Collecting is one of the
most firmly established hobby and archeologist's, scholar's, research worker's
proven that earliest cave - women collected brightly colored stones and shells.
It is natural everyone considers his own hobby to be the best one like books,
bus tickets, cassettes, cigarette cards, coins, clocks, currency, match boxes,
medals, paintings, photos, sports cars, telephone cards. The list is endless but
the most popular and universal is stamp collecting. This is because stamps have
many advantages over other collectible objects such as books, coins, paintings
etc. A stamp is not just a the little pieces of printed-paper with beautiful
pictures or designs on them. They are not only an enjoyment to the eye but also
stamps are very easy to obtains, they are not as expensive as books or coins and
paintings. They take up very little room and do not need much expensive
equipment to study them.
Stamp collection is not a expensive hobby, but at the same time very educative
and informative. A stamp collection will know the geographical position as to
where to particular state or country is situated. The history of the country,
whether an independent state or a colony of major power, the capital of the
country, the language spoken, the flora and fauna, agriculture, industry, the
export and import, military and police forces and all other activities of the
country as they are represented on the stamps.
The hobby of collecting stamps is called the kings of all hobbies. It's advanced
stage of stamp collecting is known as philately. It included the study of stamps
and research carried out regarding stamps. The experts of stamps collecting is
known as 'Philatelists'. Philately is a word, which originated form Greek
language ' Phila ' means love and' Telly ' stands for non taxable thins. Hence
love for non taxable items is called philately. Here stamps are referred as non
taxable items. Therefore, it is modern terminology which is adopted for this
worlds most attractive hobby.
Given below the some of the feature of stamp collecting:-
They work as cultural bridge between two countries.
The stamp collecting hobby is also a profitable and useful means of investing
one's saving and surplus money.
It is much popular among the poor as among rich, this hobby is found in the huts
as well as in the palaces.
There is no depreciation the value of stamps.
This hobby affected neither by social revolutions nor by political upheavals. It
is such a hobby which never looks backwards.
Many kings and head of the states and millionaires have formed valuable
collections of the world. King George V, King George VI, Edward VII ( Prince of
Wales), Queen Elizabeth, King Carol and Queen Mana of Raumania, King Farouk of
Egypt, Former American President Franklin Roosevelt. Adolf Hitler, Maharaja
Jiyaji Rao Sindhia of Gwalior, the Nawab of Bahawalpur, Jawaharlal Nehru,
Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and many other famous people have collected
stamps.