT ALL! If promoting this idea attracts older folks, great, but keep the focus on kids having fun.
The younger generation are very ego-centric and very into selfies. What would selfies on steroids look like? I'm so glad you asked that question!
I just finished reading a long thread that was started in 2012 and is still attracting replies. Ya...you guessed it, personalized postage stamps. Why not show younger kids how to put selfies onto stamps?
Most of the general public are not aware of this idea of personalized stamps. For younger folks this could be the holy grail of ego-centric self indulgence.
One day of class show all students younger or older how to produce these stamps. You could bring a laptop with computer lab access to the class so everyone can see how this is actually possible.
Another day of the class have the students make their own stamps, in a hands-on workshop. Then for the next day for this class, have everyone vote on who produced the most popular stamp design.
This could also be part of a much bigger class about stamps that have interesting stories behind the topic depicted. Never use the words HISTORY or LEARNING in connection with this course or stamps...YAWN, YAWN, YAWN. Most folks who are not avid history buffs are not going to want to study stamps or anything else that is associated with history. Most of us did not get excited about stamps to learn history. That came years later as our interests got more sophisticated and mature. Most of us started to collect just because it looked like FUN.
I had a listing on SOR that didn't sell and I listed it on another site. It was a stamp from Bermuda about a ship wreck. When I listed that stamp, as part of the description I quoted part of a Wikipedia article, about this event. The marine board investigated this wreck and made their report.
They stated that the officers and crew did everything they should have to ensure passenger safety, and the safety equipment and lifeboats were in good working order. Further investigation revealed that the light beacon warning ships off of the reef was at fault and needed to be improved.
They then stated that no officers' certificates were in consideration of being revoked, and they all performed their duties as expected.
Most of the reasons us mature collectors collect stamps is not going to make a hoot-and-holler to average people. You need to use more imagination. Think like Walt Disney, for once.
Still just sortin'....
TuskenRaider
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A lot of great comments!! Much to think about. I am thinking of working with the city Parks and Recreation department. They too have seasonal programs but not quite as "serious" as the Continuing Ed department of the school system. Also, that may attract a younger clientele.
Geoff
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Geoff, Greetings:
One of the most-likely-I-might-ever-do-it ideas I've ever had for a collection was pretty much what Lars described, above: one of each of everything.
For the non-collector getting a first taste of stamp collecting, I cannot imagine anything that would kill their curiosity faster than page after page of just, you know, stamps.
The more different things you show them, the more likely one of them is to catch their interest.
That having been said, the only shortcoming in The Tusk's post was that he did not carry his idea far enough.
The first parts of the course should be built exclusively around Postage Stamps & Your Cell Phone, eg:
- how to take a good picture of a philatelic item, including lighting, contrast, scale reference objects, etc,
- how to post that image to online forums for sharing & feedback & answers to your own questions,
- how to use specialty reference sites to learn more about different types of items, eg, postmark & slogan cancel sites, clubs & society dealer sites, etc.
Things to delay discussing as long as possible include gums, watermarks, tongs ...
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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My primary comment is whatever education there is it has to audio/visual and able to be viewed on a phone or tablet. It cannot be a book, a sit down meeting at a stamp show, a society journal, etc. Ideally, it needs to be created by younger people since older ones are biased on how they think collecting should be done.
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I'm making a list of your suggestions and will post it!
To be clear, the CE class or the parks and rec event would be a single session. I feel qualified to give a general introduction in the fun of stamp collecting, but not to offer a serious, multi session course. If there is a good response, I will take it from there.
I do want to attract all ages, I do want to give a general "why collect stamps?" and I do want to generate enough interest for a) people to attend and b) interest in a further session.
I can see distributing (non-copyrighted) material on a USB drive to attendees, including a list of links to local, national, and international resources.
I don't want a death by PowerPoint presentation or my giving a lecture (while not a professional speaker, I've done training before and don't mind getting up in front of an audience. I like audience participation.)
Being an old f@rt and my kids grown and gone, I am at a bit of a loss how to attract younger people. I am familiar with but mostly don't use some of the newer technology. It seems to me that an interest in collecting little pieces of paper comes first - using technology comes quickly after that.
I think one of the next things to do is get in touch with the CE and P&R groups and ask them what they recommend!
Still looking for that hook. Thanks to all for your ideas!!
Geoff
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Back in the middle of the seventh decade of the last century I used to teach 5th and 6th graders about stamp collecting. I was a high school junior and senior. My school excused me early every Wednesday to ride my bike, later on drive my car, to the school in the next town.
Along with the teacher who was the club sponsor, we taught the kids about stamp collecting, the proper way to hold, mount and display stamps. We had each kid choose a topic to research and create their own display pages. At the end of each year's program we had a stamp show and invited the entire school. The kids had a ball. The displays were one frame displays that we mounted on bulletin boards.
Then a funny thing happened at the school... they noticed that the kids involved in the club's grades actually improved! Ah, we tricked them into reading, learning history and geography and making them curious and interested in the world around them.
And many years later as I was around town occasionally a full grown adult would approach me and identify themselves as one of those students!
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I'd like to suggest an introduction via cacheted FDCs; they've got a neatly-cancelled stamp, a readable slogan, a city, a date, some nice artwork and, most important, a story to tell.
And, best of all, they are TFP (Tongs-Free Philately), and as cheap as dirt.
Yes, this from a guy who does not collect FDCs, but who would never think to introduce a newcomer to the hobby by flipping thru page after page of stamps.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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Hi Ikey!
I think all your points are correct but inexpensive FDCs might also work in reverse. It may be that when kids find out they have no real value and were mass produced as ‘collectables’ it might remove some of their motivation and increase skepticism. Whenever I talk to others about stamp collecting a large percentage want to know ‘what is your most expensive stamp’ or mention rare stamps like the (in)famous Inverted Jenny.
I like promoting stories and special interests for the hobby but am not confident that made-as-collectables FDCs would be the best introduction to philately.
Don
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"Whenever I talk to others about stamp collecting a large percentage want to know ‘what is your most expensive stamp’ or mention rare stamps like the (in)famous Inverted Jenny. "
Ah, our society. The first question is always "What's it worth?" Don, no doubt you see that in the antique car world too. The second question is then "What will it be worth five years from now?" Society judges the relevance of things by their cash value.
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"The best target audience really is 40+, or recently retired, or about to retire, people. They are the ones with both time and disposable income to pursue this."
When Scott English, Executive Director of the APS, spoke at our club last year, he talked about changes in their outreach programs. Upon analyzing what they were doing, they realized that their youth programs bore little fruit, and that the growth in the hobby was people over 50.
In the model car hobby, the manufacturers have discovered the same thing. Their focus is on subjects that appeal to the Baby Boomer generation, as more and more of us enter retirement and are looking for hobbies. This is a group that has the time and funds to pursue a hobby.
And the Baby Boomers should be able to keep traditional hobbies alive for another 20-30 years.
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Interesting. Neither of my sons have interest in my stamp collection, but the older one, an avid modeler of Warhammer, can't wait to have the space for my HO trains.
Geoff
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Young kids are all into instant gratification,and frivolity - as a natural reaction to the pressured formal learning they are subjected to at school, college and university.
It is only when this pressure is off they start to feel that this is all a bit shallow and they start to THINK, and some but not all start to think that their life is a bit short of actual stimulation. That is the time to grab 'em. I think any adult who thinks beyond " sex, drugs and rock and roll " as it is often quaintly described is a potential recruit.
There are however many competing interests looking to grab 'em. It might be handy to find out what their other interests are and try to hang philatelic subjects on the hook of their other interest.
I am interested in gardening and botany - and if I wasn't already a collector I might develop an interest in stamps showing flowers, plant collectors or botanists. Someone interested in militaria might be persuaded to collect censored military mail, a railway enthusiast into railway stamps and parcel labels etc.If you like this is using their education to bear on stamps rather than using stamps to improve their education,
Malcolm
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01:09:11pm
My local school district offers a wide assortment of continuing education classes and regularly asks for new subjects. They offer a wide range of classes (and yes, my wife forced me to take ballroom dancing prior to my son's wedding).
Has anyone here conducted a class on stamp collecting? I am thinking about applying to offer one in October (Stamp Collecting Month!) I know that there are online resources for introductory classes such as the APS.
I have a few ideas on what I might do: include a small packet of stamps as part of the class, provide a list of stamp related websites (including SOR!), mention local stamp events, tell a few stamp stories (C3a comes to mind). There is lots to talk about.
But I think I need a hook - something to interest people. I'm in an growing Minneapolis suburb with a lot of distractions for everyone. CE classes are more geared to older people, where I think that's the place to start. I also plan to get to the local stamp club for advice.
I'm in the early stages of this, but any input from the SOR group is greatly appreciated!
Geoff
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
Hey Geoff, what an amazing idea!
Since you are in the U.S. I think I'm going to shamelessly steal your idea in my hometown and pretend it was mine!!!
A couple thoughts:
~ There seem to be lots of people who inherit stamp collections and have no idea about how to evaluate them, or where to sell them. A section on that would be useful. (And you could introduce them to the SOR community).
~ Stamps provide great information on geography, history, politics, sports, and many other subjects. As a kid I learned so much more about those subjects than my peers (and 50 years later still do have more such general knowledge). You could cycle through those learning areas.
~ Maybe you could include a "trading session" - best uncomplicated by having people just swap 1 for 1 on stamps they like.
~ You could conclude with participants making a brief presentation on any stamp-related subject they like ("my 50 favorite cat stamps", "the transition of Colonial Africa to free nations", etc).
I think the sky is the limit, maybe asking participants what they'd like to do in these classes. Hopefully you'd get some younger people, but us old geezers always like to sit around yakking about stuff anyway...
Sounds like a lot of work for you, but very interesting and fun. I'm sure SOR members would be willing to help however possible if you can get this going. (I certainly would).
Good luck, Dave.
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13 Feb 2018
06:29:47pm
re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
Maybe a short history of the postal system pre-stamps which leads into the "why" stamps were created. Always introduce the penny black. Stamps wouldn't be what they are without it.
Topics are good. Sports, history, geography, art, etc.
That's my idea for a lead in.
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07:46:24pm
re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
Great ideas. I am thinking about using the Stamp for Every Country from the National Postal Museum as a start.
Geoff
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
One time not that long ago I saw the materials for the Scout merit badge in stamping. It may or not overlap with other resources you may be using, but it might be worth checking out. I found it interesting to see what they thought it was important for a non-collector (or beginning collector) to understand.
- - - -
I just did some Googling:
Here's the pamphlet from the Boy Scouts about the requirements for the badge (written for the scout, not the instructor):
https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/Merit_Badge_ReqandRes/Stamp_Collecting.pdf
And here's the material prepared by the APS:
https://stamps.org/Scout-Merit-Badge
I appreciate that your audience would be quite different, but it may trigger some ideas for you.
Like others have said, what a great idea!
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
Great ideas Geoff!
I was strictly US and postage stamps only. Very serious. Very precise. I started a collection of examples I don't collect (like revenues and postcards and Cinderellas and postmarks and FDCs). It was a nice little collection until I realized I needed to add an RPO cancel, paquebot usage, state Marijuana stamp, and Local Post. Then I learned about Mourning covers, turned covers, naval covers, ladies envelopes. It kept going on and on and I kept learning more and more. I'm not an expert in any of those areas (just US postage stamps), but it was LOTS of fun, I learned a ton, and that "collection" is now 6 albums.
That was so fun I decided to print off the pages for "Stamp for Every Country" on card stock and put them in a 3-ring binder. You can fill it half way at least with stamps that sell for pennies! I really enjoyed that. I just counted and I'm at 92% completion, but that last 8% will take as much searching and researching (counterfeits) as the first 92%. It's a great collection with instant gratification and ongoing challenge.
I would say the same thing about a topical collection. You can decide for yourself how deeply you want to research the topic, and since you get to pick the topic, it's likely something you wouldn't mind researching. I picked Mermaids. How hard could that be?!?
Then I had to differentiate a mermaid from a harpy or sprite or nymph, etc. I also had to try to determine if the mermaid represented a particular legend or was just a generic mermaid. Language was an issue. Mermaid breaks down to "Sea" and "Girl" - easy to lose something in translation. It has been a BLAST and the kind folks here have helped a LOT.
Hope that helps.
Lars
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
Geoff,
There are many ways to put your class together. Philately can cover so many different ways to go about collecting. I would try to approach it in general terms. You might want to check out "Foundations Of Philately" by Winthorp Boggs, published 1955.
Here are scans from the table of contents and a list of illustrations.
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
Geoff,
I'd try to find the interests of the class in front of you, and let them know that it can be expressed in stamps. I'd stay away from any of the technical info-that will come in time.
Let them know that there is no right or wrong way to collect-it's all about finding one's passion and expressing it.
Good luck,
Dan C.
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
I agree with Dan.
Not so much the technical aspects as the personal connection. Getting serious about press types and such can come later if they want to dive deeper.
Lars
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
Topical collecting I am sure would attract some people
eg 'snail mail' molluscs on stamps?
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
Given that you're talking about CE, you could include information on the relationship between stamps and history, on a broader scale than just postal history. For example you could tie in historical events that are commemorated on stamps. Or how stamps / postal history directly tied into events. i.e. the settling of the American west and the Pony express.
David
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
I have a number of teachers find Stamp Smarter and write me to say the kids love the stamp related online games and puzzles http://www.stampsmarter.com/features/Home_games.html
In the future, I have been considering adding downloadable lessons plans which include philately related topics. By posting downloadable lesson plans, it will save teachers a lot of work and greatly increase the likelihood of them being used. (It is pretty easy to throw a good idea out but much more effective to actually do the work.) Let's face it, people love anything that saves them time and effort; teachers are no different. Additionally, a teacher may not know much about philately or have experience in presenting stamps in the context history, geography, or cultural studies. We do.
I also have had pretty decent response to introducing young kids to stamps with decoupage lampshades. http://www.stampsmarter.com/learning/HowToDecoupage.html
I can make these in a day or two and try to add thematic stamps like flowers, space, Disney, etc. which might seed a kid’s interest. So far a number of kids which received these as gifts (I give them a new desk lamp and stamp-shade) have come back to me and asked about collecting. This allows me to hand out kits of albums, stamp packets, and hinges.
Don
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
Hi Everyone;
@ Pogopossum;
The younger generation is the future of our hobby. So I don't think gearing towards older folks is a good idea AT ALL! If promoting this idea attracts older folks, great, but keep the focus on kids having fun.
The younger generation are very ego-centric and very into selfies. What would selfies on steroids look like? I'm so glad you asked that question!
I just finished reading a long thread that was started in 2012 and is still attracting replies. Ya...you guessed it, personalized postage stamps. Why not show younger kids how to put selfies onto stamps?
Most of the general public are not aware of this idea of personalized stamps. For younger folks this could be the holy grail of ego-centric self indulgence.
One day of class show all students younger or older how to produce these stamps. You could bring a laptop with computer lab access to the class so everyone can see how this is actually possible.
Another day of the class have the students make their own stamps, in a hands-on workshop. Then for the next day for this class, have everyone vote on who produced the most popular stamp design.
This could also be part of a much bigger class about stamps that have interesting stories behind the topic depicted. Never use the words HISTORY or LEARNING in connection with this course or stamps...YAWN, YAWN, YAWN. Most folks who are not avid history buffs are not going to want to study stamps or anything else that is associated with history. Most of us did not get excited about stamps to learn history. That came years later as our interests got more sophisticated and mature. Most of us started to collect just because it looked like FUN.
I had a listing on SOR that didn't sell and I listed it on another site. It was a stamp from Bermuda about a ship wreck. When I listed that stamp, as part of the description I quoted part of a Wikipedia article, about this event. The marine board investigated this wreck and made their report.
They stated that the officers and crew did everything they should have to ensure passenger safety, and the safety equipment and lifeboats were in good working order. Further investigation revealed that the light beacon warning ships off of the reef was at fault and needed to be improved.
They then stated that no officers' certificates were in consideration of being revoked, and they all performed their duties as expected.
Most of the reasons us mature collectors collect stamps is not going to make a hoot-and-holler to average people. You need to use more imagination. Think like Walt Disney, for once.
Still just sortin'....
TuskenRaider
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05:07:38pm
re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
A lot of great comments!! Much to think about. I am thinking of working with the city Parks and Recreation department. They too have seasonal programs but not quite as "serious" as the Continuing Ed department of the school system. Also, that may attract a younger clientele.
Geoff
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
Geoff, Greetings:
One of the most-likely-I-might-ever-do-it ideas I've ever had for a collection was pretty much what Lars described, above: one of each of everything.
For the non-collector getting a first taste of stamp collecting, I cannot imagine anything that would kill their curiosity faster than page after page of just, you know, stamps.
The more different things you show them, the more likely one of them is to catch their interest.
That having been said, the only shortcoming in The Tusk's post was that he did not carry his idea far enough.
The first parts of the course should be built exclusively around Postage Stamps & Your Cell Phone, eg:
- how to take a good picture of a philatelic item, including lighting, contrast, scale reference objects, etc,
- how to post that image to online forums for sharing & feedback & answers to your own questions,
- how to use specialty reference sites to learn more about different types of items, eg, postmark & slogan cancel sites, clubs & society dealer sites, etc.
Things to delay discussing as long as possible include gums, watermarks, tongs ...
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
My primary comment is whatever education there is it has to audio/visual and able to be viewed on a phone or tablet. It cannot be a book, a sit down meeting at a stamp show, a society journal, etc. Ideally, it needs to be created by younger people since older ones are biased on how they think collecting should be done.
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05:01:20pm
re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
I'm making a list of your suggestions and will post it!
To be clear, the CE class or the parks and rec event would be a single session. I feel qualified to give a general introduction in the fun of stamp collecting, but not to offer a serious, multi session course. If there is a good response, I will take it from there.
I do want to attract all ages, I do want to give a general "why collect stamps?" and I do want to generate enough interest for a) people to attend and b) interest in a further session.
I can see distributing (non-copyrighted) material on a USB drive to attendees, including a list of links to local, national, and international resources.
I don't want a death by PowerPoint presentation or my giving a lecture (while not a professional speaker, I've done training before and don't mind getting up in front of an audience. I like audience participation.)
Being an old f@rt and my kids grown and gone, I am at a bit of a loss how to attract younger people. I am familiar with but mostly don't use some of the newer technology. It seems to me that an interest in collecting little pieces of paper comes first - using technology comes quickly after that.
I think one of the next things to do is get in touch with the CE and P&R groups and ask them what they recommend!
Still looking for that hook. Thanks to all for your ideas!!
Geoff
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
Back in the middle of the seventh decade of the last century I used to teach 5th and 6th graders about stamp collecting. I was a high school junior and senior. My school excused me early every Wednesday to ride my bike, later on drive my car, to the school in the next town.
Along with the teacher who was the club sponsor, we taught the kids about stamp collecting, the proper way to hold, mount and display stamps. We had each kid choose a topic to research and create their own display pages. At the end of each year's program we had a stamp show and invited the entire school. The kids had a ball. The displays were one frame displays that we mounted on bulletin boards.
Then a funny thing happened at the school... they noticed that the kids involved in the club's grades actually improved! Ah, we tricked them into reading, learning history and geography and making them curious and interested in the world around them.
And many years later as I was around town occasionally a full grown adult would approach me and identify themselves as one of those students!
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
I'd like to suggest an introduction via cacheted FDCs; they've got a neatly-cancelled stamp, a readable slogan, a city, a date, some nice artwork and, most important, a story to tell.
And, best of all, they are TFP (Tongs-Free Philately), and as cheap as dirt.
Yes, this from a guy who does not collect FDCs, but who would never think to introduce a newcomer to the hobby by flipping thru page after page of stamps.
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
Hi Ikey!
I think all your points are correct but inexpensive FDCs might also work in reverse. It may be that when kids find out they have no real value and were mass produced as ‘collectables’ it might remove some of their motivation and increase skepticism. Whenever I talk to others about stamp collecting a large percentage want to know ‘what is your most expensive stamp’ or mention rare stamps like the (in)famous Inverted Jenny.
I like promoting stories and special interests for the hobby but am not confident that made-as-collectables FDCs would be the best introduction to philately.
Don
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
"Whenever I talk to others about stamp collecting a large percentage want to know ‘what is your most expensive stamp’ or mention rare stamps like the (in)famous Inverted Jenny. "
Ah, our society. The first question is always "What's it worth?" Don, no doubt you see that in the antique car world too. The second question is then "What will it be worth five years from now?" Society judges the relevance of things by their cash value.
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re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
"The best target audience really is 40+, or recently retired, or about to retire, people. They are the ones with both time and disposable income to pursue this."
When Scott English, Executive Director of the APS, spoke at our club last year, he talked about changes in their outreach programs. Upon analyzing what they were doing, they realized that their youth programs bore little fruit, and that the growth in the hobby was people over 50.
In the model car hobby, the manufacturers have discovered the same thing. Their focus is on subjects that appeal to the Baby Boomer generation, as more and more of us enter retirement and are looking for hobbies. This is a group that has the time and funds to pursue a hobby.
And the Baby Boomers should be able to keep traditional hobbies alive for another 20-30 years.
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06:55:27pm
re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
Interesting. Neither of my sons have interest in my stamp collection, but the older one, an avid modeler of Warhammer, can't wait to have the space for my HO trains.
Geoff
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02:18:52pm
re: Continuing Education and Stamp Collecting
Young kids are all into instant gratification,and frivolity - as a natural reaction to the pressured formal learning they are subjected to at school, college and university.
It is only when this pressure is off they start to feel that this is all a bit shallow and they start to THINK, and some but not all start to think that their life is a bit short of actual stimulation. That is the time to grab 'em. I think any adult who thinks beyond " sex, drugs and rock and roll " as it is often quaintly described is a potential recruit.
There are however many competing interests looking to grab 'em. It might be handy to find out what their other interests are and try to hang philatelic subjects on the hook of their other interest.
I am interested in gardening and botany - and if I wasn't already a collector I might develop an interest in stamps showing flowers, plant collectors or botanists. Someone interested in militaria might be persuaded to collect censored military mail, a railway enthusiast into railway stamps and parcel labels etc.If you like this is using their education to bear on stamps rather than using stamps to improve their education,
Malcolm
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