It would take a fair bit of saliva to lick and stick a million stamps but luckily for 88-year-old Mosgiel man Doug Heenan, he only has to sort them.

The recent widower has just spent $25,001 on 83 cartons filled with more than one million stamps in the hope of reigniting stamp collecting as a pastime for Dunedin's youth.

Mr Heenan has been a collector since the age of 6and his collection before the recent purchase numbered about 230,000, some dating as far back as 1840.

His most expensive stamp, a "full-faced queen'', was worth about $2000.

"I've collected them all my life and I'm interested in getting the youth of this country collecting stamps.

"You learn a lot. You learn history and politics. Any subject under the sun.

"You can make it as simple or as complicated as you like.''

Stamp collecting was becoming a lost art and it was about youth having an interest in something outside of technology, Mr Heenan said.

The new stamps were bought by tender from New Zealand "accumulator'' the late Brian Read, who owned the country's largest stamp collection.

The premium stamps were auctioned last month.

Mr Heenan preferred to sort his stamps "thematically'' and paid careful attention to their worth.

Most of his collection was in albums but pouches of stamps could be found around his living area and now, with the recent purchase, his garage was chocker.

Asked about how long it took to sort them when he acquired new stamps, Mr Heenan said: "You do what you have to do. If there's any time left over, I look through them.''

Mr Heenan planned to take some of the stamps to schools "if there was enough interest'' in the hope of educating children and sorting the stamps at the same time.

He described the hobby as complete "satisfaction''.

rhys.chamberlain@odt.co.nz