What we didn't know is an enormous world opens up with stamp collecting. And stamp collectors, otherwise know as philatelists, are among the world's most famous people. Queen Elizabeth owns what is probably the premier collection in the world, and hers was started by her grandfather, King George VI.

Peter Hausknecht, former Cupertino resident and a philatelist, says Franklin Roosevelt was an avid collector' FDR even brought fellow American Philatelic Society member Harold Ickes into his administration as secretary of the interior. According to Hausknecht, "FDR said everyone ought to collect stamps."

"It's called the king of hobbies and the hobby of kings," he adds.

Hausknecht says former king of Egypt King Fouad had a stunner of a collection. In fact, many countries establish stamp collections. The Smithsonian Institute has a large permanent collection, and there is a National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.

What's most compelling about this hobby are the stories and the history that comes with the stamps.

Mike Campbell, of the Fireside Stamp Company in Sunnyvale, says there are even stamps that were used for propaganda during WWII. Campbell says these were not actually postage stamps but were meant to resemble current issues. For example, Hitler's propaganda office created a stamp with the form of King George VI that also included a Star of David and a hammer and cycle, indicating a Russian and British conspiracy. He says prisoners in concentration camps created a number of stamps from wood block printing and ink from wherever they could get it. These stamps were used internally in the camps.

Almost to a person, those who collect stamps say they love learning the history and the geography.

And here in the South Bay, philatelists and their collections are going strong.

Although stamp collecting is dwindling in popularity with younger generations—according to collector David Gilman, a member of the Sunnyvale Stamp Society, the average stamp collector is a 50-year-old male—this wasn't always the case. Most collectors enjoyed the hobby as children.

Gilman says when he began taking an interest in stamps, it was simply "the thing to do" among boys his age 60 years ago.

"All my friends had stamps," says Gilman, 69. "During World War II there were no Little Leagues, so we collected stamps to amuse ourselves. You could buy a simple album cheaply, and it was something anyone could do."

Hausknect, 48, says during the '20s, '30s and '40s stamp collecting was big. But he started in the 1970s, following in his brother's footsteps. He says that was before video games and computers came along.

Richard Fox, a Sunnyvale resident, started collecting as a child when he saw an ad on a cereal box for a packet of stamps. He says his parents bought him a "cheapie album."

"In the beginning, I enjoyed matching the stamps to the pictures in the album," Fox says. But today, among his many stamps, Fox specializes in those from German states. He has them from as far back as the 1850s.

"Stamp collecting is a tremendous way to learn about the world," says San Jose resident Dave Slattery, who focuses his collection around the former British Empire. "You can learn about geography—for instance, if you get something from a country you have never heard of you think, 'Where is that?' "

Each stamp, he says, is a window into a particular region of the world. The little pieces of adhesive paper contain clues about the landscape, local wildlife, currency and history.

And, he adds, the knowledge he has garnered from stamp collecting may pay off if he ever lands a slot on Jeopardy.

"Sometimes I'll watch Jeopardy, and I will know answers just because of my interest in stamps," he says. "Maybe someday I'll win a prize."

Gilman, who collects worldwide stamps issued before 1978 and all American stamps, agrees that his interest in stamps has broadened his knowledge of history and geography. A full set of encyclopedias lies at the ready next to his extensive stamp collection.

"The encyclopedias are helpful because sometimes I will come across a stamp from some tiny country I have never heard of, and I'll go and look it up."

And his wife, Janice, adds that her husband's hobby has made him quite the tour guide.

"He can tell you about every country in the world—its old name, its new name, its currency and landmarks," she says.

Jim Enright, who collects American-issued commemorative and special-purpose stamps, says he especially enjoys the historical aspect of stamp collecting. For instance, he first learned about Susan B. Anthony by seeing her image on a stamp.

"Stamps provide a view into what life was like that is different from a history book," he says. "They show not just the history, but the culture that surrounds it."

James Keaney, 74, says that, quite by accident, his children's hobby incited in him a passion for Asian stamps and history that still enraptures him to this day.

One day, he discovered that some stamps his children had thought were duplicates were actually from China at different times. Keaney noticed that the stamps bore two different prices—a smaller one that was originally printed and a dramatically larger one that had been printed over the stamp, a sign of the heavy inflation the country was experiencing. From there, Keaney says, he was hooked.

"The turmoil China has experienced over the years is all reflected on its stamps," he says. "Occupations, the concession of Shanghai, wars, the shift to communism ... It's all there. What you see is a country that has gone through unrest and a postage system trying to keep up."

Keaney says his philatelic fanaticism has led him to extensively research Asian history and culture. He has even learned to read some Chinese characters, so he can discern the place names and captions written on the stamps.

"It requires a certain amount of knowledge to fully understand the history surrounding the stamps," he says. "I can't speak Chinese, but I know enough to zero in on its postal history."

To learn Chinese, he says, he uncovered material written by missionaries explaining how to translate the language into English.

And he adds, "I'm not a collector, I'm a philatelist. A collector only accumulates stamps. A philatelist collects stamps in the context of the history surrounding them."

Stamp collecting is a hobby that has been going on for more than a century. In 1840, Great Britain issued the first prepaid postage stamp, commonly referred to as the "Penny Black." The United States issued the Franklin and Washington stamps in 1847. By 1860, the convenience and reliability of prepaid mail was so successful that more than 70 other countries had jumped on the mail wagon.

Timbromania, or stamp madness, soon spread like a fever throughout Europe and its colonies. Detecting a growing niche market, businesses began capitalizing on stamp collectors' obsession. In 1856, the British Stanley Gibbons Ltd. established the first enterprise to specialize in postage stamps and collecting supplies.

In 1918, the United States issued what may well be one of the most lucrative mistakes in the history of postage stamps, the "Inverted Jenny." To the uninitiated, the Inverted Jenny appears to be a blue biplane flying upside down against a red background. But to a collector, the stamp represents a Holy Grail of philately.

Only 100 Inverted Jennys sneaked past postal officials and found their way into the hands of the public. But if a collector is lucky enough to find one of these stamps, he or she can expect to sell it for somewhere in the neighborhood of $100,000—not too shabby for a stamp that was initially worth 24 cents.

But, according to Gilman, no such mistake would have slipped past the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration. An avid stamp collector, Roosevelt would scrutinize proofs before they were issued to make sure they were historically accurate. During his presidency, the United States issued numerous stamps commemorating significant historical figures and events.

The United States still issues several commemorative and collector stamps each year, but many people never see them, thanks to the ever-changing world of technology and the convenient stamp-free invention of email. And although it appears that the advent of the Internet might be stamping out the collecting community, this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, many collectors say the Internet has made pursuing their hobby easier than ever.

Slattery says the availability of the Internet actually refreshed his waning interest in stamp collecting.

"I had gotten away from it. But then the Internet picked up and got me hooked," he says. "I can see if stamps I am looking for are available, and the Internet allows stamp collectors from around the world to correspond with each other."

And he adds, "If it weren't for the Internet, I would probably only be marginally interested in stamps right now."

Enright also frequently uses websites like eBay to bid for the stamps he needs to complete his collection. He too says, ironically, the Internet has revolutionized stamp collecting.

"eBay made a new market," he says. And, ever the history buff, Enright provides an astute comparison between old and new technologies. "There's an interesting analogy with horses and railroads. Although many people thought the invention of the railroad would kill the horse trade, it actually increased it, because horses were needed to move the vast quantity of goods carried by trains. When looking forward, technology has unpredictable effects."

For people who want to combine stamp collecting with direct human interaction, there are still a few stamp clubs remaining in the Silicon Valley. One of these is the Sunnyvale Stamp Society, which meets every Tuesday.

"The third Tuesday of every month is one of the most exciting days of the month," Gilman says, referring to the auction the society holds monthly. Auction night is one of the most well-attended meetings held by the club. Although only members can auction off stamps, visitors are allowed to place bids on items.

Gilman says he joined the stamp club shortly before he retired because he realized he would have more time to devote to his collection. And, according to Janice, he rarely comes home from the meetings empty-handed.

"Sometimes he comes home with a See's candy box full of stuff and says, 'Look at what I got,' " his wife says.

But participating in a stamp club isn't just about stamps, according to Gilman. It's a way of reviving the childhood bonding experience of collecting and discussing stamps.

"It's definitely a social activity," he says. "When we're done with stamp activities, we'll discuss the news of the day, or the 49ers or what's going on in our lives."

The Sunnyvale Stamp Society meets every Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Sunnyvale Community Center's Arboretum, 550 E. Remington Drive, Sunnyvale.

The Fireside Stamp Company is located 302 Town and Country Village in Sunnyvale; phone 408.720.9779.