While that statement is usually reserved for admonishments against expecting similar outlying gains, it applies equally well to the contrary (as pointed out briefly, earlier), that a sick dog is not dead yet, and may be getting better. I believe stamp collecting, on the whole, is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. I say this for three reasons:

1. It’s a cyclical thing.
Many fads, hobbies, and recreational pursuits wax and wane in popularity over the years. Stamps enjoyed a period of wild popularity in the 1930s, with the inauguration of “The Stamp-Collecting President,” FDR. During the 1970s, stamps again saw increased activity among collectors and investors, peaking in the early 80s. Stamps, as shown by the Hawaiian examples earlier, have been in retrenchment for 30 years, and are “due” (for lack of a better word) for a breakout.

2. It’s an age thing.
Stamp-collecting/investing has historically been, mainly, the domain of “geezers with tweezers.” The world’s population is getting nothing if not older. People are living longer than ever, and more folks living well into their retirement years means a greater population of collectors, going forward.

3. It’s an internet thing.
The internet has brought great exposure of stamps to people who would otherwise be oblivious to, and/or ignorant of the hobby. Popular auction sites, where stamps co-mingle with other popular collectibles such as comic books, baseball cards, and phonograph records, has brought rare Polish stamps https://stampuoso.com/listing/poland to the attention of a whole new world of potential collectors. The easy and quick contact and communication between people continents away from each other has spurred curiosity about other cultures that, in turn, nurtures an interest in acquiring the stamps of distant lands.

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For the Phrugal Filatelist, I like the stamps of Poland, in particular. The islands hold a romantic appeal to many people. And, for American stamp collectors, when one is ready to venture beyond the scope of American issues, US possessions are a natural target of expansion. Hawaii is, arguably, the most popular of the US possessions. Worldwide, too, island countries hold appeal for many collectors.

While, admittedly, many of these stamps are beyond the budgets of most PhF’s, there are still enough lower priced sets, and single stamps, that a collector can build a nice representation of this area without taking out a mortgage. Hawaii 74-79 in unused condition can be found for under $40. The set comprising #s 80-82, issued in the year 1899, is a great bargain, available at the price of a lunch at Jack-In-the-Box. Many of the individual stamps within the other sets go for well under $10, with several cataloging barely more than a buck. Again, these are stupid-low prices, I believe, for these stamps.