Thousands of free stamps will be available to those attending the 26th annual Youth Stamp Fair, sponsored by the Ventura County Philatelic Society and the Anacapa Middle School Stamp Club, on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Doors will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Dudley House Museum, 197 N. Ashwood Ave., Ventura, CA (corner of Ashwood Avenue and Loma Vista Road).
Admission and parking are free.
Despite the event’s name, it is open to people of all ages who want to learn more about stamp collecting, one of the world’s most popular hobbies, said Chairman John Weigle of Oxnard.
In addition to being able to pick stamps for their collections from thousands of choices, the visitors will get a swag bag containing, among other things, a color U.S. catalog, a CD with many albums and other philatelic materials and more.
Contests include a “guess the number of stamps in the jar” and cachets (pictorial envelopes) in three age groups. The contests are open only to those 18 and under, but adults can draw cachets to get the special pictorial postmark honoring the 100th anniversary of the National Parks System. Contest winners will be invited to the Nov. 7 meeting of the Ventura County Philatelic Society to receive their prizes.
Those who want to learn about collecting techniques can visit tables where experienced collectors will discuss how to get stamps off paper, find perforations and watermarks, identify stamps, and store and mount philatelic material. At other tables, visitors will learn about topical stamps and collecting covers (generally, but not always, envelopes that went through the mail). Those attending will also be able to pick stamps to make personalized bookmarks.
Many door prizes will be given throughout the event.
“I've had fun with stamps for many years, and so have other members of the adult club,” Weigle said, “and we hope to share the fun with more people every year.”
More information about the event may be obtained from Weigle at 485-7121 (leave a message on the machine) or by e-mail at jweigle@vcnet.com, or by visiting the Ventura County Philatelic Society's Web site at http://www.vcphilatelic.com.
