Traditionally considered a hobby, stamp collecting is a leisure pursuit that offers intellectual stimulation plus scores of other tangible benefits. Contrary to popular belief it is not confined to children alone, but can be taken up by anyone - from a scrap dealer to a member of royalty, or a child of ten to a retired grandmother of seventy. In fact, from a mere hobby, it is becoming the focus of serious study and research, besides being a viable career option.

The educational benefits of stamp collecting are countless. Each stamp or cover is not just a piece of paper, but a treasure chest of knowledge. It tells you about the country of issue, about the theme it depicts, and much more. Stamps bearing the name HELVETIA will arouse the curiosity of even the casual collector and lead him to discover that they are issues of Switzerland. The various issues commemorating a country's events or celebrating its cultural ethos educates a person about that country's culture, wild life, flora and fauna, and so on.

Stamps have their denomination printed on the face. As a collector, one learns about the various currencies used worldwide, or used by a country at a particular period of time. Old postmarks like those of India, and many stamps like issues of Japan, bear their local script. Familiarity with similar issues, develops a hands-on flair for cracking scripts and may eventually develop expertise in languages. As every country has issues on its achievers and famous personalities, stamp collecting helps learn about famous people, too.

Topical collecting, i.e. collecting stamps, covers, etc. related to a topic, enhances one's knowledge on that particular topic. Collecting traditional issues of a country educates about the postal history about the country, and supplements classroom history. As a serious collector, you learn to distinguish between the different printing processes used in the production of stamps. whether lithography, or die printing, or other, and even learn to identify the type of paper used.

Stamps and covers are indeed the best resource for world-wide events, for every topic or event is commemorated with a stamp or cover issue by one or more countries. It educates with a global perspective.

Stamp collecting is a pursuit that continually educates you no matter how literate you are. Even a professional who builds up a stamp collection as an extension of his profession, is richer in knowledge by virtue of his collecting interest.

As Franklin Roosevelt summed it, " Stamp collecting dispels boredom, enlarges our vision, broadens our knowledge, makes for better citizens and in numerable ways enriches our lives."

Learn more about this author, Sangeeta Deogawanka.
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