For some members of the Merrimack County Stamp Collectors, the once-a-month meetings are much more meaningful than just serving as an opportunity to exchange stamps and beef up collections.
It’s a chance for members to see old friends, make new ones, and connect with folks who share the same passion for collecting thumb-sized pieces of postage history.
While stamp collecting is a hobby for most people in the group, listening to the stories they have to tell makes it obvious just how deeply they care about their craft.
Take, for example, the touching story of a former member, as told by Dan Day, founder and president of the Merrimack County Stamp Collectors.
The man, who had an astounding collection of stamps, postcards, and photos depicting the travels of the infamous Hindenburg airship, became good friends with Day during his time in the club. He even visited Day during a stint in the hospital after surgery – the only person to do so.
Sadly, the gentleman passed away just six months later.
“It was tough,” Day said. “I talked to his wife afterwards and she just said, ‘He always wanted to tell you that he loved the club, he enjoyed it so much.’ ”
Consider the story of another former member, a retired math teacher who only collected stamps featuring the mathematician Copernicus.
Out of 45 possible stamps, the man had 41.
“A member found an inexpensive one that he didn’t have and when he told the guy – you’d think he gave him a million dollars, you really would,” Day said.
Despite the deep connections that the group has helped form, at the end of the day, the goal is still to buy, sell and swap stamps, and just have fun.
“We get together once a month and raise hell, in a church,” Day said with a laugh.
Founded in 2004, the stamp collectors club meets at 1 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month (except July) at the Bow Mills United Methodist Church.
While the group is still fairly small, the passion and quality of the club members makes going to meetings something to look forward to for everyone involved
“I can’t wait to go again,” said Conky O’Connell, who is 87 years old. “It’s a really nice group of people and I enjoy talking to, teaching, and learning from all of them.”
O’Connell, like Day and many other members of the group, got a taste of stamp collecting when he was just a kid.
“My aunt worked for a company that got a lot of letters – she saved them for me.” O’Connell said.
However, he really didn’t collect much for most of his life, only starting again when he was retired and rediscovered his collection and passion for stamps.
The same applies to Day, who said that retirement is a common impetus for getting back into hobbies like collecting.
“You grow up, get married, have kids, and tuck that stuff away,” said Day, who collects any and all U.S. stamps, “Now, it gives me something to do.”
Day started the club simply by looking to see if there was anybody else who found stamp collecting special and to bring like-minded people together to exchange information and stamps, hoping that people would then meet and get together outside of group meetings.
He distributes forms for members to fill out, which he then gives to all other members.
“You meet someone you’re interested in talking to and you have their name, address, phone number and email so you can contact them,” he said.
The forms also ask members to state what they collect, meaning that members have a compiled list of what to look for on behalf of others.
Every so often, the group holds an informal auction during meetings, a chance for collectors like Day to buy in bulk and for others to sell duplicate stamps or even entire albums.
Years and years of meetings has led to some impressively large collections, such as Day’s, which he estimates contains a couple hundred thousand stamps. It also makes selecting favorites pretty difficult.
“I probably have 12 to 15 albums,” O’Connell said. He collects just about anything. “A favorite … they’re all valuable to me.”
They’re valuable to others too, with members sometimes being approached by buyers looking to purchase entire collections.
“I’ve had people offer me $40,000,” Day said.
There are a number of factors that determine the value of stamps, and it takes a well-trained eye and plenty of collector’s manuals and guides in order to grade stamps. The difference between a new and used stamp can mean thousands of dollars, making buying stamps an occasionally risky endeavor.
Stamps vary in price based on color, design, whether it has a postmark, is a reprint, has perforations, watermarks, grill marks – the list goes on and on.
“There are a hundred reasons why a stamp is priced the way it is – and that’s why stamp collecting is so involved,” Day said.
The challenges stamp collecting presents offer a fun, but time-consuming way to spend the day, which is why it’s so popular with older folks.
“We’re mostly all retired here,” O’Connell laughed. “We don’t really have any young people.”
That being said, the Merrimack County Stamp Collector’s doors are open to all ages and to new and long-time collectors.
“It gives an opportunity for people to get together and share,” Day said, “and everybody deserves that.”