I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I really try to like some of the stamp-related channels on YouTube, but most of them are just… pointless, at least from my perspective. They aren’t doing what I want to see. Therefore, I figured I’d explain it in a short post and point out the two examples that actually are doing it right, at least in my opinion.

Let’s start by describing what I’d like to see. I don’t want to just stare at pictures of stamps. I want the presenter to have at least some information about them, some knowledge about them, which is where most channels go entirely wrong. I am not going to stare at the screen and go “ooh, pretty!” That’s not me.

Unfortunately, most channels are run by people who clearly have zero expertise and they cater to people who have zero expertise or experience. That is not me. The majority that I see are just some guy sifting through a bulk lot and pulling out stamps they like. They have no clue what they are, any story behind them, and information about them, it’s just “ooh, pretty!”

A few will try to go for catalog value, which is largely irrelevant as catalog value is vastly inflated compared to real-world value. I also don’t care about catalog value. Collecting is what you do with your spare time and money. It is not an investment and, at least as far as I’m concerned, anyone who focuses on value, I’ve got no interest in pursuing.

Instead, I want to be shown why the stamps are important. I want to be told the stories behind the stamps. I want to see that the person making the video has any knowledge of any kind, or at least has the capacity to do a basic Google search and sadly, most of them do not.

The only two channels that consistently do a good job are Exploring Stamps and Stampcat. There are some that deserve an honorable mention, like the Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library and, occasionally, the APS. Conversations with Philatelists used to be decent, although they haven’t put out an episode in a very long time and every now and then, Charles Epting will do something interesting on his H.R. Harmer channel, but mostly those are trying to sell you things from auctions.

Mostly, I just want to be entertained and intrigued by the stamps themselves. I don’t care about “how much money is it worth?” or “ooh, pretty!” I’d like to see the people who are actually knowledgeable, share their knowledge. I’m not so much interested in “here’s what I just got, be jealous”, or even “look at my vast collection, be jealous” because I’m not. I want to know the stories behind the stamps. That’s what’s going to bring me back, video-after-video.

Right now, there just isn’t a lot out there. I know these things are hard to make well, they’re time consuming to do research and they’re not wildly financially successful, but that’s not the point of it. If you’re not willing to share your passions with the world, then maybe you shouldn’t do it?

That’s my thinking anyhow.