School Speech on Philately

Today, at school, I gave a speech on the topic "Philately - The King Of Hobbies". Keep in mind that most of my peers do not know about stamp-collecting :) Given below is an extract from my speech.

"I am a philatelist. Philately is about collecting stamps - this hobby is referred to as the King of Hobbies.

Postage marks & stamps indicate pre-payment of money to transfer packages. The very early stamps were not made of paper but were in fact wax seals.

The 1st modern paper stamp was introduced in the UK in the year 1840. The 1st post office in India was setup in the year 1688 in Bombay followed by Calcutta and then Madras.

Philately as a hobby allows us to learn about different countries, their history, novel printing methods etc. 

The highlight of my collection is a set of stamps that capture the evolution of flight. It shows the history of flight starting from balloons to gliders, powered flight and finally space travel. I also collect unique stamps. Some are unique because of the shape, like triangles, circles and hexagons. Others are different because of the material - Gold & Silver foils, ceramic, leather & wood. Some are known for the special printing like phosphorescence, holograms, CDs and fragrances.

My notes on stamps can be viewed on my blog @ philateli.blogspot.in

My offer of cards and stamps for swaps can be viewed at http://icanoffer.blogspot.in/"

After my speech, some of my friends asked me how I got interested in philately and where in the internet they can find more information.