#3: Postage Stamps
This was one of the more serious hobbies, known as philately. The world’s first postage stamp, the Penny Black from Great Britain, appeared in 1840, and the hobby took off from there. By the mid-20th century, stamp collecting was at its peak here in the States, with an estimated one in seven families owning a collection. It was a quiet, focused pastime. You might remember a parent or grandparent sitting at a desk with tongs and a magnifying glass, carefully placing a tiny, colorful square into a special album.
