There is in the life of a collector a dialectical tension between the poles of disorder and order.
? Walter Benjamin, Unpacking my Library, 1931.

Stamp collectors are generalists or specialists, or a little bit of both. Enthusiasts define a system of rules for deciding what to collect. Some collectors pursue encyclopedic collections, attempting to fill binders with every stamp from every country. In support of this endeavor, in 1868, John Walter Scott created a system of numbering individual stamps that is still used for organization today. More focused options include country- or topic-specific stamp collecting or the collecting of postal history materials. Brown?s stamp collections feature a wide range of collecting styles.