Stamp Collecting: Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects. It is one of the world’s most popular hobbies, with estimates of the number of collectors ranging up to 20 million in the United States alone. The ancient Indian Empire was so vast that it once covered the area of modern day Pakistan. The Indian subcontinent was the cradle of civilization in South Asia. Collecting: Stamp collecting is not the same as philately, which is the study of stamps. A philatelist may, but does not have to, collect stamps.