Henry Clay Philatelic Society Stamp Show Lexington

This past weekend, the Henry Clay Philatelic Society hosted a stamp show at the Thoroughbred Center in Lexington.

I had a great time at this event. I was on a bit of a time limit, and only had a couple of hours, but it was time well spent.

Stamp collecting is a very welcoming hobby, and it is one that can be done very economically. The Henry Clay group had an info/welcome table set up at the front. Their were many brochures on the hobby, club business cards etc available. Several club members took time to ask if I was having a good time, and they asked my opinion about the show on my way out. There was no admission fee.

Cachet maker/show cancel designer John Cropper was busy at the desk preparing the shows exclusive cancel and covers. John designed this years special show cancel, featuring a picture of Abe Lincoln. A specially decorated envelope was also available. They were selling the stamped, cancelled envelopes for $3 a pop, or a complete set (4, each with one of the different Lincoln Stamps recently issued) for $10.
I personally love this sort of thing. I think a lot of people think of stamp collecting as a dull hobby. You just go out and find old stamps. The hobby gets more complicated (and interesting!) when you get in to collecting special cancels.

Many areas have special pictorial cancels (cancels with the general info, place and date, along with a related design) for certain events. Some of these cancels coincide with recently released stamps. Many areas had special cancels when the new Lincoln stamps came out. The Henry Clay Philatelic Society chose a great subject for their show this year with their cancel, cover, location, and the popular new stamp set all relating.

Many dealers at this show were selling nicely designed cancelled covers. Very interesting ones for the general collector (me!) could be found for 50 cents to a dollar. Pricier ones were available, but for someone dabbling in the hobby, and more concerned with finding an attractive item than a pricey rarity (me again!) this event was perfect. I could have spent many more hours looking through boxes of covers at this event. I plan on doing just that at their next show!

Obviously a lot more went on at this show than I have mentioned. There was an area where framed displays were being shown. Oh, and there were lots of stamps being sold. The US Postal Service had a table set up too, which was pretty cool.

There was a good crowd at the show. The vibe was very casual and relaxed. No squabbling collectors fighting over rare items here. Friendly conversations with with other collectors seemed common. Several dealers and show staff were chatty about their hobby, and some gave me some great advise and suggestions relating to my collecting niche.