🔊 Listen to this

KINGSTON — A technical difficulty made for a pleasant day of stamp collecting, showing and trading for the Wyoming Valley Stamp Club.

As part of its monthly meeting held at the Hoyt Library, the club was supposed to view a film about Confederate postal history, focusing on the Harrie Mueller collection. Unfortunately, the library’s DVD player had other plans, leading members and visitors to discuss the process of stamp collecting and why they enjoy the hobby.

Sitting in a row, stamp club members Gerry Closs, Mike Gritzen, Dave Stola and Bruce Gardner glanced through buyers’ books as they decided what stamps to purchase to help complete their collections.

As he flipped through a binder of more than 1,000 Australian stamps, Stola skimmed the American Philatelic Society’s stamp sales booklet in front of him. The booklet, named the Scott Catalogue, featured various Australian stamps that could be purchased to help collectors complete their books

As Stola carefully picked one out of the book to place neatly in his binder, he spoke about the process of deciding what stamps to buy — and not to buy. He said that though he may see a stamp he needs, it may be damaged, cancelled or not as pristine as he wishes. Currently, Stola only needs about 700 more stamps to complete his Australian collection.

“Maybe if I like it, I’ll buy it,” he said as he picked up the second stamp he considered.

Sitting next to Stola was Gardner. While discussing stamp collecting with other members, he said that, while it may not be an adrenaline rush, it definitely presents a challenge to the collector. Holding up an older stamp in a wax envelope, Gardner explained the story, and challenge, behind it.

“The challenge is to find out where all these stamps come from,” he said. “And it’s about the hunt.”

With a language unknown to Gardner and displaying features that could be from numerous countries, the stamp’s origin was unknown. Gardner said one day he was trying to find the origin when Stola happened to glance down at a booklet and saw its match.

As it turned out, the stamp was from Armenia.

Gardner said he wished younger generations would take an interest in stamp collecting again, and that much could be gained from the hobby.

Two visitors to the group did just that on Saturday.

MaryAnn Lepa and Chris Coleman decided to rekindle their love of stamp collecting, and decided to attend the group’s meeting to expand their knowledge of the sticky squares.

The Plains Township duo are cousins, both of whom admitted to stamp collecting as children.

“Stamps are not new to us,” Lepa said. “So we can relate to stamp collecting.”

Lepa said she came to the group’s Halloween meeting and found the information interesting, so she wanted to come back. She brought Coleman with her.

Coleman said stamp collecting was a popular hobby in the 1950s and ’60s, but she eventually grew out of it.

“She told me (the group) was so great, I had to come with her,” Coleman said.

In other news, members of the group discussed what their upcoming spring project will be, as well as deciding to have at least one member be a judge for a Valentine’s stamp design contest the library will hold.

The next Wyoming Valley Stamp Club meeting will be on Feb. 6 at the Samantha Mill House in Nanticoke.

Wyoming Valley Stamp Club member Dave Stola cross-references stamps against his collection to see which stamps would be desirable to collect from Australia during a meeting of the Wyoming Valley Stamp Club at the Hoyt Library in Kingston. https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_Wyoming-Valley-Stamp-1.jpg Wyoming Valley Stamp Club member Dave Stola cross-references stamps against his collection to see which stamps would be desirable to collect from Australia during a meeting of the Wyoming Valley Stamp Club at the Hoyt Library in Kingston. Tony Callaio | For Times Leader Jack Miller, left, and Doug Nicol go though a circuit book from the American Philatelic Society. https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_Wyoming-Valley-Stamp-2.jpg Jack Miller, left, and Doug Nicol go though a circuit book from the American Philatelic Society. Tony Callaio | For Times Leader Each month, the stamp collection display at the Hoyt Library is changed by members of the Wyoming Valley Stamp Club. https://www.mydallaspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_Wyoming-Valley-Stamp-4.jpg Each month, the stamp collection display at the Hoyt Library is changed by members of the Wyoming Valley Stamp Club. Tony Callaio | For Times Leader

By Marcella Kester For Times Leader