Today my mind has wandered to stamp collecting. After writing my More Fun With Flags post yesterday, I thought of other ways that I learned about other countries while growing up.

I started to think about the stamp collection that I worked on when I was young.

Of course, I still have my stamp collection along with a few add-ons that have come over the years. I occasionally see something that I want to add to the collection. I have picked up several packets of stamps when I have traveled to other countries while trying to spend those last bits of local currency.

Oh, back to the picture. In the picture above I have the last stamp album that I worked with along with a few favorite memories. The tin can covered with stamps was one of the items that I entered in a hobby show during grade school. I also have two ribbons from the hobby show and a cloth bag that was full of stamps.

The two ribbons here were received for entries that I made in the Douma Hobby Show. Each year I entered stamp collections. I am not sure which year I had the stamp covered can in the show, but it was made for the hobby show.

I used the can for years as a pencil holder on my desk. I even took it to college with me and now it is on a shelf in my library. When I see it I always have good memories.

The ribbons have been tucked away in a box with my stamp collection, but when I saw them tonight they brought back many good memories from my Grade School days in Ottumwa, Iowa. Also memories of good friends. I remember helping my friend Allan get his collection ready for the hobby show the second year. I don’t remember exactly what the collection was though. It has been too long ago.

This bag also brings back memories of going to Woolworth’s in Ottumwa and buying bags of stamps to sort through. I remember the bags being blue, but I don’t have any of them still around. This one was bought maybe about 15 years ago. This brings back so many memories of sorting through stamps and steaming them off of the envelopes. So much fun. Trying to find out what the stamps were about and where they fit in the album. Forceps, hinges, sleeves, etc.. So many memories. I would often dig out an encyclopedia to find out more about what a stamp depicted. Especially if it was a stamp from another country.

When I was in Junior High I had a period of time where I got really serious about stamp collecting and was buying un-circulated stamps from a stamp collector in the small town we lived in.

The picture above is an example of a page from the stamp album pictured above. The stamps on this page are from 1952-1954 and cover a wide array of subjects. Even looking at them now my mind is wandering all over the place. I can’t even begin to write about all my thoughts. I do have some good ideas for some future posts where I can use stamps to illustrate. For example, a post about my Dad and his involvement in the Future Farmers of America.

I may have to work on my stamp collection now :-). It is definitely a great hobby for a young child who is wanting to learn more about History and Geography.

Steven