The future of philately with philatelic associations

This is partial translation of my blog written in Finnish (link). Teksti suomeksi on em. linkin takana.

What will be the state of stamp collecting in next 5 years? What will it be in 10 to 15 years? What is happening to stamp collecting prices? Maybe you want to collect and not think about things like that? This can be understood, but it might be worth it.

0. BACKGROUND - The past is no guarantee of the future

I have been at philately events and meetings since 2019. Face-to-face and remotely. In social media. Browsed philatelic journals in the library. Chatted with dozens of experienced philatelists. Some idea has been formed of what this activity of philatelists is at the everyday level.

Collecting, like stamp collecting, is a voluntary hobby that depends on your own taste preferences. Collectors of the same thing have decided to organize themselves into clubs and societies. Since the hobby has been carried out essentially through associations until now, they are important and I myself interact with them all the time.

From my point of view, the good aspects of philatelic associations are the following:

- can buy and sell material and also exchange

- can receive and share information and receive useful tips

- sociability: meet kindred spirits and even make friends

My motivation for meetings and events going on is strongly the auction and the purchase of material. The challenge is that very few people collect the latest new material (of this millenium) or are interested in sharing their experiences. Regrettably, you also often come across an attitude problem, towards almost everything new and modern. The material of the auctions is 90 - 100% from the last millennium. I myself only have the main species collections (Finland, Åland) and maybe I'll learn more when the new production ends completely.

The motivation to comment on the state of philately and philately associations (even if it is not asked) is related to a question that is repeated in the editorial of almost every member magazine. That when the hobbyists gets older, how do we get new members, how do we get young people and women involved in the hobby? And later to the voluntary and responsible tasks of the associations. (My short answer: It will never be possible anymore).

Of course, it is easy to set claims of what has been done wrong or not done in philately. The biggest thing is that when the world has changed, the hobby has not and thus it has drifted to the margins. It's also easy to say, it would be best if, instead of criticizing, the reviewer took responsibility for changing things in the direction they want. A substantial change is not possible because it must not conflict with the philatelic tradition. Thus this statement can be a mere disclaimer not to change anything.

Almost the entire leisure culture and hobbies have changed. The golden age of stamp collecting and philately was a "post-war uniform culture of Finland before the Internet ", as author Jari Tervo stated about that time. A few decades from somewhere in the 60s to the 90s. It has been replaced by the uniform culture of Western market liberalism, where commercialism, digitalization and immediate satisfaction of needs are present. The past millennium's way of doing things, which requires concentration and perseverance, and focuses on use of printed paper, will not do well in the competition.

Despite this, one could interpret from the comments of many philatelists that the popularity of stamp collecting as a hobby will not change, but will continue from now on forever. As long as we work hard enough for the sake of philatelic tradition? Let's build exhibitions, attract people to the hobby at various events? This is also repeated in the member magazines: you should just keep trying, it'll be fine, right? When only people are made aware of the excellence of the hobby?

Haven't the philatelic associations tried all the traditional arts for a long time, with poor results. Some young and middle-aged people may have an interest in stamp collecting, but they can get the information they need about it via the internet and social media. But the explanation that young enthusiasts have disappeared into the world of social media and cell phones is too simple.

The heyday of philatelic associations is therefore the world of the past. Association responsible persons should consider what added value regular attendance at association meetings or exhibitions can have? Especially for younger enthusiasts. Such that you could carve out time for it alongside other life challenges, such as work, family or studies. Or other leisure activities. Not to mention the effort and costs of traveling to the meeting place - I've heard many hobbyists state that the meetings are too difficult to reach.

About that added value: if the philatelic association's modus operandi is regular meetings in some clubhouse as well as events, exhibitions, then it has been seen that they do not reach younger people. It is a frequently heard story that the newcomer came to the meeting once or twice, but not after that. Even young and middle-aged people are not interested in just sitting quietly listening to speeches and presentations by seniors. Paper membership magazines and guides do not reach them either, especially when they aim to communicate the hobby of philately to those who are convinced of the philatelic hobby and have more time.

More on that added value. Philately has developed a tradition. We consider it a matter of honor that the tradition continues. If you look at philatelic communication, i.e. magazines, guides, presentations etc. published for members of associations, the cornerstone of the tradition seems to be philatelic exhibitions, to which competition has been added. These, in turn, involve sophisticated investigative pursuits and the creation and maintenance of rules. This joint activity requires administration, which is handled by the associations' officials and the Filatelistiliitto (Finnish Philatelist Union) as a common gatekeeper. This, in turn, requires bureaucratic organization and decision-making, association meetings and union meetings. This, in turn, requires white-collar workers who have the desire and ability to work in this kind of civil servant position. I don't think this kind of bureaucracy and hierarchical, authoritarian system is very suitable for collecting today. The principle of collecting is that everyone chooses what to collect, how to collect and how to approach their collecting. Collecting is therefore a very liberal, individual thing, let alone that collectors of the same field can share their experiences and joy in the hobby when working together. The same thing also applies to stamp collecting. But, for example, collectors of Moomin mugs, vinyl records and sports cards do not have associations. All this - in addition to the change in the world - is one of the reasons why young and middle-aged people have also been left out of association activities.

The tradition will not continue by itself, without energetic enthusiasts. A handful of seniors can put up a philately exhibition, and claim in an interview with a local newspaper that philately is doing well. Set bids and compete with each other for top rarities, even with tough offers. Philately doesn't have to die, but its societal importance, the number of enthusiasts may dwindle to non-existent like Morse code or carrier pigeon enthusiasts.

Young people also do voluntary work, but from something other than the starting points of foreign ones, such as philately. In short, it seems clear to me that philatelic association activity will die out, to a large extent, by the end of the decade. For the reasons listed above, young and middle-aged people have disappeared from associations decades ago, even if some of them are still involved in some association and some new ones are recruited. However, only some of these remain permanent members of the associations. A large part of the members are baby boomers (born 1945 - 1949), i.e. now over 70 years old, and the average age increases by one year every year. Lately, you have been able to read about decease some of influential philatelists (Turku, Helsinki, Korso, Ilomantsi,...), and these occasions are endless. In the 2030s, the clubs in the biggest cities may still be alive, but the smaller associations in rural areas have practically died out, even if they are still in the association register and maybe a handful of people in their eighties gather.

In the spring of 2024, a few school-aged members of some clubs have been presented in a philatelic magazine. Of course, someone can get them involved, especially when developing a program suitable for them (youth clubs). What matters to me is how many of them will be involved after 3-5 years? As you get older and approach adulthood, your interests change. When study, work and family plans become relevant and maybe a change of location after work, stamps can remain in the cupboard for tens of years. It's worth noting. that there are also middle-aged people between 30 and 50 years old who are interested in stamps, but they don't go to clubs and societies either. Probably for the reasons I listed above. In my opinion, focusing on school-aged people is as effective as carrying water to a well: you don't notice that when letters and cards are no longer sent, stamps are no longer seen. Soaking stamps from the covers has once been the spark for most young people to start collecting them.

For the union of associations, the Philatelist Union, I predict nothing but a downward trend and more and more new, even bigger challenges to maintain the faith of the remaining members that the activity is worth investing in. Its prestige, societal significance disappears with the paper letter&postage stamp. Not to mention the belief that everything will continue the same way into the future. The association claims to be for all stamp collectors, but that may just be a feeling about it. Elite enthusiasts share this belief, but they are a small minority. In recent years, the association has tried to introduce heroic measures even to increase the number of members, e.g. investing in digitization and videos. Apparently, the decline in the number of members has been slowed down, and this is allegedly due to better marketing of the services. Personally, I would say that it is purely due to the association's membership fee being halved for two years, as a special offer for new members. The number of members will continue to decrease when this discount ends. In my understanding, most stamp collectors don't care about the union.

The American Philatelic Society in the United States has run a similar campaign to increase the number of members, and even there it has only been able to slow down the downward trend. The hobby of philately is declining in all Western countries, although perhaps more slowly than in Finland, because digitalization is not as advanced as here.

Getting involved in digital communication is not a salvation, because the elderly enthusiasts of the associations probably are not interested in the possibilities of its utilization. Philatelists do not seem to understand the basic principle of social media such as Facebook, that is, that it is not just a bulletin board where communication is in one direction: from the association management down to the enthusiasts. Because of the inherent control, the principle of political correctness, communication can never be made two-way, so that enthusiasts themselves actively share and comment on posts and add their own content. So what would be necessary for social media content to be attractive. In addition, other digital and social media, especially commercial messengers, have such resources and know-how to attract followers that a hobbyist association based on membership fees can never to be, no matter what kind of "social media wizard" could be recruited.

There are also experienced enthusiasts who, between the two of them, hardly dispute my thoughts. Still, there seems to be a certain vocal part of those who want to hold on to the imagination, faith and hope that philately will do well and continue well into the future. Some people seem to have big ideas about the status and meaning of the hobby, originating from somewhere in the last millennium. And who are not interested in updating their understanding. For example, Finnish postal office Posti abandoned philatelists a long time ago, and yet they manage to mourn and whine about it, as if Posti owes them something.

Advertisers know that when a person gets older, it's not worth offering them something new, because they're stuck in their own ways. I think it is enough for elderly enthusiasts if everything in the implementation of philately remains the same, as long as they themselves are healthy enough to participate. A certain part is interested in reforms such as digitalization. It seems to be ideal here, however, that these reforms should guide new enthusiasts to their own comfort zone, to traditional association activities. You never want to take the risk that the reforms would be in competition with the philatelic tradition. And you can't even criticize such a comfort zone, because doing something should be something that feels good. On the other hand, you can't blame those younger collectors who don't get excited about associations or their traditions, even if they are marketed to them. But here is the impasse, a slowly deepening one that is now being proven.

As a collector, I am interested in the current state and future of stamp collecting and why not philately. In part, it reflects a wider social and cultural change, after the time of the above-mentioned uniform culture. Which is also interesting, like for example the future of paper books.

When it comes to the values of collectibles, the price of the vast majority of material drops all the time. The value of miscellaneous remains of the deceased is typically 5-10 €, discovery boxes and sale lots are sold for less than a hundred. Which is why I believe that even the most expensive items will become cheaper to a reasonable level when you can't wait. The price increase of certain rarities in recent years may be due to the corona isolation of the "risk group" philatelists, as well as a reaction to the collapse in the value of ordinary objects.

As for the philatelic exhibitions, they rumble with their emptiness. Very few non-philatelists are spontaneously interested in them, i.e. without a separate introduction. It can't go on like this forever.

The elderly also have a tendency to reminisce about the past, the lived life. History and the past are well covered in philatelic publications, mainly due to old collectibles. But also the past of organizations seems to be essential to report. Why would, for example, the clerks of city of Mikkeli philatelists 50 years ago be important to my collecting hobby? I think those histories are mostly read by the authors themselves. It is perhaps about self-enhancement, longing for the life left behind. More than about some achievement, about recording essential information in some way. Historians are all like copies of each other. But the associations seem to have the readiness and resources for this.

This is also related to emphasizing the cultural-historical significance of philately: as one collecting expert stated, old people are often interested in old things.

Of course, according to late general Adolf Ernrooth: "If you don't know your history, you can't build your future". Does this apply to stamp collecting and philately? I don't think so, because the world doesn't work the same way it did in the last millennium, in the age of paper letters, in Kekkonen and Koivisto's Suomi under “finlandisierung” period. According to the definition of declinism: "the more we look to the past, the more we neglect the present". As they say in the investment world, "the past is no guarantee of the future".

Still the usual narrative of philatelic associations is that exhibitions and events "promote" something? And for this, an incentive system, prizes and medals have been created. What is achieved with such promotion, how is it measured? If, as it seems, the social significance of the activity will disappear within about a decade, at least in Finland? (If not lost already).

Elderly philatelists' worry about the future may actually be part of an identity crisis: worry about losing their own meaning, their own life's work. The opposition to this is said to promote or nurture the tradition. Death is a part of life, as dull as it may sound. For example, the expression of concern about the lack of young enthusiasts, as an article in the member's magazine, does not help anything. When it comes to a situation that is self-inflicted. Unintentionally or intentionally.

Why do I write critically? Why am I participating if I have to criticize? I don't really have the fire to pull a stone truck, to change the activities of the associations to something else. Although something like that has been suggested. Associations have many mechanisms that prevent their renewal, in which case the activity can do more harm than good to the hobby.

I enjoy giving associations in my own way and will continue to stamp collecting otherwise. Mainly, it worries that the associations would not take the whole hobby with them to the grave. Because I've invested in it anyway.

I have noticed that criticism is not liked. It might be taken as a personal insult. For me, collecting is a hobby, not a religion, whose certain sacred ideals or traditions must not be viewed critically. However, it has been said that you could focus on positive things. Well, there is plenty of text about them elsewhere. Besides, we are not in North Korea. If, on the other hand, we try to plead that beginners should not be intimidated, then simply smiling and keeping silent about criticism does not seem to attract them either. I claim that it is about not criticizing one's own holy concepts. Besides, enthusiasts have enough media literacy that they trust their own experience in what added value there is in the activities of philatelic associations - if anything.

It remains to be seen, if the new idea of remote philately clubs (communication via Microsoft Teams) will bring new raise for the hobby. I have written about it separately (link). In my opinion, the idea is something dictated by necessity for organized philately. 

Liberal collecting needs no rules. Or everyone can create them for themselves. Ideologically, I am mainly a classic liberal and individualist who wants to respect individual freedoms, against the regime or institution. The associations protect the so-called quality = advantage of a certain narrowing elite philatelists. It can also be important that someone raises criticism, with justification.

In this blog (In Finnish), I bring my own view of philately, initially in three parts: 1. History, 2. Current situation and 3. Future (with a question mark). It's a long story, in which I won't write about what fascinates and inspires me in stamp collecting - you can find writings about them elsewhere. You shouldn't even start reading the following if you don't want to hear any criticism - related to philatelic association activities.