philatelist
A philatelist deals with philately , i.e. postage stamps or postal documents and the subject area. This can be limited to pure collecting , up to a quasi-scientific examination of philately or volunteering at relevant events or associations. Philatelists do this as a hobby in the vast majority of cases ; Professional philatelists are usually understood to mean people who trade professionally in such collectibles and who have a good knowledge of this area of knowledge. Authors in the field often have large collections of relevant literature or have access to local philatelic libraries .
The vast majority of philatelists are male. Although they exist in almost every age group and social class , philately is no longer very widespread among younger people, which in the age of digitalization is also related to the dwindling importance of letter post traffic and thus of postage stamps. The majority of philatelists are therefore older and the trend is increasing.
According to estimates, there are around one to three million stamp collectors in Germany , of which only a small proportion of the collectors are organized in philatelic associations , which suffer from a lack of young talent.
literature
- Profession Philately - Professional Philatelists. In: Wolfgang Jakubek: Knaur's stamp book. The whole world of philately. Droemer Knaur, Munich / Zurich 1976, ISBN 3-426-02244-3 , p. 263 f.
- The philatelist in the eyes of non-collectors. In: stamp mirror. August 2008, p. 32.
- Wolfgang Maassen : Trade in Transition. In: Phila Historica No. 2/2018, pp. 36-47; This is mainly about professional philately and its manifestations compared to earlier
