Stamp collecting, first and foremost, is a hobby, and that, in turn, is defined as "something in which one takes an absorbing interest." It can be followed without the investment of a single cent, providing there is access to incoming mail and there are patient friends who will watch for unusual stamp; on their mail.

Naturally, every-one who is bitten by the stamp bug progresses to the stage where pennies, dimes and quarters are spent to fill in blank spaces, but the extent of spending can be kept within bounds so long as the advice, "Ride your hobby, don't let it ride you," is followed. Each tiny bit of paper imprinted with a design, and all the ingredients making it a stamp, tells a story. Using a single stamp design as the nucleus, a person can spend hours developing the story of its background, its designing, its production and its distribution.

In many cases this is not done, but all those who handle stamps become aware to some degree of the country of origin, its value as to currency unit, and its design. Geography, history, the arts and sciences, animal and plant life, and peoples flow by in never-ending streams.Stamp collecting is truly a visual education, and many lessons learned from a stamp album have stood people in good stead years later.

Finally, eliminating any consideration here of the monetary importance of stamps, philately offers a release for those physically or mentally tired from their usual vocations.