Lloyd Tancock won’t call himself a philatelist, but man, does he ever know his stamps.
Philately - or the collection and study of postal stamps, he says - is too confusing a term for his honest hobby.
But it's a hobby which has occupied Tancock most of his life and especially since the founding of the South Shore Stamp Club in 1994.
In fact, Tancock is one of only two members to have been with the club the entirety of its 25 years. He has, at various times, served as its president, newsletter writer and, now, regular member.
He can remember putting an ad in the local paper the summer of 1994 to measure interest in an adult stamp club.
Looking at the minutes today, the records show that 22 people showed up for that inaugural meeting.
“As a result of that meeting, we reached a number of agreements that there was a sufficient number to start a club,” he said.
The club has had dozens and dozens of members over the years. People have come from Halifax, Chester, Bridgewater and even Cape Sable Island to engage in stamp talk.
“We had a good smattering of people all along the shoreline,” said Tancock, adding that some members started off knowing very little while others knew postal history down to every single post office in Lunenburg County.
However, they were all brought together by their interest in stamps.
Club members were most recently brought together on Oct. 26 to celebrate 25 years of meeting, sharing and laughing together.
Tancock said more than 100 people showed up and the event, which also included the club’s annual collection show, served as a milestone to members new and old alike.
“It’s been a great ride,” he said of the club’s history.
And all these years later, Tancock confirmed that he’s still drawn to the hobby which originally caused him to take out an ad all those years ago: stamps are beautiful, artistic expressions.
“They used steel engraving on some of the ones in the early 1900s and in the mid-1900s,” he explained. “Back then, it was really an intricate piece of art.”
Tancock admits that his particular stamp interests have fluctuated over the years — he’s recently became fascinated with the postal history of Lunenburg County — but his passion remains genuine.
He added that membership has declined in recent years and that the stamps themselves have changed but he is pleased with his hobby, whether you call if philately or not.
To his core, Tancock enjoys a good stamp.
“It’s a real good feeling that it’s lasted this long,” said Tancock.
