There is a term used to describe collectors that borrows from the animal kingdom. And while some animal descriptions are positive (sly like a fox; wise like an owl) this specific term isn't one that collectors relish: pack rat.

Of course it is the disorganized collector who receives that less than honorable moniker. (A kinder one might be a description of the collector as a magpie.) Whatever, both imply that collecting is instinctual, wired into the collector's DNA.

Happily, stamp collectors are never referred to as pack rats. We are too organized to receive that term of approbation. Even those stamp collectors who aren't organized are assumed by others to be. We have so many tools to stay organized -- catalogs, albums, stock books, glassine envelopes, cover boxes for first day covers; the list goes on and on -- that it takes little effort for us to assure that our collections are in good shape.

That is one of the draws of stamp collecting for many. In the chaos of the world, the stamp collector keeps a little part it organized and in just the order he likes.

Update to an earlier blog post: It has been reported in the philatelic press that Great Britain's Royal Mail has taken criticisms of its stamp issuing policies to heart and will be reducing the number of commemoratives it releases starting in 2013. It has already moved its dinosaur commemorative issue from 2012 to 2013 to reduce the load on collectors this year.

Britain's Stamp Magazine reports that a spokesman for Royal Mail said "By producing fewer stamp issues, Royal Mail is focused on keeping this wonderful hobby both enjoyable and affordable in future years."

While collectors of British stamps may be breathing a small sigh of relief, mailers in the U.K. have just experienced a huge increase in postage rate, which many believe will cause Royal Mail customers to greatly curtail card and letter mailings.

Included with the RM's slate of stamp issues for 2012 are the Queen's Diamond Jubilee stamps and various issues noting the London 2012 Olympics. Both are guaranteed big hits with collectors.

It's a fact that just about any date one chooses relates to a stamp issue. Ironically the date May 6 encompasses two very important dates in stamp collecting, one representing a beginning, the other an end.

The first to consider is the 1840 issuance of the Penny Black, the first official stamp. The stamp will probably never be more affordable than it is today. It is a perennial favorite with collectors, while it has also become popular with investors lately: with the positive economic climate in China, investors there have decided to add multiple copies to their tangible investment portfolios.

The other area is airmail -- specifically the crash of the Hindenburg in 1937. There's no need to rehash the event here -- it is an iconic event that has touched us all, especially through the famous newsreel footage that has kept the tragic occurrence in our memories. Often referred to as a "flying post office" many stamps have been issued to honor the airship, both before and after its demise. And pieces of mail that were carried on flights of the Hindenburg continue to fascinate airmail and cover collectors.

It's an irony that one May 6 event signaled an important philatelic beginning -- of prepaid postage, as well as stamp collecting itself, while the other brought about the end of a mode of mail transportation that was the state of the art for its time. There were almost one hundred years between the two events that no doubt will still be remembered and commemorated a hundred years from now and beyond.

As the USPS struggles to deal with an onerous financial situation they are apparently doing the right thing with recent stamp issues. Two forever stamp issues, the Cherry Blossom and the Owney the railway mail dog, are reported to be sold out at post offices all over the country. One might imagine that the vital Asian stamp market, hitching a ride on the prosperity of the area, was responsible for healthy orders from Far East collectors for the Japan-U.S. friendship Cherry Blossoms. But U.S. mailers and collectors have also been smitten by the colorful pair of stamps.

And as for the Owney stamp; well who can resist a noble and friendly little dog, even if he hasn't been with us in the flesh for a hundred years or so. The programs the USPS and the National Postal Museum have run in conjunction with the release, use and philatelic craft involving the stamp -- like first day cover making and mail art for kids -- have resulted in a real hit. All isn't bleak on the U.S. postal front after all, so give the people responsible for ginning up interest in these U.S. stamps a round of applause.