People collect stamps for many different reasons. Some do it because they love collecting things, while others are attracted to the history they represent.
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Commemorative collection
Itsarin Tisantia
People collect stamps for many different reasons. Some do it because they love collecting things, while others are attracted to the history they represent.
Read the following story from the Bangkok Post to learn more about the hobby.
Stamps can tell you a lot about a region’s culture, history, people, events and much more. All this from tiny pieces of paper.
CLASSIC SYMBOL
In the modern world, with everybody communicating via email or social media, letter-writing is mostly a thing of the past. Even so, philately - or stamp collecting - remains a popular hobby throughout the world.
Jenwit Apichainunt, 35, has collected stamps since he was seven years old. Inspired by his older sister, he started collecting postage stamps from letter envelopes. He later moved on to commemorative stamps. His favourites include the seventh and eighth stamp series bearing portraits of His Majesty the late king Bhumibol Adulyadej. They are worth over 20,000 baht, but Jenwit said he has never considered selling them.
TIMELESS MEMORIES
Jenwit also has the collection for the 50th anniversary celebrations of the late king's accession to the throne, as well as the panoramic set titled “The 70th anniversary celebrations of the king's accession to the throne.”
The concept for the panoramic collection was “the longest reign, the longest stamp.” The 170 millimetre-long stamps feature six portraits of the late king carrying out his royal decree of building six Royal Development Education Centres across the nation. It was the last collection produced under the late king’s reign.
“My favourite collection is the commemorative stamps for the late king's ordination as a monk at Bowon Niwet Temple,” he said.
RARE SERIES
Somchai Saeng-ngern, 52, became interested in stamp collecting as a boy. He has since come to own more than 10,000 stamps. He studied at the Postal School, worked at Thailand Post and is now a board member of the Philatelic Association of Thailand under the patronage of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
Somchai is one of the few collectors who have acquired all 10 series of stamps featuring the late king. It took him decades to gain the knowledge and market experience to be able to get all these stamps.
The first and second series in his possession, known as the “Classic Series,” won the highest award at the World Stamp Exhibition in 2007. Some of his other notable collections are the celebration of the 60th (fifth cycle) birthday anniversary and the 72nd (sixth cycle) birthday anniversary.
The latest stamp collection series of the late king was launched in October. “The royal cremation ceremony of the late king” includes a set consisting of three sheets, with 13 stamps. It costs just 99 baht. Thailand Post has issued 3 million sets.
EXCERISES
Read through the story and decide whether the following statements are true or false.
…………. 1. The “Classic Series” won the highest award at the World Stamp Exhibition in 2007.
…………. 2. Jenwit Apichainunt has collected stamps since he was six years old.
…………. 3. Somchai Saeng-ngern has so far collected nearly 10,000 stamps.
…………. 4. Jenwit’s favourite collection is the commemorative stamps for when the late king joined the monkhood.
ANSWERS
EXERCISES
1. True.
2. False.
3. False.
4. True.
