A Newbies Guide to Stamp Collecting

Stamp collecting is a very rewarding hobby. You can learn about the past and even make a good investment by collecting stamps. The main question someone would ask who is about to start a stamp collection is "What do I need to start?" The answer is " you need very little." All you really need is a magnifying glass, an album of some sort (It can be one that needs hinges or one that just has pockets which I suggest for beginers) and the passion to collect stamps and learn about history at the same time. It also might be a good Idea to get some sort of catelog or booklet that has the approximate value of your stamps. This is good so you can know what to keep, collect or sell/trade.

The next most common question would be "where do I get the stamps at?" You can get them from your own letters when you recieve them or if you are interested in collecting mint condition (perfect, unused condition) stamps than you can get them right at the post office when they first come out. If you like older stamps (like I do) than you can get them off of websites such as ebay or any other auction website. You could also join a "stamps on approval" service such as "Jamestown" stamps or "Mystic" stamps (USA only.) These are great because you get to look at the stamps, keep the ones you want and send the rest back. Another great place to get them is at a Garage or yard sale.

The last thing is, you need to do your research. The internet is a great place to find information about everything stamps. You can find more information on things such as:

Different types of stamps.
postage due, special delivery, parcel post, revenue, commemorative, and airmail. Another thing that is great to collect is first day issues. These are where a certain post office comes out with a stamp and sells it along with an envelope. You than send it to your self and instead of the normal markout it will say "First Day Issue." The envelope with a stamp is called a "cover" so they are commonly called "First day Covers." It is important to know the differance in these so you can better perfect your collection to suite your interests.

It's also important to learn other things if you would like to be a philatelist (a person that studies stammps.) Such things as :What is a scott number, watermarkes, perforations and the difference between sheets, coils and booklets.

In conclusion, stamp collecting is a wonderful hobby enjoyed by millions around the world.

Sources Used- Mystic's Guide to collecting, © 2006 MSC