European Stamp Prices & News

A survey by the Royal Mail in England found that kids who collect stamps generally grow up to be more intelligent, to be more successful, and to have all around better lives. Adults who collect also hone skills important in life.

Among the specific revelations of the study:

• Have a college degree:
  General public: 20%   Stamp collectors: 74%

• Average yearly salary:
  General public: £23,000   Stamp collectors: £30,000

• Have homes with more than 3 bedrooms:
  General public: 33%   Stamp collectors: 75%

• Have a second holiday home:
  General public: 1%   Stamp collectors: 14%

Also, stamp collectors tended to take more and/or longer vacations every year.

England has about 2,500,000 stamp collectors - 90% of them men. Some experts reckon that the survey results are due to the diligence and attention to detail that stamp collecting requires, as skills are built that are applicable in school, work, and life in general. With these abilities, one can take control of his or her own life and make more and better decisions.

The numbers above are too big to be a statistical anomoly; stamp collecting really does seem to attract and produce the best of the best.

Of course, these results are only applicable to England; perhaps this is because postage stamps originated there, as did the idea of philately (in the 1850’s). In fact, examples of the very first stamps, the “Penny Black” and the “Tuppence Blue”, are still easily found, and surprisingly aren’t too expensive (unless they’re in especially good condition). Check local stamp shops or (much easier) online sites: eBay usually has a few current auctions running with England’s earliest issues.

So, the UK leads the way, as usual, in the philately world - and stamp collectors lead England. Not a bad legacy for a country to be able to claim as its own.

Start your own stamp collection with the world’s very first stamps. With a little eBay savvy and luck, you could get the first two, the Penny Black and the Tuppence Blue, for less than $20 each:
Penny Black - World’s first postage stamp (England, 6 May 1840)
Tuppence Blue - World’s second postage stamp (England, 8 May 1840)

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