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This first appeared in the British Columbia Rockhounder, V3, n1.
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Why collecting rocks is more fun than collecting stamps
Rick Hudson
- Rocks are all individuals, so each one offers something new. Frankly, once you've seen one Penny Black, you've seen them all.
- Rocks come in a bewildering variety of shapes, crystal forms, colours, textures, even smells. Stamps, on the other hand, are flat (with wobbly edges), and most of the time you don't even get flavoured glue on the back.
- You can find rocks in river beds, along beaches, on mountain tops, in parks (some restrictions there), and in the remote back-country. To find stamps, you need to look in antique stores, old attics, and garages. Be honest, where would you rather be?
- Rocks cover an historical range of over 3 billion years. Stamps go back 200 years (whoopee!).
- Rocks teach you about chemistry, crystallography, geology, petrology, mineralogy, morphology, and a lot more '-ologies' that you don't even know the meaning of yet. Stamps teach you about paper and dyes.
- Some rocks can influence your emotions to bring tranquility, harmony, peace, health and more into your life. The only emotion a 46c stamp from Canada Post generates is outrage at the high cost of mailing a letter.
- Stamps teach you about different countries. Rocks are different countries.
- When you collect rocks, you can enjoy associated pastimes such as hiking, camping, fly fishing, gold-panning, photography, swimming, walking the dog, exploring new country. (OK, so there are blackflies and mosquitoes sometimes.) When you collect stamps, you get to browse tables, read magazines, and send money. No contest.
- Rocks are three dimensional, so make great sculptures, paper weights, door stoppers, garden furniture, or wedges when you're changing a tire. When you're bored with a stamp, what can you do with it?
- You can't throw a stamp at the neighbour's cat when it's singing after midnight.
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