Herman Herst Jr

Herman “Pat” Herst Jr. (who got his nickname because he was born on St. Patrick’s day) became a stamp dealer in the 1930s. The Depression era was really the start of the modern period of philately. Before the early 1930s, philately was a highly esoteric hobby that had not made it into the mainstream. Few people collected and not many people in the general population had any feel for what it was that philately was attempting to accomplish. The Depression era changed that for several reasons. First, there were a large number of men out of work (almost a third of the workforce), and, in the days before cable and ESPN, men out of work needed something to do. Philately was inexpensive, and trading clubs grew up all over the country where people collected, traded, and did a little dealing, usually making a profit in stamps and not in money, but most of all keeping busy and out of trouble. Second, Captain Tim and Ivory Snow were actively promoting the hobby on the radio, and a hobby that had been nerdy became mainstream. Adding to philately’s social acceptance was the fact that two of the world’s most beloved leaders, FDR and George VI, were avid collectors, so philately became for a moment in time almost cool.
