Ed Murtha of Hamilton began collecting stamps as a young man. An older cousin helped him gain interest in the hobby, and neighbors gave him stamps when they received letters from relatives in places such as Italy, Hungary and Russia.
Murtha collected the stamps and learned about their countries of origin. He often imagined the places as he viewed the stamps.
“When I was young, in my teens and before that, that’s how we used to travel,” Murtha said.
Now, Murtha is president of the Hamilton Township Philatelic Society, which celebrated its 35th anniversary on October 19.
Philately involves the collection or study of postal history and materials, such as stamps.
Joseph Seliga, the club’s historian, said that many of the group’s original members belonged to the stamp club in Trenton, but an interest developed for an organization that was more local.
Murtha has belonged to the organization for about 10 years. During that time, he has seen the club change and evolve.
“It’s gone through some ups and downs,” Murtha said. “Back in 2005, we were down to about 10 members.”
The society currently has 54 dues-paying members, Murtha said.
Not surprisingly, when membership was low, the society turned to the mail as an avenue that could potentially help. Someone from the organization contacted the American Philatelic Society (APS), which is based in Bellefonte, Pa. The APS provided addresses of local collectors, and the Hamilton Township Philatelic Society mailed information about their club, Murtha said.
One person who received the mailing was APS member Tony Zingale of Mercerville. Zingale shares an interest in philately with a friend, Jack Sack of Lawrenceville, and the two men joined the Hamilton Township Philatelic society at the same time, about five years ago.
Zingale is interested in the business aspect of philately. He began collecting stamps as a child, and started selling them as a teenager. He abandoned the hobby after his teenage years, and returned to it after his own children had reached adulthood.
Zingale sells stamps online and within the two stamp clubs where he is a member.
Sack is more interested in building a collection. One of his goals is to get at least one stamp from every stamp-issuing entity in the world. So far, he has collected stamps from 800 or 900 of those 1,000 countries and entities.
He enjoys the hunting aspect of the hobby.
“There’s a certain order to it, there’s a search. You find out what you need, and search for it,” Sack said.
The Hamilton Township Philatelic Society holds its meetings at the Hamilton Township Library on the third Tuesday of each month. Meetings usually include a business portion, where members discuss plans and finances, and a presentation that discusses an aspect of philately, Murtha said.
Sack said that the club hosts guest speakers, or features presentations by its own members. There is also an opportunity for members to sell or auction stamps.
Sack enjoys the chance that the organization provides for people interested in philately to share friendship and knowledge.
“I finally learned more about stamp collecting than I had in 30 years before that,” Sack said.
Members of the society agree that the future of stamp collecting is uncertain.
Murtha said that the club has had a few youth members, but that the hobby has changed over time. With rising postal rates and an increase in metered mail, stamps are not as accessible.
Although youth members can’t always attend meetings due to commitments with school and other obligations, Murtha said the club tries to keep them involved by sending newsletters and packets of stamps.
Murtha said that his collecting interests have changed over time. He now collects stamps from Sudan, where his brother was stationed during a stint in the air force. Other members collect stamps depicting certain themes, or those from specific countries or time periods.
Murtha believes that his interest in the hobby has paid dividends. He remembers a time when the Falkland Islands were in the news, and it seemed that fellow stamp collectors were among those most knowledgable about the geographic location of those islands.
“You become better educated. You get better at Jeopardy if you collect stamps,” Murtha said with a laugh.
More information about the Hamilton Township Philatelic Society is available online at hamiltonphilatelic.org.
Source: http://www.mercerspace.com/article/84680-hamilton+township+philatelic+society+celebrates+35+years
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