Yes I belong to the Crescent City Stamp Club of New Orleans. We meet the second Tuesday of the month. Also, the club has a stamp show in the beginning of January with about 15 dealers attending the show.
Im 51 and one of the youngest members in the group. Most of the members are in there 70's and 80's and are full of knowledge. Its always great to sit and listen to what they have to say about the hobby. I look forward attending the meeting every month.
Although it's a small sampling over the course of 25 years that I've tried, given the 3 attempts here are the results:
1. (in another city I used to have a secondary office location) meeting canceled 2. (locally) replaced by social event that time & nobody brought or was interested in talking about stamps 3. (locally) stayed for about 15 minutes, some people gave me that "look" because I collected WW
That being said, in the Deep South it tends to be very very difficult for a minority to get into many of the inner circles of philately. I could tell you stories... I'm one of the few who had gotten into the dealer circles (but I've dropped out in the past 10 years in favor of online forums). I'm pretty certain a couple of dealers "tolerate" me because I'm willing to spend some money. I've tolerated a lot of rather offensive "attitudes" and "comments" over the decades primarily because I do have a general interest in making new friends with those genuinely interested in being my friend. So I ignore the others who make only a token attempt to hide their bias.
Bottom line -- there is a huge disparity between the demographics of non-establishment online forums and the philatelic establishment in the US (not just the Deep South). Of course, the international nature of stamp forums makes things more better in this respect.
Although it's a small sampling over the course of 25 years that I've tried, given the 3 attempts here are the results:
1. (in another city I used to have a secondary office location) meeting canceled 2. (locally) replaced by social event that time & nobody brought or was interested in talking about stamps 3. (locally) stayed for about 15 minutes, some people gave me that "look" because I collected WW
That being said, in the Deep South it tends to be very very difficult for a minority to get into many of the inner circles of philately. I could tell you stories... I'm one of the few who had gotten into the dealer circles (but I've dropped out in the past 10 years in favor of online forums). I'm pretty certain a couple of dealers "tolerate" me because I'm willing to spend some money. I've tolerated a lot of rather offensive "attitudes" and "comments" over the decades primarily because I do have a general interest in making new friends with those genuinely interested in being my friend. So I ignore the others who make only a token attempt to hide their bias.
Bottom line -- there is a huge disparity between the demographics of non-establishment online forums and the philatelic establishment in the US (not just the Deep South). Of course, the international nature of stamp forums makes things more better in this respect.
Sorry you've had that response from others as you tried to to enjoy the hobby that you like so much.
The clique can be hard to get into in any hobby/environment - sometimes you'll be accepted, sometimes just tolerated. Latter for me in the case of my in-laws, but then it is their problem - I have my own circle of friends, albeit on paper or computer screen.
As for a stamp club - not sure where the nearest one is, but I am rural. There's history in philately, and there's plenty of Welsh history. An article in the local paper had a photo of an elderly gentleman who was a philatelist so perhaps there has been a club (do you think they would use the nice stamps on their outgoing mail?). My town has however featured on stamps, and graced the threads of StampBears.
I am a letter writer, snailmail addict. I send therefore I receive. I also manage a letter writing/correspondence forum called A World of Snail Mail. I sometimes post pictures on Instagram (username morgaine_does_snail_mail) Stamp themes - science, nature, postal history, maps, nice stamps.
When I retired a decade ago, I joined the Regina Philatelic Club which meets twice a month from September to June. I really enjoy the socialization at the club and look forward to attending the meetings. Mike
Collecting Canada, US, UK, Ireland, Germany, France & Austria. Also collecting some classic era stamps of some British Commonwealth Island countries and topicals like WW2, Capt. Cook, Horatio Nelson.
I'm a member of a club in Atlanta that meets twice a month, but haven't had a chance to attend this year(work schedule changed). I always enjoyed going and learning what the experienced collectors had to say about the items members brought. It also gave me a chance to sell/trade duplicates or unwanted items I had... and the auction was great.
I would think clubs would not want to restrict interaction just on a one or two times per month basis but allow discussion online. Of course, it would help if a greater organization to assist with this to reduce club expenses, expertise, etc. needed to handle online.
Think of it like the "Next Door" application for stamps. It is territory based so you see comments from people in your neighborhood. I realize a lot of current folks do not like it but potential younger members will not be.
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