Stamp collecting makes a comeback

Stamp collecting makes a comeback as millennials use social media to fuel interest in philately

Stamp collecting is enjoying an unexpected boom – thanks to the millennial generation.

While some hobbyists have never posted a letter, younger people have helped to fuel a boom in stamp collecting.

According to Suzanne Rae, the chairman of the Philatelic Traders Society, social media has helped to transform the way millennials view stamp collecting.

‘Philately is tangible: it’s relaxing and unplugged. It’s also very Instagrammable,’ she said.

Stock image of multicolored stamps in a tin. Stamp collecting is enjoying a resurrection

‘Twitter and Instagram enable young collectors to find people like them, and see that it’s not only a geeky old man’s pursuit.

‘It’s not fuddy duddy; it’s engaging. You can… spend a lot of money but it’s a hobby you can enjoy inexpensively too.’

Miss Rae started an online stamp shop, Art Stamped, two-years-ago after she quit her job in management consultancy.

Nicholas Challinor-Halford, business manager at stamp auctioneer Harmers of London, added interest from millennials could be attributed to romanticising pre-digital life.

He said: ‘For Generation Y… it is collecting is escapism with a nostalgic slant, giving collectors a physical link with the past.