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Oh, the people you'll meet.

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

Using the Internet is great for stamp collecting, but if you also enjoy people-watching,
you can't beat going to a stamp collecting show. Some of the characters I've met stand
out in my mind…

…like the stamp dealer who somehow only ever brings ONE check to the show. When he buys
something from you, he promises to send you payment, and he does… eventually.

You learn many facts while collecting stamps, but some of us know EVERYTHING. Just ask
them. But don’t correct them if they're wrong… not that they EVER are!

Collecting stamps may not be rocket science, but I've known a few philatelists who WERE
rocket scientists… including an astronaut.

I've known a few crooks who served time in prison… for real-world crimes. Then there was
a regular shoplifter at shows. Everyone knew he was doing it. One time, the show promoter
even got on the P-A system and said, "Dealers. Doctor so-and-so is here. Protect your
stock!" But he was back at the next show.

All you had to say to one ex-Marine officer was "give me ten" and he'd dropped to the
floor and do pushups, right there in the middle of the stamp show… well into his 60s.

One of the most amazing stamp collecting characters I've known told some rather
hard-to-believe tales and insisted they were true. One was that he has just learned that
he was a member of the Royal Family of Lithuania.  From then on, every time we saw him
at a show, we bowed and addressed him as, "Your Highness."

Of course, you find characters in all groups, and I've also made many normal friends
through stamp collecting, from all over the country.

I’m Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting,
visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.

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