What keeps you motivated to collect stamps?

There is.

 

Meeting people whether personal or online who share the same interest on stamps can be motivating too.

 

Another reason I just thought this rainy day.
Stamps can get rid boredom, that is motivating!

 

Sounds great.
I hope there could be exciting stamp shows like that here as I cannot attend those of US and UK.

 

It all started without me actually noticing to tell the truth.
I got some from my relatives, and then my dad show me his stamp book. Then when letters came in I asked if I can have the stamps.

At first I just keep them in my drawer, then I noticed it's getting too messy so I get a stamp book......Yeah, by the time I noticed it I already got a stamp book with two pages of stamp.

 

Really nice that your dad also collects stamps.

 

My mother use to collect stamps when she was in her teen and young adult years. She had books of stamps. This is my motivation.

 

Although I do not have that family support as no one in the family is interested on stamps, it is still motivating when they are quite amazed when I am trying to show off some of my stamp collection.

 

I really couldn't say... Guess I simply like the stamps themselves, always have.
I find it relaxing too.

 

I enjoy collecting stamps and the history of the stamps and it's relaxing. And
the thought of selling them for maybe a lot of money is nice.

 

I don't honestly know, I think it is a couple of reasons that make me continue, one is that it is really calming and secondly I just enjoy getting a new stamp.

 

Well, I feel like stamps are far less common these days than they once were. I definitely believe they're getting fazed out of common use, and soon they won't be manufactured anymore. For that reason, I try to collect as many as I can before they become a thing of the past.

 

That does seem to be an unfortunate truth, I do see them disappearing from use in my lifetime, I certainly hope I am wrong but I can see it happening.

 

History and subject matter... I do a lot of history studies BCE and a lot of the world stamps depict some of these events, especially those from Latin America and Eastern Europe.

 

I think a lot of my "motivation" is obsession.
I specialise in Ireland and I am lucky that stamps have been only issued since 1922 and thats a full 80 plus years after Britain and 70 plus most established European and other nations.
So the obsessional need to complete a collection is at least possible, if I define "completion" on my own terms.
As I often say a stamp album 0of a country is a "Greatest Hits"album.
Those of you who collect USA....will have albums covering American history, literature, art, sport, music, entertainment, scenery, wildlife.
Where else can you find ...the American Revolution, Mark Twain, Grandma Moses, Jesse Owens, Hank Williams, John Wayne, Grand Canyon, cardinals or buffalo and all the rest in such a compact form.
All over the world it is a very practical form of patriotism.

The downside is "obsession" and I am motivated by "enjoyment" in seeing stamps from other nations and soaking stamps from over 200 places around the world. The Universal Postal Union ...safeguarding world wide mail is one of the most civilised aspects of how we live. We under-estimate its positive impact.
And in terms of collecting "collectables"....phonecards, postcards, coins etc....I am motivated by the fact that it is an enjoyable form of Nostalgia....I am "conserving" stuff that others have thrown away. It helps that I dont know anything about the stuff.

 

I think it's a fun little hobby. I really enjoy finding hidden gems and having something PHYSICAL to look at, and the history that comes with the stamps is often fascinating as well.

 

Very well said. Totally agree.