Kirjoituksia keräilyharrastukseeni liittyen

Teksti suomeksi englanninkielisen alapuolella / Text in Finnish below the text in English  Exhibition Philately Gives Way to Other Forms of Collecting In 2020, F.I.P.'s Colin Fraser (F.I.P. FLASH 130 | SEPTEMBER 2020 ISSUE, pp. 27-35 ( link )) wrote about a challenge in philately that remains relevant today. According to him, it is possible that the hobby has become overly formalized. An impression has developed that stamps should be collected in a particular "correct" way and that other approaches are somehow less valuable. Especially in exhibition philately, an abundance of rules can suppress creativity and innovation, making the hobby less accessible to newcomers. This observation provides a useful starting point for examining the role of exhibition and competitive philately in today's collecting landscape. For many hobbyists, competitive philately represents the highest expression of the hobby. It offers goals, structure, a sense of community, and opportunitie...

Teksti suomeksi englanninkielisen alla. Text in Finnish below English text. Abstract The vibrancy of auctions and high bidding prices can create the impression that philately is doing well. However, this interpretation may be with ulterior motive. It is possible that what we are witnessing is not a growing or renewing hobby, but rather the internal activity of an aging yet still affluent collector base, in which an increasing share of demand is concentrated on rare and expensive items. The same democrafic effect probably applies to the claimed "active international demand", as collectors of higher-value Finnish philatelic material are also aging. At the same time, prices for more ordinary material have weakened, membership in philatelic societies has declined, and the age profile of collectors has continued to rise. This may create a situation where the market appears strong on the surface while its demographic foundation is gradually eroding. Introduction The state of ...

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 ...

  Some part of this text is in English here ( link ). Päätelmä:  " Postimerkkien keräilyn harrastajista valtaosa on perinteisesti toiminut yhdistysten ulkopuolella – aivan kuten minä itse nuoruudessani kavereideni kanssa. Nykyään tämä itsenäinen harrastajakunta on havaittavissa verkon kauppapaikoilla ja sosiaalisen median palstoilla. Muutos on siinä, että yhdistykset toivoisivat nyt saavansa nämä harrastajat jäsenikseen oman toimintansa turvaamiseksi. Vaikka yhdistykset ovat toki toimineet kuten parhaaksi näkevät, niin näiden organisaatioiden normatiivinen ja perinteisiin nojaava kulttuuri ei kuitenkaan todennäköisesti puhuttele ko. ulkopuolisia.  Myöskään koululaisryhmiin tai muihin uudistuskokeiluihin perustuvat ratkaisut eivät riitä kääntämään suuntaa – osittain resurssipulan, osittain mainitun kulttuurieroon liittyvän haasteen vuoksi. Näin ollen filateliayhdistysten toiminnan hiipuminen näyttäisi jatkuvan." 0. Alustus — Menneisyys ei ole tae tulevasta Kysymys: Mikä o...