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Ensuring the future.

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

"Stamp collecting's just as vibrant today as it was 50 years ago." RUNS :04

Some stamp collectors would disagree, saying they aren't seeing young people. Scott English,
the executive director of the American Philatelic Society, the biggest stamp collecting
organization in the U-S, says young adults are busy establishing families and careers, not
joining organizations.

"Younger people, and I mean even into their 40s, who have young families, they're dedicated
to life, they're not dedicated to a hobby or they're not dedicated to public service, so
you aren't going to see them nearly as much, so if they're not around, that means you think
they're not actually doing anything." RUNS :15

But English says there ARE still many stamp collectors, you can see them buying and selling
online.

"I think our challenge is to be able to figure out how are we going to be able to accommodate
the world that they live in today so that they can be more active in organized philately."
RUNS :07

As for getting new people to START collecting, English says there's a wide variety of opinions.

"Some people believe we need to be active in nursing homes. Some people think we need to be
handing out stamps to every 5th grader in schools. Some people believe that all of that's a
waste of time and money and we're just doing okay."  RUNS :11

English wasn't a stamp collector when he was hired two years ago. His career had been politics,
but he doesn't miss it. He says this may be more worthwhile.

"Having a hobby and being able to do something with it is ultimately how you connect to people,
and there are relationships you can build long-term.  That's going to matter to this country."
RUNS :08

I’m Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting,
visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.

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