Art Collectibles as Hobbies in the Form of Stamps and Coins

by Don Tanner

Life is an art.

So goes the saying. But where people find things of profound
interests, experts say that it is a form of art as well.

By definition, when an object is considered as a work of
art, it simply means that the object is the result of a
creation of an item using the valuable application of a
mass of expertise along with an array of talents and
cleverness.

It is on this context that experts consider collecting as
one form of artistic endeavor in the sense that the mere
acquisition of objects that is limited to the interest of
the person who acquires them is already artistic. This
means that not all people were born to collect coins, stamps,
or any other items that may not be valuable to other people
but to some, they are almost priceless.

Consequently, most experts contend that the hobby of
collecting some explicit objects are generally based on a
precise area of interest of the person involved. Because
the interest of the collector is the primary purpose of this
kind of leisure pursuit, many people consider collecting
stamps and coins as an art collectible hobby.

Why? Because based on the definition of art collectible hobby,
the mere acquisition of stamps and coins based on the
personal attention given by the collector to the items are
already artistic in nature. In short, when a person is
attracted to a certain thing, the object becomes an art
collectible.

Moreover, the basic features of the coins and the stamps
are also one of the reasons why it becomes an art
collectible. This is because coin and stamp designs are
not just created by anybody who knows how to draw
some lines or shapes. The designs that are engraved or
sketched in the surface of the stamp or coin are made
by people who were gifted with the talent to draw
things imaginatively and creatively.

Take the stamps for example. The creation of the
designs in a particular stamp undergoes a detailed
process of brainstorming, evaluation, analysis, and
good decision making in order to come up with a truly
creative design. In fact, a group of 12 to 15 people
forms the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee, which
serves as the body that will recommend the ideal
designs to be included in stamp production.

Every year, the committee contemplates on about
50,000 designs and then advocates at least 35 of them
to the “postmaster general” for the production of
“commemorative stamps.”

This just goes to show that the selection of the design is
such thorough process that the value of the item is clearly
identifiable.

For this reason, stamp collectors and coin collectors,
particularly those that focus more on the rare items,
know that the value that goes with each item is almost
priceless.

So for those who still cannot understand why many
people are into art collectible hobby of stamps and coins,
here is a list of some of the reasons why these enthusiasts
are so engrossed in collecting:

1. Art collectible hobby provides various areas of interest

When a person has decided to start an art collectible hobby
of a particular item such as coins or stamps, this reflects
the kind of object he or she is interested in. for instance, in
stamp collecting, if a particular stamp collector focuses more
on the rare stamps rather than the ordinary stamps, this
could mean a lot of things.

You could be interested with the rarity of the stamps, or
you could be interested with the income that he can
generate by trading the stamps to other collectors.

2. Art collectible hobby may trigger the desire to
accomplish something

While most of the collections are focused on the mere
acquisition of various items such as different kinds of
stamps or coins arranged according to the interest of
the collector, there are some people who opt to collect
stamps and coins and aim to complete the whole set.

This means that additional art collectibles are obtained
to fill in the missing spaces in between stamps and coins.
Once completed, the collector usually feels the
unexplainable satisfaction that others don't feel.

Given all these premises, it can be concluded that art
collectible hobby of stamps and coins are not just mere
samples of leisure pursuits. On its broader context, stamp
and coin collecting can be considered as new forms of arts
as well.