For Club Leaders · Teachers & Grandparents
Get Kids Hooked on Stamp Collecting — Stamp Detectives, The Virtual Stamp Academy for Young Collectors
A ready-to-run stamp club, in a box
Stamp Detectives turns stamp collecting into a weekly detective game. We supply the cases, the quizzes, the badges and the records — you bring the young collectors. No preparation, no printing press, no philately degree required.
The free demo needs no sign-up — it's the fastest way to see what a session feels like.
Leading a Cub pack? Start here →Have a Club Code?
For club leaders and grown-ups. Sign in or create your free sponsor account to join your club.
One Device. A Pencil. A Room Full of Detectives.
Run the session from one phone or tablet while every detective works on paper — or let detectives play online, or save the case and answer offline later. However your club meets, there's a way that fits.
Print the answer sheets
One button in the Sponsor Office prints each detective's sheet for the week — five cases, with A–D bubbles to circle.
Read the case aloud
Tap full-screen to throw the stamp large for the whole room, then read Chief Instructor Phil Aterly's briefing out loud.
Tap in the results
Detectives self-mark, then you record their circled letters on your device — under a minute each, and albums and ranks update.
Built for the Grown-Ups Who Run It
Whatever your role, the Academy hands you a complete session, every week.
For Club Leaders
Run a junior stamp club without the paperwork. Each week brings five brand-new stamp cases with Forensic Evidence Briefings and quizzes you can drop straight into your session plan. Track every detective's progress, answer their questions through the built-in memo system, and hand out printable badges and certificates at the end of term.
- A complete weekly session — briefing, investigation, quiz, reward
- Answer online, on paper, or offline — whatever suits your detectives
- Printable paper answer sheets and one-tap result entry for the whole room
- Hold cases until your meeting day and time, then they open by themselves
- Full-screen stamp view for tablets, TVs and hall projectors
- Leader dashboard with each detective's scores and progress
- Printable rank-themed badges and certificates
For Teachers & Homeschoolers
Every stamp is a window onto history, geography, art and science. Field Assignments sharpen observation, research and critical-thinking skills while feeling like a game. Use one case as a starter activity or run the full weekly assignment as an enrichment club — the free demo works on any classroom screen.
- Curriculum-friendly topics: explorers, wildlife, transport, history
- Curation, research and deduction skills, built in
- Project the stamp full screen so the whole class inspects it together
- Paper answer sheets mean one class tablet is enough
- Safe digital environment — no open chat, no advertising
For Grandparents
There's no better way to pass on the hobby. Sponsor a detective, load their vault with credits, and watch their rank climb week by week — then sit down together and compare albums. It's the collection box, the magnifying glass and the Saturday afternoon chat, all in one place.
- Buy credits as a gift — they never expire
- Play side by side, or across the miles
- Real organisations to visit together when they're ready for real stamps
How It Works
Get an Academy Code
A grown-up signs up at the Sponsor Office and receives a code for each young detective.
Detectives Report for Duty
Each child signs in with their code and opens the weekly Field Assignment — five stamp cases to crack. No device or internet? They circle answers on a printed sheet, or save the case and play offline.
Collect, Rank & Repeat
Solved cases earn stamps for the album, points toward Academy ranks, and printable badges.
Detectives: enter your Academy Code
No code yet? A grown-up can get one here:
Sponsor OfficeAcademy Ranks
Detectives climb five ranks, from Rookie to Chief Investigator, one solved case at a time.
0 stamps
Junior Apprentice
10 stamps
Assistant Researcher
20 stamps
Field Collector
50 stamps
Master Archivist
100 stamps
Chief Philatelist
Beyond the Screen
Want young collectors to feel real stamps, swap with friends, and meet local collectors?
Point them to Stamp Active in the UK, or The Hub from the American Philatelic Society.