Stamp collecting
The introduction of the Penny Black signalled the start of one of the most popular hobbies in the world – stamp collecting or philately.
By 1860, thousands of collectors and stamp dealers had cropped up as stamp collecting spread across Europe, the European colonies, the United States and other parts of the world. This rapid growth led to the introduction of stamp albums and stamp related literature, as well as spawning publishers like Stanley Gibbons.
Stamp collecting remains a popular pastime now among old and young. Current famous philatelists include Ronnie Wood, from the Rolling Stones, Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president, and Maria Sharapova, the Russian tennis player.
Le Philateliste by François Barraud (1929).
