I've since moved, but the club in Champaign, Illinois was outstanding. About 20 to 30 years ago, it met in a public library, and in that same library there was a giant washtub full of thousands of worthless stamps. Worthless unless you were a young collector looking to fill up pages! They kept those stamps in the young adult section. Super nice people. VERY WELCOMING. I was the youngest by far, but they were just so nice. Before meetings, the collectors were allowed to put their extras on sale on a table in little envelopes, drastically marked down to get others to share in their happiness. I bet there are good clubs like that still around.

My neighbor died. He was 95. His huge family swept through the house and removed what they wanted. They asked me if I wanted any of the remains of house contents before they were tossed into a dumpster. In his living room, on shelves were a huge set of stamp albums. I asked the son why he didn’t want them. He said stamp collecting is so boring and stupid. I took them. On the first pages of the Great Britain album are over 50 penny blacks and reds. One album of over 500 stamps is nothing but Hawaiian, including several missionary stamps, and a cover from 1859. Nearly every book has the earliest stamps, up to 1920. Saved from a dumpster.

The ONLY way for a tradition to carry on, is to bring children into it.

One of the best hobbies out there to collect stamps it’s so addictive

I was in primary school when my 60-year old teacher introduced me and other classmates of mine to philately. I'm 28 now and never forgot the fun, wonder, and passion he had for the hobby. I bought an album today and a grab bag of vintage stamps today to start collecting again. I'm so grateful for online communities and for people like you that still make us young people feel welcome 🙏

Instead of worrying about a local club, join the APS and attend stamp shows. There are kids everywhere at stamp shows, along with dealers who welcome them.

I found many stamps meetings around the Washington DC area reading the Linns Stamps News

Just returned to the hobby recently. Joined "Sussex County Stamp Club" here in Delaware. Very welcoming the meeting had buying/selling, an auction, refreshments and an agenda that was followed. It was a good experience.

Well, that could be with any type of club. I am starting to collect stamps, but I don't have any interest in a stamp club. Maybe I would though, but from the angle of teaching kids about history.

I had similar experience in local stamp club. I left, I will never return. In 10-20 years all current members have passed away and the club is no more.

There is a piece in the latest American Philatelist about this. As a middle aged collector this is a concern to me. I hope the hobby lives for a long time. I'm getting my kids in to it.

Iated. Thank you.

Thanks for posting this... Well done!

Mate, it's not just in Arizona. It's everywhere, and across all clubs I reckon. I am in Australia and have experienced the same thing. Stamp clubs, whisky clubs, cigar clubs, book clubs... book clubs are rich with liberal wokeness, even my local clay target club. None of these clubs want new members.

Just found out… RIP Bob you will be missed

Bob was somehow one of the most entertaining people even though he spoke in a slow methodical way, I usually watched his videos to the end. RIP to a great man who showed remarkable willpower and focus on his fun and intellectual pursuits despite his declining health.

You were always one of those carefree collectors that made everyone feel welcome and comfortable to share our hobby. Will be missed by all! RIP Bob. Thanks to you, I collect the way I want to collect ;)

RIP Bob.

RIP Bob

Dont worry bob there is some younger guys out here im 16 and like collecting

Hey bob where did you go? Are you alright? I miss your videos

Great video.

What an unpleasant experience, and sounds like a very unfriendly club. The response I've had from my KZbin videos has been quite the opposite, and I am amazed at the diversity of collectors. I hope this was an isolated incident. Certainly when I go to stamp fairs in the UK and here in Spain, admittedly there are quite a few older people (myself included), but there are also plenty of younger collectors too. Don't give up Bob, try to find another one, even if it has to be online.

if no new young members, who are they thinking is gonna buy all their stamp collections? Angry because their lifelong collection is now worth little

Hi Bob. So glad to hear the truth form your personal experience. I had a similar experience but only online via social media platform (Facebook) I have been collecting stamps since 30 years mainly British Commonwealth colonies and a littile bit of European,Asian and African continent' countries. The stamp collectors who are in their 70`s & 80`s, they do have a very good knowledge of stamps but they are rude, arrogant and what I have expierenced they dont have patients to explain to other. If a collector is not according to their level of knowledge they start getting irritated and finally they get extremely rude towards you. The best part for them its normal, they think if a junior collector wants to join our club they accept that collector is wanna bow on them and will hear that clearly without any sort of objections or opinions. They have a Maria sort of group or a clan, all of them are together and will not objective or argue amongst eachother. In that group there is a leader(President) then a Vice President, a Secretary and a few clerks who are their puppets who will spike the conversation and compel you to leave the group, if you don`t follow their rules and regulations. For me its idiotic to hear from you that that club doesn't encourage younger generation to join. The hobby of Stamp collections is dying and we need the young generation to acquire this beautiful stamp collecting hobby. I would suggest you to open a small stamp collecting club only for youngsters from the age of 8 to 15. Where you could teach the young generation all about stamp collecting & share your knowledge with the kids. I wish you all the very best in your future endeavors.

what has happened to you...

Hi Bob. I hope your well miss your humour and videos. Best regards from James in Scotland.

I would like to see how this guy picks up a stamp from a flat surface with his fingers! LOL

Fully agree! And you gave me a good idea - I will prepare a video for my youttube where I will show people different ways how stamps are sometimes stored. I have already seen so many colelctions, some of them where very neatly stored, some of them were really just in plastic bags...

Sadly I find this with so many of the "old tyme" hobbies/activities anymore not just stamp collecting. It's a change o' the times the way people communicate and get along with each other. I know there's some good in it, but I blame a lot of social media. We just don't communicate with each other the way we used to and we don't know how to be friendly without having some "on the sly" meaning behind it. 2 people standing side-by-side in Walmart the other day and they are text messaging each other... not talking! I'm right in that middle age (50s) where I see it and can't appreciate and see it & can choose to be like that or not be like that (obviously I don't else I wouldn't be commenting here). What I say above makes sense for the younger generations but what you experienced Bob is just strange but I surmise it's coming out of a angry response to the way those people are being treated by modern communication patterns (text message only, ending conversations half way through with no conclusion, etc.) by others.

Hi Bob. I am 47 and just started collecting stamps this week. I am hoping to get the whole family involved. Glad I found your channel. Sorry to hear about your experience. Just subbed and will check out your other videos.

Absolutely loved rewatching this video. Hope you are okay, Bob! Thanks for the video!

I don’t need people in order to enjoy the hobby. It’s nice, but I don’t need it.

It must be the heat out there in Arizona. Dried out old fools....

I left stamp collecting behind aged 12. Aged 50 I returned to the hobby, 56 now, I have just spent 5 wonderful hours filling what was a recently purchased, empty Flying Eagle album. This one was just a fun album for me, a low in value but aesthetically beautiful selection of Lundy and Tongan stamps. My 6th album completed in 6 years. We foster children, 2 of the kids we care for are aged 9 and 10...All of the envelopes I received that contained the stamps the stamp sellers across planet send me have wonderful and interesting modern postage stamps from across the globe. (Stamp sellers are very wise ensuring they post older stamps bought off them, with an interesting selection of modern stamps on the envelope) ...Both kids got my heap of now empty envelopes and avidly shared the stamps on them. So there are younger stamp collectors coming through..

I am sorry you had that experience. The Syracuse Stamp Club is nothing like that. We are welcoming and open to all. Though the average age is high, we still have attracted younger members.

The same situation here in Upper Silesia. In fact, only very old men meet in such clubs (I'm 43 years old). So I do it my way. I send cards with new Polish stamps to my friends. I write something funny on them. I give the youngest family members some nice postage stamps as gifts... Thanks to this, several people have already become interested in philately :)

Keep doing yor great contribution to his community! Greetings from Brazil

I have a huge stamps collection and I wanna sell it

I am 12 yrs collection stamps from almost 5 yrs i still have 216 stamps 😢😭

I wonder if the hobby began to end when it became a business about 40 or 50 years ago.

that's fun. Love the Azerbaijan, i need more of those.

Unfortunately you're right Bob they will gradually disappear and wonder why?. Even kids cam get their hands on some of the rarest stamps out there.... It is unfortunate that they have taken this stance. I hope you don't give up on the hobby because of them. Something similar happened with dads rock collecting club and eventually it fractured into two groups. They weren't the same as when everyone was getting along but some were only in it to exploit people to make more money and not for the enjoyment of collecting. The stamp community needs more people like you!!!!

Bob?

Hi Bob, Im from Australia and been collecting since I was 8 years old and now 44 years. Taken up stamp collecting again in last few years. I find it a loners hobby

I'm so sorry you went through that. How awful. As a mom, a million thanks for speaking up for families. I understand not wanting kids touching everything, but even kids as young as 4 can be very well behaved. Not to mention the babies that just sleep in the stroller 😊 They're going to lose young people, but also the income that comes from moms like me who are happy to pay just to be in a hobby, improve, and engage with like minded people in a fun environment.

All good and valid points

Thanks for your video Bob!

Hopefully things have changed for the better over time. Best wishes from Goa.

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