Tekstit

The state of philately based on auction popularity and demographics / Filatelian tilasta huutokauppasuosion ja demografian perusteella

Teksti suomeksi englanninkielisen alla. Text in Finnish below English text. Abstract: From the success of auctions it is easy to claim that philately is doing well. This apparent success may, however, stem from the fact that an aging and shrinking but still affluent group of collectors is concentrating on increasingly expensive rarities while they still can. The collapse in prices of more ordinary material accelerates this tendency, as collectors seek items whose resale value is believed to be most resilient—if not explicitly treating them as investment objects. This concentrated activity can create the impression that philately is thriving, perhaps even improving over time. In reality, the situation is anything but stable: demand is declining at the same time as supply is increasing. The “investments” of deceased collectors return to the market through estate sales, offered to an ever‑narrowing buyer base, which can lead to falling prices and a contraction in what is considered the f...
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The future of NORDIA exhibition? / Nordia-näyttelyn tulevaisuus?

Kuva
Teksti suomeksi englanninkielisen alla / Text in Finnish below English text. I attended the NORDIA 2026 exhibition ( link ). Stamp exhibitions still follow the same well-established formula: a large hall filled with exhibition frames, an information desk, tables for the organizing societies, and sales stands for dealers. For me, as for many others, the tangible value of the event lies primarily in the material offered by societies and dealers. In terms of content, my attention is most often drawn to thematic philately: subjects such as the Moomins, ice hockey, or astronomy. By contrast, euro-era material—personally of great interest to me—seems to be avoided almost categorically. There have been exceptions. As recently as last year, TamCollect featured a high-quality frame exhibit of euro-era specialities, clearly demonstrating that the period itself is no barrier to serious philatelic quality. Nevertheless, the gaze of philately appears fixed on the past, perhaps preserving the imag...
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Five clear reasons why the APS stragegic plan 2026 – 2030 is unlikely to be successful

Background In their newsletter, APS has shared strategic plan for years 2026 – 2030 ( link ). The challenges of APS are, in the big picture, the same as those of Finnish philatelic associations. The difference is that in Finland the decline is proceeding faster, because of order of magnitude lower number of stamp collectors & philatelic association members. And faster digitalization = giving up paper letter mail.  I have written about it separately ( link ). But for the same reasons as in Finland, plans for philately in associations are unlikely to grow with any feasible measures – at most the rate of decline can be slowed down a little. 1. The plan depends on a shrinking and aging volunteer base Almost all meaningful APS activity—content, education, clubs, shows, mentoring—depends on volunteers. That volunteer pool is declining, aging, and already stretched . The plan assumes that: volunteer capacity will remain stable or grow, volunteers will take on ...
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Exhibition philately gives way to other collecting / Näyttelyfilatelia antaa tietä muulle keräilylle

Teksti suomeksi englanninkielisen alapuolella / Text in Finnish below the text in English  Actually, a good starting point of this blog is the comment of  Colin Fraser  of F.I.P. in his column in  F.I.P. FLASH 130 | SEPTEMBER 2020 ISSUE ( link ):  "A further thing to consider is the  over formalization of our hobby.  Stamp collecting is a very personal matter and can range from simply accumulating stamps in a largely random fashion, to highly organized and detailed studies of individual stamps, stamp issues or the postal service or postal history of a given country. There is great personal freedom in what you can choose to collect and the manner in which you wish to do it.  Part of our failing is perhaps to have formalized the hobby too much. We are constantly told that there is a “right” way to do everything and that the alternatives are inappropriate or unacceptable. Rules by their very nature are discouraging.  This is especially true in e...
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The undesirable but inevitable decline of philatelic associations / Epämiellyttävä mutta vääjäämätön hiipuminen

Kuva
Text in Finnish below English text / Suomenkielinen teksti alapuolella Stamp collecting was part of my youth—an era we now, almost sheepishly, call the last century. It was a pastime almost everyone tried: if you didn’t collect in earnest, you at least sorted, swapped, and filled album pages. Stamps were part of everyday life, of correspondence, of the world of childhood and adolescence. Even then, it was clear that the vast majority of collectors operated on their own or within circles of friends, outside formal philatelic societies. The digitization of communication and the disappearance of the everyday role of the paper letter and the postage stamp have altered not only the post but the cultural standing of the hobby itself. At the same time, they have distanced new generations from traditional, association ‑ based collecting. As the activities of philatelic societies have visibly ebbed in recent years, attention has increasingly turned to these independent, so ‑ called go ‑ it ‑ al...
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