Stamp collecting is fun, educational and not necessarily an expensive hobby. Not everyone out there is seeking out rare upside down air mails or sets of Zeppelins. There are many beautiful old stamps as well as current issues which are not only beautiful but very affordable.

My first stamp album was a hand-me-down from my father; a Scott’s International dating from just after the end of World War I. This tome with dark brown covers was about the size of a good world atlas and would have taken a serious effort to fill. The heading for each country featured information such as population, type of government and religion. At the upper corners the neophyte collector was to place Scott stamps representing the coat of arms and flag of each country.

I was particularly fascinated with those coat of arms which featured noble black birds of prey outlined in gold. All those obscure little kingdoms of the Balkans and Eastern Europe were chockablock full of imperial eagles and for anyone puzzled at today’s emergence of newly independent countries, a glance through the old Scott’s would shed some light on these names. I grew up with the coat of arms and stamps of Bosnia, Herzegovina, Moldavia, Montenegro Nubia and Zulu Land. Not only do I remember the names, but could probably recognize the flags and coat of arms.

The obvious lesson in all this is that stamp collecting is one of those childhood hobbies which often turn into serious adult avocations and in the process manage to teach something about geography, religion and politics. An added bonus is derived from the stamps themselves, often little jewels of the engravers art. Most of the foreign stamps of the first quarter of the 20th century are still quite reasonably priced and they represent the best level of creativity and quality ever produced.

Some of the most beautiful and interesting stamps ever issued were the British Colonials. Not only did these stamps cover the entire geography of the world, but they were colorful, often unique in shape and the fine engraving usually managed to represent cultural and natural features of the countries. How could any curious child resist the lure of adventure and travel when viewing scenes of the Christianborg Castle in Gold Coast, natives paddling an outrigger on the Gilbert and Ellice islands, Lake Nyasa or scenes of rice harvesting in Sierra Leone? As any parent will attest, the process of assembling a collection of this sort is worthwhile because it fosters learning without being forced.

Among the perennial favorites of collectors are U.S. commemoratives. Unfortunately, the printing and color quality of today’s stamps is not comparable to those engraved in the years leading up to the money crunch at the U.S. Postal Service. Fortunately, many of the best of the commemoratives from the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s are still available at reasonable prices and they are still a fun gift for children or a colorful surprise on a letter.

Stamps are a wonderful vehicle for introducing your children to the curiosities of the world as well as the realm of collecting.