Stamp Collecting Basics

by Albreht Moy
Stamp collecting is the most popular hobby in the world.
Philately is a broader term for the study of stamps, and
it is frequently - but wrongly - equated to stamp collecting.
Through stamp collecting, people find information about
history,currency, science,politics,arts,architecture and
customs of different nations and countries of the world.
All stamp collectors have fun with their stamps because
no collection is ever complete, and there is always a challenge.

First, decide whether you would like to collect unused (mint)
or used (canceled) stamps.If starting a mint stamp collection,
purchase unused stamps from the post office.And if you see
interesting stamps coming in the mail - collect them.

Many collectors prefer used stamps because they are less
expensive or they may cost you nothing.

Some collectors save stamps by "topic": for instance, if you
are interested in ships, you may want to collect stamps of
ships and boats.Car fans often collect stamps with cars on
them.You can disregard the countries and only collect stamps
that have pictures that you like. Some people like to collect
stamps of one or several countries,but which are all of the same
subject. Popular topical themes are birds,cats, butterflies,flowers,
sports, space,art,chess,famous people and other.

Specialized collecting means that you can collect all the varieties
of a single stamp or collect stamps used for a special purpose.

Country collecting is usually done chronologically by date of issue,
sub-divided into reigns or political periods.

Some collectors specialize in collecting only the first stamps, one
for each country that has ever issued a postage stamp, or
collecting first-day covers,which carry a stamp on the first day it
was sold with that day's postmark.

Some areas of collecting cost less than ten cents a stamp, while
others can cost thousands of dollars.

A lot of people collect "Cinderellas" - stamps that are not official
stamps issued by a country's postal administration.Cinderella
collectors include in their collections local postage issues,telegraph
stamps,tax stamps,forgeries and counterfeits.

The "hobbies" section of your local library may have basic books
about stamp collecting, and the reference department may have
a set of stamp-collecting catalogs.To find the value of a specific
stamp, visit some good stamp-collecting web sites.

If looking for more information on stamps and stamp collecting,
the local post office is the best place to start.

About the AuthorAlbreht Moy owns Old World Maps website.
Find popular antique map reproductions on his site.