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Chapter 3. About Stamp Collectors

The people began to gather early. By 9 A.M. they stood from building to curb, as much as ten abreast, and the lines extended in both directions along the west side of Lexington Avenue, around the corners of 46th and 47th streets along both long blocks back to Park Avenue, and on the other side of Park Avenue thousands more awaited the opportunity to cross.

Restaurant owners, storekeepers and the managers of hotels along the east side of Lexington Avenue opposite Grand Central Palace made another little gathering as they stood in wonder at what was going on across the street.

"What's going on?" each newcomer to the group watching would ask. "What's all the commotion about?"

"Stamp collectors!" someone would answer and the newcomer would join the silent group staring in amazement at the enormous queues waiting for the doors of Grand Central Palace to open.

Crowds waiting for doors to open at CIPEX 1947.

Yes, stamp collectors! Little ones and big ones, small boys and aged women, millionaires and street urchins stamp collectors all. Before the week had passed two hundred and fifty thousand of them had filled Grand Central Palace to its eaves from early morning to ten o'clock at night. They were all there to attend the Centenary International Philatelic Exhibition. The hotels were crammed, restaurants could not handle the crowds awaiting to eat, stores of every description saw their stocks depleted beyond belief. It was a bonanza. As one restaurateur said, "I've seen plenty of crowds at the 'Palace' but this beats anything I've ever known!"

Within minutes after the doors at the "Palace" had opened that first day the fire wardens called on the show directors to advise that the inaugural ceremonies would have to be stopped. "Too many people, get that band out of here or we shall have to close the doors!" was the order. The radio broadcast was cut short, the band scurried for cover and still the people poured in through the doors in such great numbers that the doors were finally closed for a few minutes to allow the crowds to disperse through the three huge floors of the building which the stamp show occupied. It was only for a few minutes, to be sure, that the doors remained closed but that they were closed at all is some kind of a record that probably has never been equaled at the "Palace".

Photo by Adrien Boutrelle, N. Y.

This phenomenon was repeated in 1956 when another great International Philatelic Exhibition was staged in New York City. This time one of the shows to open New York City's fabulous Coliseum. And here, again, the enormous crowds were repeated, hotels crowded to overflowing, restaurants unable to cope with the multitude.

In fact, it is a phenomenon that is repeated in New York City once every ten years when, at a cost of over a quarter million dollars stamp collectors from all corners of the earth gather to compete with each other to determine the world's finest collections. There are annual, National Stamp Shows, at which many thousands gather each year in various cities throughout the nation, more about these later, but the Great International Shows staged usually once every ten years, are the most obvious expression of the far-flung realm of Philately.

Non-collectors who have stood by and watched these phenomena have intently studied the people waiting in line for their chance to enter the great halls where the exhibitions take place. And,, no doubt, have tried to discover something about them, some peculiarity, that would give their avocation away. But they have studied in vain, Stamp collectors are just people.

There are, to be sure, "an awful lot" of stamp collectors in America, in the world. Just how many no one really knows. It has been estimated that there are twenty-five million in the United States. No one has been able to fute this estimate, but then no one has been able to prove it. The time was, not so long ago, when a stamp collector admitted to his hobby rather sheepishly. He wasn't ashamed of it but then he didn't go out proclaiming it to the world. If cornered, he might state in defense of his hobby that King George V and a lot of other crowned heads were also stamp collectors and that, in fact, stamp collecting was known as the "hobby of kids and kings". The "kids and kings" sounded great but a mere adult, being neither, found little solace in being classed with either.

Then came President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Roosevelt was a stamp collector and made no bones about it. He saw to it that his Postmaster General James A. Farley, issued lots of new stamps, and the President even helped design some of them, as when he arranged that the "Presidential Series" should picture the presidents in their order of succession according to the denomination of the stamp. Thus President Washington's portrait appeared on the one-cent stamp, John Adams on the two-cent, and so on right up the line to Grover Cleveland whose portrait appears on the twenty-two-cent stamp. They couldn't carry the idea any further, for stamps after the twenty-two-cent denomination skipped to twenty-four cents. Harrison, McKinley, "Teddy" Roosevelt, Taft, Wilson, Harding and Coolidge all appeared on the higher denomination stamps in order of succession but the continuity of the denominations was broken after Cleveland. Many think it was a mistake not to carry the numerical sequence of the denominations right up to the twenty-ninth president even if there was no need for such stamps. Hoover could not be included as he was, and is at the time this book is being written, still living, and by law we may not picture living persons on our stamps or currency.

"I owe my life to my hobbies, especially stamp collecting." -Franklin D. Roosevelt

Stamps of the "Presidential Series".

With President Franklin D. Roosevelt openly espousing the cause, stamp collecting came right out into the open. It was no longer confined to "kids and kings"; it now included "Presidents" as well and that made it good enough for anybody and everybody. Stamp collecting, of course, had millions of followers before Roosevelt became President. But no one can question that after he became President stamp collectors "stood up to be counted." And no one can question that there are a great many more collectors now than before he became President.

Eventually the whole world was saddened by the tragic death of President Roosevelt; but his memory is preserved in philately by scores of postage stamps issued by many nations including our own, in his honor. It is fitting tribute to the man who did so much to promote the hobby he loved so well.

The International Philatelic Exhibitions held in New York City every ten years are but part of a series of such great International stamp exhibitions held by many nations throughout the world. Hardly a year passes without some important international show taking place in some part of the world. Such Exhibitions have been held in Great Britain, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Israel, Philippines, Cuba, Brazil, Uruguay, India and South Africa, to mention but a few. Thus in no small measure stamp collectors contribute to the common goal of international good-will by all thinking people.

Many of the International exhibitions held in other nations are supported by government subsidy. Usually such subsidy consists of a special stamp issued to commemorate the exhibition the proceeds from the sale of which are used for the exhibition.

The Fipex Issue celebrated the Fifth International Philatelic Exhibition (April 28 to May 6, 1956). Stamp, photography and auto exhibitions, held simultaneously, opened the newly completed Coliseum at Columbus Circle, New York, facing Columbus Monument.

In the United States the great International exhibitions are held without benefit of government subsidy. Our Post Office does take cognizance of these affairs by issuing special stamps to commemorate the event. Proceeds from the sale of these, goes to the Post Office. The sale of these has run to a total as high as one million dollars on occasion. Thus, while at the 1956 International Exhibition the Post Office did undertake the cost of constructing its own facilities at the show, far from being subsidized the U. S. International Exhibitions have proven a source of considerable income to the Post Office.

To stage one of these great exhibitions, stamp collectors and stamp dealers, hundreds of them, subscribe a fund to launch the affair. Then each gives up an enormous amount of time often extending over two years serving on committees necessary to stage the event. More often than not this voluntary service involves considerable financial sacrifice, even direct out of pocket expense, for none of which are the volunteers reimbursed. To complete the picture these same workers turn around and pay their own admission to the show, pay dues into the sponsoring society, and, when the occasion demands, make outright donations.

Fipex Souvenir Sheet

The only reimbursement involved is that of the original "guarantee fund". If, as and when the show has been able to pay off all of its expenses and anything is left over the subscribers to the Guarantee Fund are reimbursed to the amount of their pledges.

The income from such exhibitions is derived in a large measure from rental of the exhibition frames and rental of dealer booths. The same volunteers who have subscribed the Guarantee Fund, have served on the committees now pay the going fees to rent frames needed to exhibit their collections.

What manner of men and women are these who give their all so willingly, so enthusiastically?

They are just plain folk, whether rich or poor, who have discovered a hobby that has enriched their lives and made them "kinsfolk" with myriads of people all over the world. They are white and colored, jew and gentile; they are little kids and grown adults, learned professors and freshman students, bank presidents and bank clerks, millionaires and near paupers. They are, in fact, people from every walk of life, happy and eager to work together to enlarge and promote their hobby, a hobby in which they have found a common denominator with their fellow man. There are no better people in all the world!

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