7 Easy Ways to Start Stamp Collecting

     Stamp Collecting may have been the most popular hobby in the United States and the rest of the world. There is an estimated 20 million stamp collectors, in the United States alone. Some may think that this is already an old-school leisure activity especially now that we are in an era of superb computer and mobile technology. The truth is a lot of even young Americans are enjoying this hobby.

      More than being just a hobby, stamps have also been a silent time chronicler. Designs are exclusively made and released to the public whenever special national events happen like the Olympics, not just here in the United States but across the globe as well.

     The word "Philately" came from the French word philatélie which originated from the combination of Greek words "phil," which means "loving" and "ateleia" which means "exemption from tax." It was coined by Georges Herpin in 1864. It is the closest word he could find in ancient Greek.

     To start your hobby of stamp collecting, you need some basic tools. You can buy a kit to some crafts store. You can also even find a similar stamp collecting kit even in a Kids' Toy Store. You can actually find some of these tools right in your house. Some creative persons even create their own stamp collecting kit depending on the materials they have. Here are the tools which should come handy in your quest for stamp collecting:

1. stamp tongs (a specialised form of tweezers) to safely handle the stamps.

2. a strong magnifying glass

3. a perforation gauge (odontometre) to measure the perforation gauge of the stamp. Perforation is the  series of holes, bored or punched through between individual postage stamps of a sheet to facilitate separation.

4. watermark fluid. According to Wikipedia.com, "the identification of watermarks is important and may be done with the naked eye by turning the stamp over or holding it up to the light. If this fails then you may use the watermark fluid. It "wets" the stamp to reveal the mark.

5. stamp catalogues

6. stamp stockbooks

7. stamp hinges.  


     Now that you have the basic know-how of the materials,   www.ehow.com  has the information on how to finally commence your Stamp Collection:

1.       Go to the post office and purchase new stamps.

I did this whenever there are commemorative stamps or whenever the new set of stamp designs appeal to me.

2.       Take used stamps off your old mail. Note that it's sometimes more valuable to collect the entire envelope rather than stripping off the stamp because of a unique postmark date.

This suggestion is true. Sometimes, the texture, style and feel of the envelope add to the overall charm as well.

3.       Ask friends and family for their old stamps. Their saved envelopes also can be valuable.

The nice thing about this is that your friends and families are indeed a very good support. Sometimes you just have to tell them once or twice and before you know it, they are already swamping you with gifts from stamps online or stamps they bought themselves or even their very own stamp collection. Such a sweet act.

4.       Purchase stamps from dealers, who are often listed in newspaper classifieds and offer stacks of assorted stamps.

I haven’t done this although I know a prolific stamp collector who does this and even exchange communication with other stamp collectors from other countries to as far as United Kingdom, South Africa and even Asia.

5.       Order stamps through the mail or via Web sites, either by approval or by want list. "Approval" is when a dealer sends you assorted stamps and you choose which ones to keep. A "want list" is when a dealer checks his or her stock and quotes prices for specific stamps you want to collect.

You can take advantage of subscribing to the website and they will give you a free booklet as a token of gratitude. Also, you can always try eBay where you can get old and rare stamps.

 

6.       Bid at stamp auctions or philatelic exhibitions. Take the time to look through the merchandise and make educated deals.

7.       Trade with fellow collectors. Do this by meeting other stamp traders at shows, auctions and stamp clubs.

I have joined a stamp community in an online social networking. Unfortunately, I can’t join them since they are in another state.

    

     Now that  you have started  your stamp collection,  you  can keep them on an empty and dry box. Once your stamp collection grows, you can then put them in an stamp  album .

 

     Later on, you can classify your stamps, and you can then later choose in which category to focus to like  countries, birds, people, rare and old stamps among others.

     Finally, you can find more information about stamp collecting on the American Philatelic Society web site by going to: http://stamps.org/.

     Happy stamp collecting!!!