Stamps have been used since the 1840s as an essential way of mailing, and a little less than a year ago, I started collecting them. At first, it was passive, and I didn’t really put much thought into it besides what potential monetary value these little bits of paper I was finding in assortments and lots on eBay, as well as in antique shops, could have. Now that several months have gone by since I started this hobby, though, I’m able to appreciate them from different perspectives and really see how important they truly are.

The first stamp ever used for postage was the Penny Black in 1840, featuring Queen Victoria on it. From then on, countries have used their unique symbols and heritage on stamps as a way of displaying what makes their nation stand out. It makes sense—mail goes far and wide, all across the globe, and it’s a sneaky but widespread way of advertising the natural or societal aspect of a given country. The thing I love the most about stamps is you can see just how much artistic design goes into some of them, especially the ones from the 1800s.

An unfortunate reality is that electronically printed labels are making stamps obsolete in many ways. Not too long ago, packages were commonly covered in sheets of stamps, but nowadays we have labels that delineate where a package or letter is supposed to go and where it came from. To me it’s disappointing to see that the simple yet distinctive features of these beautiful pieces of paper are increasingly going to waste, and I hope that their history and importance can be appreciated more.