The Fungus Among Us: Stamp Collecting

While it is very enjoyable to find, collect and identify fungi simply for pleasure, there are additional rewards for those willing to put even more time into the hobby. Of course one could collect mushrooms for food, there is a long tradition of doing so, but not without some risk. So..if you are not confident in your skills to identify food fungi, how about collecting fungi in a different way... on stamps! No field guides necessary!

The hobby of collecting and studying postal stationery and postage stamps is called philately. Its name originates from two Greek words, phil-, a fondness for, and ateleia, tax exemption! Stamps exempt the recipient from having to pay mailing charges.

The first postage stamp was the British Penny Black, issued in London, during May of 1840. Other countries quickly began producing postage, with Brazil's first issue in 1843 and the United States in 1847. France and Belgium both issued their first stamp in 1849.

Stamp collecting as a hobby, followed soon after, probably in the early 1860s. Collectors in London's sister city Paris published the first stamp catalogue (lists of stamps with their prices), and christened the hobby philately.

Collectors collect in several ways. Some amass worldwide collections, with stamps from many different countries and of many different types. Others collect from only a select group of countries. Still others collect stamps depicting only certain topics. Popular topics include transportation, royal families, animals and yes....mushrooms.

As mushrooms and other fungi are found on all continents, most countries have issued postage stamps depicting them. Some are representative of edible fungi or poisonous ones or simply beautiful ones. Here is a sample list of countries who have included fungi in their recent issues: