The Cloverdale Seniors鈥� Stamp Club is looking for new members.
Coordinator John Jackman said the club is always reaching out in an effort to expand its membership.
鈥淲e鈥檙e a small group,鈥� said Jackman. 鈥淯sually, eight or ten show up to our meetings.鈥�
He said every stamp collector usually starts out by collecting stamps from around the world, but they eventually focus on a set area or theme, such as aircraft, a specific country, railways, or some other interest.
鈥淲e鈥檙e a laid back group and we help everyone who comes in,鈥� said Jackman. 鈥淪ometimes we get people that come in [after] they鈥檝e inherited a collection and we help them figure out what they have.鈥�
Jackman said the club buys, sells, and trades stamps with members and other clubs. He said they also help members learn the tricks of the trade: how to handle stamps, preserve them, and mount them.
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A beginner needs to get their hands on a pair of stamp tongs to handle their stamps, he said.
鈥淪mall bits of dirt and such can transfer from one鈥檚 fingers to the stamps and that can ruin the stamps,鈥� explained Jackman.
He said a beginner will also need a magnifying glass, an album, and stamp hinges or mounts鈥攚hich are all very inexpensive.
鈥淎nd never use scotch tape to mount stamps,鈥� Jackman warned. 鈥淭he gum from the tape can ruin the stamps.鈥�
Jackman started collecting stamps when he was a kid in elementary school.
鈥淓verybody was collecting鈥攅ither cards you got in cigarette packs, or stamps, or something鈥攁nd I just chose stamps. It鈥檚 very relaxing and I really enjoy it.鈥�
Jackman invites anyone with even a passing interest to come out to one of their meetings to have a look and say hello.
鈥淲e are a very (easy-going) club and we help people with their collections.鈥�
Stamp collecting began almost immediately after the first postage stamp鈥攖he Penny Black鈥攚as issued on May 1, 1840. Stamp collecting gained prominence in the late 19th century and has been one of the world鈥檚 most popular hobbies ever since. There are estimated to be between 60 and 200 million stamp collectors worldwide.
The Royal Philatelic Society of London was the first stamp collecting club in the world, as it was formed April 10, 1869. Today the society operates two museums.
Many famous people have been stamp collectors. King George V, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Ayn Rand, Freddie Mercury, and John Lennon all collected stamps.
The Cloverdale Seniors鈥� Stamp Club meets at the Cloverdale Rec. Centre (6188 鈥� 176 Street, Surrey, BC, V3S 4E7) on the second and fourth Monday of every month, with meetings starting at 1 p.m. The club鈥檚 next meeting is on Feb. 10.
For more information, call Jackman at 604-574-3182.
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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