How to Build a Stamp Collector.
Every once in a while, you get to witness something that reminds you why you fell in love with stamp collecting in the first place. For me, it’s been watching Tom Schilling become one of the most respected experts at Professional Stamp Experts (PSE) — and remembering that when I first met him, he didn’t know a thing about stamps. What he had, though, was a steady hand, a good head on his shoulders, and a willingness to learn. What he got, thanks to a bit of timing and a lot of mentoring, was a whole second career — and in the process, he became an example of what stamp collecting desperately needs if it wants to survive: genuine mentorship.
Tom and I are about the same age, and I remember when he first started at PSE right after the office moved from Miami to Santa Ana, California. The company had just been purchased by Collectors Universe, and Tom was brought on to manage the shipping department. He didn’t know a perf from a watermark, but he was sharp and detail-oriented. He made sure everything moved smoothly through the system and always got out on time. Even though stamps weren’t his thing back then, it was clear he took pride in his work.
Eventually, Tom left PSE around 2005 or 2006 for a much better job in residential construction management. He had a girlfriend he wanted to marry, and let’s be honest, being a shipping clerk doesn’t exactly come with a six-figure paycheck. I couldn’t blame him. He did stay in touch with the staff of PSE though. I remember him dropping by the office now and then to catch up with old coworkers or meet someone for lunch. He was always friendly and kept those connections alive.
Fast forward to the chaos of 2007-2008, when the economy was falling apart. That’s when things really changed for both PSE and Tom. Around that time, PSE laid off most of its full-time expert staff — including me, Randy Shoemaker (who later started PSAG), and Bill Crowe. The company was looking to cut costs and tried to bring us back part-time, but I chose to move on (if you’re curious about that, check out my first post about my career in stamps). Bill eventually came back part-time, Randy struck out on his own, and PSE was left hollowed out, running on a skeleton crew.
That’s when Tom’s story took a turn. The Great Recession hit hard, and residential construction came to a screeching halt. Tom, now married with kids, found himself out of a job. He wasn’t able to keep going in his new career, and like so many others, he was scrambling to figure out what came next. One day, he was talking with Camile, the office manager at PSE, and she remembered how careful and skilled he had been with handling stamps during his time as shipping manager. She knew he could use tongs properly, navigate a Scott catalog, and follow procedures with precision. She floated the idea of bringing him back.
Camile talked to Mike, who agreed to rehire Tom to resume his shipping role — but with a twist. He would also help out with measuring stamps for grading. By that point, PSE's systems were pretty mechanized, but there was still a need for someone careful and meticulous to handle the stamps and take some of the burden off Scott, who would clearly become the company’s lead grader with Bill Litle’s health in decline. Scott was grading every stamp that came through the door, and it was too much for one person to handle.
Tom started off where he left: managing the shipping flow. But before long, he was getting involved in the grading process. He picked things up quickly. Measuring margins and learning the intricacies of how to grade a stamp — he had an eye for detail, and more importantly, he had Scott to guide him. Scott didn’t just assign Tom tasks; he taught him. He mentored him. And Tom, to his credit, was a sponge.
That’s where the magic really happened. Mentorship isn’t just about passing along knowledge — it’s about believing someone can rise to meet a challenge and giving them the space to grow. Scott saw that in Tom. Over time, Tom went from measuring stamps to grading modern issues, and eventually he was handling everything PSE authenticated. He learned to spot hidden faults, use UV light and the VSC, and correctly identify the most difficult stamps. All the things that take years to master, he absorbed because someone took the time to show him.
And now, a little more than 15 years later since he returned, Tom Schilling has quietly become one of the best in the business. He’s not just skilled at grading — he deeply understands stamps. After examining tens of thousands of examples, mastering the nuances, and joining the expert staff at PSE, Tom now finalizes many of the submissions that leave the office. In the world of U.S. philately, he's a true expert, even if most collectors have never heard his name. That’s because Tom doesn’t attend shows or APS gatherings; he’s been working steadily behind the scenes, absorbing everything there is to know. Today, he has the confidence of a seasoned professional, paired with the humility of someone who still remembers what it felt like to be new.
This is Tom on the podcast “Stamp Show Here Today”.
Now that I’ve started stopping by the PSE office again, I’ve had the pleasure of sitting down with Tom and talking stamps. And the conversations are different now. He teaches me things.
When I wrote about the challenges of bringing new collectors into the hobby, I was critical of the methods being used. Outreach is essential, yes, but it’s often misdirected. The one shining light I pointed to was the Young Philatelic Leaders Fellowship started by Alex Haimann. It was a great program, but I always thought it was too limited. It targeted people who could afford to attend semi-annual APS shows, and that left out a lot of potential collectors. I argued it should be open to anyone under 50 and extended to regional shows to make it more accessible.
But Alex had the right instinct. Stamp collecting survives when we invest in people. When we make space for curiosity, patience, and long-term learning. That’s exactly what Scott did for Tom. He didn’t give him a checklist; he gave him a path. And now Tom, in turn, is helping others. That’s what mentorship done right looks like.
If stamp collecting is going to have another generation of serious collectors, it won’t be because of “children’s booths”. It will be because someone sat down with someone else and said, “Let me show you how this works.” It will be because someone like Scott took the time to mentor someone like Tom — and because Tom paid it forward.
And maybe, just maybe, we’ll all get the chance to be part of that cycle.
