Hay River (July 12/04) - Chris Robinson is not quite sure how many stamps he has collected over the years.

The Hay River man estimates he has about 40,000 stamps in 15 large albums. Then there are duplicates in at least four big shoeboxes.

Chris Robinson displays some of the Canadian stamps in his collection. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

His collection could be nearing 100,000 stamps from all over the world, he says. "I would be surprised if it wasn't that many."

And that doesn't count the first-day covers -- special envelopes issued when a stamp is released -- and a multitude of other stamp-related collectibles.

Robinson, 71, says he began collecting as a boy in England and has continued it throughout his life. "I've never really stopped completely." Part of his collection was inherited from his father, who began collecting around the time of the First World War.

Robinson finds time for stamp collecting, even while he works as an engineer and volunteers with several organizations.

He simply describes himself as a collector, pointing to his coins and model cars.

While his coin collection is not as large as his stamp collection, he quips: "It's a lot heavier."

Robinson says he collects stamps for many reasons -- the variations, the information about other countries and the changes over the years.

"There is always the possibility you might get lucky and find something really rare," he says. His most expensive stamp is also the world's oldest -- England's 1840 Penny Black. It is worth about $300.

Robinson says he has never attempted to estimate the overall value of his stamps, noting that is not why he collects. In fact, he rarely buys stamps, since most are given to him by friends and family members, or exchanged for duplicates in his collection. "I always watch the envelopes, both in the office and at home," he says.

One of his favourite stamps is Canada's 50-cent Bluenose from 1929.

Robinson, who has lived in Hay River since 1992, says it takes time and dedication to sort the stamps and mount them in albums. "It's never-ending work," he says. That might be one reason there doesn't seem to be as many young stamp collectors, he says. "I think the kids today are more interested in computers and TV than they are in stamp collecting."