How is the money raised? - you may ask. The main source is of course the many donors who have supplied the stamps over the years, from small amounts to large bags of material. This material is sorted, foreign from British - foreign gives the best revenue. Then, when I can persuade my wife against bathing, the stamps are floated from the paper in the bath. After drying on an assortment of towels, the foreign stamps are sorted into countries, placed in booklets, priced and sold at the various clubs around the north east of England. We also hold an auction at our society twice a year. This helps to clear old stock that has been the rounds. The British stamps are sorted into special issues and common material. The ordinary issues are sold in bulk, bringing in £20 per sack. The special issues are graded; the best grades are the ones stamped with a circular date stamp. These are made into sets and also sold round the clubs.

The condition of some of the material creates some hilarious moments. Living in a small flat originally, much of the work was done on the floor in the bedroom. On one occasion the material was delivered in hot water bottle covers, the smell of which left a lot to be desired, so face masks were the order of the day. The stamps had encroached everywhere, the floor, the bed, everything was covered. At about 3am I realised that my wife was missing. She had resorted to the settee in the living room. You may be able to imagine the scene for her being woken up from a deep sleep by a masked figure bending over her. I mention this little anecdote to give you some idea of her long suffering ordeal being married to a stamp mad husband. Her input and support in this fundraising has been invaluable. I feel honoured by the fact that she agreed to be my wife more than fifty years ago.

I could go on boring you with the various tales but as a last word, I remember when I first mentioned the convent and sale of stamps. Some of my colleagues were rather critical of the sisters and their lifestyle, saying perhaps they were a little mad. After meeting them and seeing how dedicated they were in their work, I realised that it was the people outside the convent walls that most needed a psychiatrist.

 

 

Please send your used stamps (foreign and British commemorative only) or any unwanted collections directly to: Mr John Dixon, 97 Reading Road, South Shields, NE33 4SF

 

• Please leave a small margin around stamps

• Please note the new Royal Mail size guide for dimensions and weights of letter and packets