stamp collecting guide Learn the basics of stamps and stamp collecting

Beginner's guide to stamps and stamp collecting

Learn the basics of stamps and stamp collecting by following the tips here!

You too can join the throngs of stamp enthusiasts around the world by folllowing the simple steps explained in this article. And when you begin your collection, you will become a philatelist and start the old-age hobby of collecting stamps.

First, in order to start your fascinating collection, you will need to purchase a few supplies from your local hobby store. You will need a pair of tweezer-like stamp tongs to use when you handle your stamps so they do not become soiled, a stamp album to keep your collection clean and free from dirt and stains, hinges to hold certain types of stamps in your album, plastic holders to hold other types of stamps in your album, specifically the new, uncirculated ones, and, of course, some stamps. Note: Certai stamp albums are designed to hold the stamps without the use of hinges or holders. Purchasing this type of album will save you time and money in the long run, and is really the best way to go.

The stamps that you collect may either be new or used. You can either purchase some stamps to start your collection out, or ask friends and family members to save their stamps off of envelopes, cards, etc. they receive, for you. You can add to your collection by saving the stamps off of your own mail, too. If someone you know is going to take a trip overseas to a faraway land, then you can get some foreign stamps easily that way too.

Next, start your collection by arranging your stamps by countries, theme, etc.first. If you are not sure about the different countries, consult a world atlas and find out. Then, arrange your stamp collection one step further by sorting them alphabetically. This way it will be easier to find a stamp you are looking for. Think of the country, then what letter it begins with. Or, if you choose to arrange them by theme, that is, birds, celebrities, states, etc., you should still arrange them alphabetically for ease in finding them.

Here are just a few of the most common terms used in stamp collecting that you will need to know:

Coil Stamps- These stamps are attached together in a large roll.

Commemorative Stamps- These stamps are issued by the post office in order to mark a special event or occasion, such as the U.S. astronauts landing on the moon. They are usually larger than regular postal stamps, and come in either single stamps or in small blocks.

Face Value-Not to be confused with the collecting value of a stamp, if it has one. The face value is the price of the stamp which is printed on the stamp's face. Pane-A separate section of stamps, either a quarter, half, or full sheet.

Postage Due Stamps- These stamps cannot be purchased. They are attached by the post office to an envelope which is being sent but does not have the suffficient amount of postage on it.

Postmarks-These marks which are normally found on used stamps, is applied by the post office as a way to cancel or prevent the re-use of a stamp. Re-using a stamp, by the way, is mail fraud and is punishable by the law.

And, there are a few basic things to remember about your stamp collection:

One aspect of a stamp that makes it more valuable is if it has a flaw or printed defect of some kind on it. Like flawed coins or paper money, flawed stamps can be quite valuable! It is a most important thing to watch for in your stamp collection!

Don,t forget to use your stamp tongs when handling your stamp collection, store them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, and, above all, have fun with your new collection!

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Teaching with stamp

This means that I study and collect stamps and other postal materials. I have collected stamps since I was a little girl. Looking at my collection today, I see a variety of stamps that are filled with images of people, places, and historical events; art, music, theatre, and dance; mathematics and science; and sports. I believe that using stamps in the classroom is a great way to introduce topics in different areas of the curriculum, and a sure way to interest students in starting collections of their own.

It's easy, really. You can begin by saving stamps from letters and postcards. Ask your family and friends to save stamps from their mail too! You can also start by purchasing newly issued stamps from your local post office. All you need do is save one stamp the next time you buy stamps for your letters. The USPS also maintains Philatelic Centers throughout the country. These centers help to serve stamp collectors and make it easy for them to acquire postage stamps and other philatelic products issued by the USPS. To locate a Philatelic Center near you, contact your local postmaster.

The second decision you must make is regarding what types of stamps you want to collect. There are many different types stamps. Some stamp classifications include definitive, commemorative, and airmail.

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Stamp Collecting from Hobbies for Everybody

An indoor hobby, like stamp collecting, and an outdoor one, such as trout angling, keep Ellis Parker Butler, the author and humorist, well supplied with leisure interests quite aside from his active work in the Authors' League, of which he is president, and in the Dutch Treat Club, of which he is the founder. Formerly president of the Flushing (L. I.) Savings and Loan Association, he now devotes his entire working time to writing, and occasionally builds a magazine article, story, or even a complete volume around one of his hobbies. His Young Stamp Collector's Complete Guide, published in 1933, is the thirty-second volume he has published, but none is so famous as his early story, Pigs Is Pigs. His own stamp collections are well known, and his Luxemburg collection, which fills five volumes, is one of the best in America.

I never did like the word "hobby" and I don't like it now; it suggests some old red-faced colonel, retired after years in India, boring everyone with endless talk about medals or old pistols until they wish he was dead and buried. My stamp collecting is not a "hobby" -- it is my spare-time amusement, and I don't care if no one ever sees my stamps. I don't "ride" it or ride anyone with talk about it. I collect stamps for the fun I get out of it.

By the time this is printed I will be 65 years old. I began collecting stamps 51 years ago, and I enjoy stamps more now than I ever did. I know more about them. I appreciate them more.

When I was a small boy I collected coins, bird eggs, sea moss, shells and all the quaint and curious things all boys collect, and my first stamps came to me through trading something or other with some boy who had stamps to trade and who advertised the fact in the exchange page of Harper's Young People. I probably traded some duplicate coins for his duplicate stamps. From then on I was a stamp collector.

Today one of the favorite fields for stamp collectors is that of United States stamps. They are beautiful, some are excessively rare, and the minor varieties are numerous enough to delight the most eager specialist. There is more printed about them in this country than about all the other stamps together, so that knowledge concerning them is most easily found. But the boys of 1883 did not care a hoot for United States stamps. We could look out of the window and see the United States. What we collected -- because they were strange and exotic and had an aura of romance -- were "foreign" postage stamps. Almost all the collectors of that day were "foreign postage stamp collectors" and foreign stamps are still the first to arouse the young collector's enthusiasm. The foreign stamp is Romance and hunting for the stamps needed to complete a set or an album page is Adventure.

Aside from the delight of collecting -- which any branch of collecting offers -- the stamp has the advantage of being the smallest and most compact object for the collector's attention. Hundreds can be carried in a vest pocket; thousands can be kept in a small stamp collecting album. They do not tarnish or rust or need dusting. A collection may be worth a million dollars but quite as much pleasure may be had with only a few cents to spend. There need be no hit-or-miss guessing at what a stamp is worth because there is a priced catalogue of every stamp ever issued.

There are several ways for the person who knows nothing about stamps to begin collecting. I know one man who stopped one day in front of a showcase of stamps displaying small "sets" and who was attracted by a set of Egyptians priced 18 cents or so. He went in and bought that set, and he bought two or three other sets, and that set him going. Today he has one of the most complete collections of United States stamps and he won't stop until it is complete or the sexton puts him underground.

But I believe one of the best methods is to begin by buying one of the "all different" packets. Not, please note, a "mixture" packet that has a lot of duplicates. They are, in my opinion, a nuisance. You can buy 150 stamps, all different, for 10 cents. You can buy 1,000 all different for $1, and so on up to 20,000 all different stamps for $350.

For a boy or an adult who wants to see if he would like stamp collecting I suggest a 1,000 "all different" packet and a cheap stamp album, perhaps one that costs 50 cents to $1.50. These have spaces for from 3,700 to 12,000 stamps, with many illustrations to show where to put them.

The collector will enjoy sorting these stamps and finding their places in the album, and while doing so he will learn a lot about stamps. Unless I am mistaken he will want to continue.

Stamps are not pasted flat in the album these days. The collector buys an envelope of "hinges" -- thin gummed papers -- for 10 cents a thousand or more. The "hinge" is bent double with the gum side out, one half lightly attached to the back of the stamp and the other half to the album space. Thus a stamp can be removed without damage. The collector will soon want a larger album and will transfer his stamps to it.

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Stamp Collecting for Dummies

Postage stamps have evolved quite a bit since Great Britain' s 1840 Penny Black, the world' s first adhesive postage stamp. From simple designs featuring the monarch to works of art literally condensed to postage stamp size, hundreds of thousands of different stamps have been issued in the past 164 years- and the great majority of them remain reasonably priced for collectors. With so many stamps to collect from so many countries, a philatelist' s choices are virtually unlimited--which can be both a blessing and a curse, especially if you' re a newcomer to the art of stamp collecting.

Interested in starting a stamp collection, but not sure where to begin? This is the guide for you. Expert Richard Sine fills you in on everything you need to know about selecting, finding, buying, presenting and caring for stamps. An internationally recognized collector and author on stamp collecting (he used to write the New York Times stamp column) he also has much wisdom to impart to collectors who' ve been at it for a while. A gold mine of expert advice and guidance, Stamp Collecting For Dummies is on how to: Start or diversify your collection Decide what to collect Catalog and organize your collection Handle, protect, store, and display stamps Identify rare and valuable stamps Buy stamps online and through auction houses.

Unlike most authors on the subject who tend to be pretty stuffy - to put it politely- expert Richard Sine focuses on the side of stamp collecting that' s enjoyable, educational, and fun. With humor, tons of interesting anecdotes about stamps and the men and women who love them, and loads of insider tips, he covers all thebases, including: Getting the biggest bang for you stamp-collecting buck Researching, locating and buying stamps through traditional sources and online Showing off your collection at exhibits Customizing your collection Housing your stamps and protecting them against the elements The ten keys to identifying and authenticating stamps.

Stamp Collecting For Dummies is your total guide to starting and building on a really cool stamp collection.

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