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Non-collectors who have stood by and watched thesephenomena have intently studied the people waiting inline for their chance to enter the great halls where theexhibitions take place. And,, no doubt, have tried to dis-cover something about them, some peculiarity, thatwould give their avocation away. But they have studiedin vain, Stamp collectors are just people. There are, to be sure, "an awful lot" of stamp collectorsin America, in the world. Just how many no one reallyknows. It has been estimated that there are twenty-fivemillion in the United States. No one has been able tofute this estimate, but then no one has been able toprove it. The time was, not so long ago, when a stampcollector admitted to his hobby rather sheepishly. Hewasn't ashamed of it but then he didn't go out proclaim-ing it to the world. If cornered, he might state in defenseof his hobby that King George V and a lot of othercrowned heads were also stamp collectors and that, infact, stamp collecting was known as the "hobby of kidsand kings." The "kids and kings" sounded great but amere adult, being neither, found little solace in beingclassed with either. |
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