Meet Eddy Verfaillie [Defail], a Belgian stamp collector, contributor, and editor of Colnect's stamp catalog. We invite you to learn more about November's Colnector of the Month and ask more questions by replying to this post.
How did you start collecting stamps?
I have an uncle who is only six years older than me, and about 60 years ago I received his duplicates. At that time, real stamp exchanges were still organized — that is, exchanging and not buying — so I attended one in my village, where I got to know more and more collectors.
Do you collect every stamp you can get or any specific ones?
In the beginning, I collected everything I could get, but at the age of 20 I restricted my collection to Belgium and the ex-colonies. Later, at 50, I received some collections and expanded to Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, the former German states, and the Third Reich. The Polish collection was so extensive—with many variations and proofs—that I decided to specialize in it.
Stamp › Caritas Pantry, Poland, Colnect catalog
Which stamp(s) in your collection are most special to you and why?
This is a difficult one, but I would say my Polish collection, because when you dig into the origin of the stamps, you learn about all the related items such as postal stationery, FDCs, postal cards, and also the history of the country.
Where do you get items to expand your collection? Do you attend any collector meetings and philatelic events?
I am a member of a collectors’ club that meets monthly. I regularly visit stamp exchanges, and I also buy through auctions and online.
Stamp › Roan Antelope (Hippotragus equinus), Belgian Congo, Colnect catalog
Are there any stamps that you would be very interested to add to your collection, but you can't get them? If so, which ones and why are they so hard to find?
I would like to complete my mint collection of Belgium. It’s not that some series aren’t available, but they are too expensive. So I’m waiting until I win the lottery.
What would you say about modern philately? Which trends are prevailing in your opinion?
I can only say that collectors’ clubs are losing more and more older members, and that almost no young ones are joining. In my opinion, stamps may largely disappear within 10 years, at least for postal use. And personally I don’t see the point of collecting the so-called "agency issues".
Stamp › Patent on Rubik's Cube, 50 Years, Hungary, Colnect catalog
Is your family supportive of your collecting hobby?
This has never been an issue. Everyone should have a hobby, and within agreed budget limits, much is possible.
Do you have any other hobbies besides collecting?
I am also interested in butterflies, due to my many travels within Europe, where we mainly went into nature to walk. I have about 1,500 different specimens. I am also a musician and play the slide trombone. For many years I performed in several orchestras and a big band. Since the COVID crisis, I’ve limited myself to one orchestra and a senior cover band.
Stamp › Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae), Belgium, Colnect catalog
How did you discover Colnect's community? What's your favorite thing about Colnect?
Colnect came to my attention while looking for special items for my collection, and I noticed there was so much to find that wasn’t in my catalogs.
You contributed a lot to Colnect's stamp catalog. How did you decide to start contributing?
As I had a very specialized collection of Poland, I thought I could contribute to improving the site. Furthermore, I noticed that there were quite a few mistakes that concerned Belgian stamps, and that’s how it all started.
Stamp › Matice Slovenská Cultural Assoc., 125th Anniv., Czechoslovakia, Colnect catalog
What prompted you to go to the next contributing level and become an editor? Which challenges do you encounter as an editor?
That’s a good question. Due to my stamp contributions, I was invited by DJCMH to become an editor so that I could correct errors myself. For postal stationery, I requested editor rights because I had so much to contribute that it would be easier to manage directly.
Challenges:
- There is a wiki for stamps, for Yvert, and Colnect codes, sometimes they contradict each other, in particular in terms of catalog codes creation.
- All stamps listed in "a" catalogue can be added to Colnect, one has not to specify which catalogue (that can be a highly specialized or a private catalogue) and so I see Polish variants appear that are in fact "coincidences" and not real variations, such as small color differences and different spots across the stamp which are nowhere catalogued in an official catalogue while stamps listed in an official catalogue are declined because the amount should be too big, for example the hand-precanceled stamps of Belgium.
- Implementing Colnect codes for all stamps is a major task that could take years.
How much time do you spend on Colnect and collecting?
It depends on the season and the weather. In summer, I spend almost no time on these activities; in winter, almost the entire day.
Stamp › Year of the Volunteer, Czechoslovakia, Colnect catalog
What would you advise to new collectors and Colnect members?
Take the time to fully explore the Colnect site. There is no other comparable resource. Don’t hesitate to ask questions or propose improvements—but always make sure your information is well verified, since many proposals overlook existing variants.
Anything else you'd like to tell our community?
Wishing everyone lots of fun searching and collecting!
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