Why not try… stamp collecting?
A lesson in geography and history and a way to ward off arthritis – Merilyn Lee explains why stampcollecting has become her passion
At any one time, you’ll usually find Merilyn Lee sitting at her table surrounded by dozens of stamps; often brightly coloured, beautiful things from far-reaching corners of the world and some of which stretch back decades. Having loved stamps as a child but losing interest as she got older, Merilyn rediscovered her interest in stampcollecting after the birth of her daughter. ”I was an older mum and as I’d given up work I found I had more time, so started collecting stamps as a hobby,” says Merilyn (67).
Now her collection, all kept in meticulously organised folders, has well and truly taken over the bedroom of her daughter – who is now at university – and she thinks she must have thousands of stamps in total. “I mainly collect stamps from Australia, Canada and America as well as having a special interest in stamps of Princess Diana. “The fascination for me is the history of these stamps which I discover from stamp catalogues and the library. I didn’t do history at school so this is a great way to learn about presidents and prime ministers of the past. I write all the information next to the stamps.”
Over the years of collecting, Merilyn has found stamps of all different sizes and shapes, including many round, triangular and even a banana-shaped one from Tonga.
She works on them every day, beginning by sorting the stamps into categories, then soaking them in tepid water to remove the paper from the back and drying them on kitchen paper. Sticking them in her album using stamp hinges, she dedicates one page to each set of stamps and a folder per category or country. Merilyn reads up to see what other stamps are out there that would complete her set and asks friends with relatives abroad to save their stamps, while keeping her eyes peeled in charity shops and sending in appeals to the Do You Have? section of Yours. She donates any stamps that she doesn’t need to charity appeals. “There are lots of Diana stamps I’ve still yet to find but I have a lot of patience. And when you do finally complete a whole set, it’s a fantastic feeling of achievement.
“For me, this is a hobby that keeps me learning and thinking all the time and as I have arthritis and need to keep moving my fingers, it helps keep the pain at bay and stops the joints in my fingers from stiffening up. I love it.”
■ To find out more about stamp collecting, contact Stanley Gibbons – ‘the home of stamp collecting’ – on 01425 472363 or www.stanleygibbons.com
■ There are also stamp-collecting groups (called philatelic societies) around the UK. To find your nearest check local noticeboards or visit www.abps.org.uk