It's Been A Long Time

It's been a long time since I last posted or even looked at my postage stamps.  One year perhaps?  Have been too busy and tied down with so many other things/engagements that I haven't really had a time to pursue this "hobby" of stamp collecting.

Hope to be able to update soon on some of my new acquisitions via Ebay. Hope all stamps collectors out there are having a rolling good time!

Bought a straits settlements stamp

After staying off my hobby for some time, my passion has been reignited again.  I just bought a straits settlements stamp for $25 over Ebay.  Not certain whether it is a wise purchase or not since it could be an impulse buy.

Philately or Philotely

Most stamp collectors are perhaps familiar with the term philately.  Right at the start, when stamp collecting as a hobby was picking up, there were actually all sorts of terms used.  The term philately was actually invented by a French stamp collector named Herpin.  He used the term in a French magazine and the term stuck with the public and became the widely used term to describe stamp collecting.

The origin of this term comes from the Greek expression philo (I love) and atelos(exempt from tax).  There was actually some discussion and debate on whether the correct term used should have been philotely instead since the name for the hobby was composed of the Greek philo and teli (taxes) and its explanation would be 'love of taxes' or love of stamps used for payment of postage.  But by then, the widely accepted term was already being used all over the world so the term "philately" has remained ever since.