Art Collectibles as Hobbies in the Form of Stamps and Coins

by Don Tanner

Life is an art.

So goes the saying. But where people find things of profound
interests, experts say that it is a form of art as well.

By definition, when an object is considered as a work of
art, it simply means that the object is the result of a
creation of an item using the valuable application of a
mass of expertise along with an array of talents and
cleverness.

It is on this context that experts consider collecting as
one form of artistic endeavor in the sense that the mere
acquisition of objects that is limited to the interest of
the person who acquires them is already artistic. This
means that not all people were born to collect coins, stamps,
or any other items that may not be valuable to other people
but to some, they are almost priceless.

Consequently, most experts contend that the hobby of
collecting some explicit objects are generally based on a
precise area of interest of the person involved. Because
the interest of the collector is the primary purpose of this
kind of leisure pursuit, many people consider collecting
stamps and coins as an art collectible hobby.

Why? Because based on the definition of art collectible hobby,
the mere acquisition of stamps and coins based on the
personal attention given by the collector to the items are
already artistic in nature. In short, when a person is
attracted to a certain thing, the object becomes an art
collectible.

Moreover, the basic features of the coins and the stamps
are also one of the reasons why it becomes an art
collectible. This is because coin and stamp designs are
not just created by anybody who knows how to draw
some lines or shapes. The designs that are engraved or
sketched in the surface of the stamp or coin are made
by people who were gifted with the talent to draw
things imaginatively and creatively.

Take the stamps for example. The creation of the
designs in a particular stamp undergoes a detailed
process of brainstorming, evaluation, analysis, and
good decision making in order to come up with a truly
creative design. In fact, a group of 12 to 15 people
forms the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee, which
serves as the body that will recommend the ideal
designs to be included in stamp production.

Every year, the committee contemplates on about
50,000 designs and then advocates at least 35 of them
to the “postmaster general” for the production of
“commemorative stamps.”

This just goes to show that the selection of the design is
such thorough process that the value of the item is clearly
identifiable.

For this reason, stamp collectors and coin collectors,
particularly those that focus more on the rare items,
know that the value that goes with each item is almost
priceless.

So for those who still cannot understand why many
people are into art collectible hobby of stamps and coins,
here is a list of some of the reasons why these enthusiasts
are so engrossed in collecting:

1. Art collectible hobby provides various areas of interest

When a person has decided to start an art collectible hobby
of a particular item such as coins or stamps, this reflects
the kind of object he or she is interested in. for instance, in
stamp collecting, if a particular stamp collector focuses more
on the rare stamps rather than the ordinary stamps, this
could mean a lot of things.

You could be interested with the rarity of the stamps, or
you could be interested with the income that he can
generate by trading the stamps to other collectors.

2. Art collectible hobby may trigger the desire to
accomplish something

While most of the collections are focused on the mere
acquisition of various items such as different kinds of
stamps or coins arranged according to the interest of
the collector, there are some people who opt to collect
stamps and coins and aim to complete the whole set.

This means that additional art collectibles are obtained
to fill in the missing spaces in between stamps and coins.
Once completed, the collector usually feels the
unexplainable satisfaction that others don't feel.

Given all these premises, it can be concluded that art
collectible hobby of stamps and coins are not just mere
samples of leisure pursuits. On its broader context, stamp
and coin collecting can be considered as new forms of arts
as well.

Online Auction Selling Tips

Stamp Collecting with GS

Online stamp auctions are very busy places, where
dealers and collectors list auctions for sale. Here are
a few tips to help you when you list your stamps for
sale online.

Time the end of your auctions when bidders on the
West Coast are online, but not past 11:00 PM on the
East Coast. That leaves you with a two-hour window
of from 9:00 et (6:00 pt) to 11:00 et (8:00 pt).

Check the calendar. Don't end your auction on a major
holiday when people will be away from their terminal.

Spread out the closing time of lots listed within the same
category. Try to space out the closing time of your lots
by five or six minutes. If you list 10 lots of Irish stamps
that all close within moments of each other, some bidders
will miss out bidding on a few lots because they're waiting
a particular item.

You must have a clear scan of your stamps for sale, and
please make the scan larger than a postage stamp. If you're
not getting crisp pictures from your scans, read and learn
from one of the online resource sites about scanning.

If the condition of the back of your stamp is important to your
bidders, include a view of it along with the face, and be sure to
scan it against a contrasting color.

Many active stamp collectors search the stamp categories
with keywords so be sure that the title of your lot contains
as many important words as possible, such as the country,
the Scott #, exceptional condition if applicable, "on cover"
if applicable.

If you have a specialized stamp publication, you might try l
isting it with the stamps of that country, rather than under
"publications."

List your lot where the bidders are. Spend a few days checking
the auction site's traffic and check closed auctions for lots like
yours. Ask a few stamp collectors who've sold online for advice.

Don't leave bidders guessing. State how you will accept
payment (money order, check, etc.) and what the
postage/shipping cost will be. Many bidders will figure
the postage and cost of a money order into their bid, so
don't charge $5 shipping for a $1 stamp.

The USPS will insure up to $50 for $1.10. Be familiar with
their insurance coverage and go to their Web site. If you
think it's a good idea, put something like "Successful bidder
can add $XXX for insurance."

If there's a minimum amount of money you'll accept for your
lot, you can set the initial bid at that price, or you can set it
lower and set a reserve price.

Describe your stamps accurately, such as "United States,
#987 mint, never hinged." Let the scan do the talking about
color, perfs and centering, but be sure to disclose all known
defects that are not readily apparent in the scan, such as
thins or repairs.

Our friend Marek suggests: "Ebay and Yahoo let you list an
item for a maximum of 10 days. List your auctions Thursday
night so you'll hit two weekends. Don't pick automatic
relisting. Relist auction yourself next Thursday. This way
you hit another two weekends and take advantage of fee
weiver. Traffic increases on weekends and also depends on
the season of the year in the northern hemisphere. Late fall,
winter, and early spring puts more people in front of their
computer."

Build Your Own Stamp Sweat Box

Stamp Collecting with GS

Sometimes soaking isn't the solution. Sometimes it's best
to let humidity work on the glue before you try to remove
a hinge remnant or separate a mint stamp stuck to another
stamp or an album page. The same trick works for getting
stamps off envelopes whose inks you know will discolor the
stamp when placed in water.

If you live in a hot, humid area you could experiment with
exposing your stamps to the elements, but for most of us
the answer is a sweat box. It's simply an airtight container
with a couple of sponges and a cradle to keep the stamps
from coming into direct contact with the sponges.

The basic idea is to raise the humidity in the sweat box so
that it dampens the stamp's gum just enough to loosen the
stamp from whatever it's stuck on without saturating the
stamp or the paper, or diluting the gum.

The basic parts of the sweat box are

1. A small air tight container. (picture #1) A small, clear
plastic disposable air-tight food container works well. The
smaller the container, the quicker the humidy rises. If it's
clear you can check on the stamp's progress without opening
the container, which would then also drop the humidity.

2. A clean, never-used sponge or two to hold the water
moisture. (picture #5) Two clean kitchen sponges are fine.
You can try this out with what you have in the kitchen, but
if you want to keep your sweat box working, you'll want to
replace them with never-used sponges.

3. A screen on which the stamp on piece rests. I used a plastic
basket that stores sell strawberries in. (picture #1) I then
trimmed the sides down low enough to fit between the two
sponges.

4. Spacers (picture #4) These raise the screen above the bottom
sponge and must be non-porous, plastic, metal or cork. I used
two bottle caps, but now use two pieces from a backgammon set.

To put together a your own homemade sweat box read the
following and refer to the pictures.

1. Soak the bottom sponge in water. Wring it out so that it is
still heavy and wet with water but not dripping and place it
on the bottom of your box.

2. Affix the top sponge to the center of your box's top lid with
two push pins as shown in picture #2.

3. Soak the top sponge in water and wring it out so that it is
still heavy and wet with water but not dripping.

4. Now trim your screen so that it will fit between the upper
and lower sponge. See picture #3.

5. Place your two spacers on top of the bottom sponge and
rest your screen on top of it. See picture #4

6. When finished and set up, it looks something like this. See
picture #5. In a while, depending on the sponge water, the
size of the box, ambient temperature, humidity and sunlight
on the box, water droplets will form on the sides of the box.

7. I cut a wine cork into ½" thicknesses and used them to
cover the sharp ends of the push pins holding the top sponge
in place on the cover.

The object of the sweat box is to have the humidity in the
box seep through the paper and loosen the stamp's gum, but
remember paper and gum interact in different ways
depending on the age of the paper, the age and condition
of the gum and the humidity.

Self-adhesive stamps can be sweated off, but what happens
with a SA stamp is that the binder layer dissolves separating
the top paper layer from the bottom adhesive layer so that
you can't save the stamp with its adhesive.

And if you think stronger measures are necessary, just give
the sweat box more time to work. Remember "STEAM is
EXTREME."

With a little experience and patience most glues finally break
down under the humidity. Expect a gummed stamp to take 30
minutes to loosen from paper, and gummed mint stamps a bit
longer to release from each other.

Soaking and Collecting Self-Adhesive Stamps

Stamp Collecting with GS

Self-adhesive stamps are here to stay, and sometimes
it seems as if they are truly stuck there forever.
Self-adhesives are also known as pressure-sensitive
stamps or peel-and-stick and were first issued by
Sierra Leone in 1964, followed by Tonga and Bhutan
in 1969.

They were something of a novelty item, an interesting
philatelic marketing angle, like banana-shaped stamps
or circular-hologram issues.

The USPS got into the act with the 1974 10¢ Christmas
issue (Scott #1550), but the public and collectors were
confused by the stamp and the issue was considered a
failed experiment. People were leaving the stamp on the
protective backing and taping and gluing them to their
Christmas mail.

Today the used '74 Christmas stamps cannot be soaked
from paper and the adhesive has disclored nearly all of
the stamps, turning the white background an uneven blotchy
brown. Mint copies can be saved by removing the sticky
adhesive with an organic solvent such as naphtha as found
in lighter fluid.

But that was then and this is now. The 29¢ Eagle and
Shield stamp (Scott #2431) was the start of normal
self-adhesive production in the US, and the public loves
them. SA's represented just eight percent of the USPS's
stamps in 1994, but a full 85% by 1998. Self-adhesives are
now the norm over the time-honored lick-'n'-stick stamps.

Four LayersA typical mint self-adhesive stamp has four
layers.

Protective Backing; the slick, shiny, non-stick packaging;
not really part of the stamp but essential in manufacture
and storage.

Self-Adhesive Layer; the sticky side of the stamp; two
types of adhesive have been used in self-adhesive stamps.

Binder; a thin chemical layer that stops the adhesive from
"bleeding" into the stamp design and discoloring it; it's soluable
in water so that when the stamp is soaked, the binder layer
releases the stamp paper from the adhesive that still adheres
to the envelope.

Stamp Paper; the printed paper top of the stamp bearing the
design and other postal indicia. AdhesivesThere are two basic
classifications of self-adhesive glues.

Rubber based: old technology; like the glues used in old
cellophane tape; not archivally safe; penetrates paper; darkens
in color; and loses adhesion (stickiness); used on the '74 US
Christmas stamp; recommended that the gum be dissolved in
organic solvents.

Synthetic polymer based: used on US self-adhesives since
'89; not archivally safe; won't yellow, dry out or become brittle;
subject to "cold flow," adhesive can ooze out around the edges of
the stamp and possibly stick to a mount or album page; adhesive
quality improves with age; softened by organic solvents and
leaves a residue behind that can be rubbed off.

Soaking Self-AdhesivesSoaking water-activated gummed stamps
means diluting the glue that hold the stamp to the envelope paper.
Soaking a self-adhesive stamp means dissolving the binder later,
which then releases the stamp paper from the adhesive still stuck
on the envelope.

Soak water-activated stamps and self-adhesive stamps separately.
Traditional gummed stamps use lukewarm water and will float
free long before the SA's.

Soak SA's 30 to 45 minutes in warm to hot water, but we wary of
colored envelope paper bleeding their inks into the bath. SA's float
off coarse enveloped more quickly than other covers.

The longer an SA stamp has been on the envelope, the longer it
will take to soak off because its adhesive quality improves with age,
so soak those new SA stamps today.

The stamp inks on SA stamps are stable when soaked for prolonged
periods.

After soaking, the stamp may remain in place on the paper, but if
you gently slide it between your thumb and forefinger it may come
off. Avoid tongs after a long soak as the paper is very fragile.

SA stamps curl when drying. Place another layer of blotters on top
of them and weigh them down. Stubborn Stamps

If an SA stamp won't come free after a good soaking, the binder
layer may have failed and the adhesive may be bonded directly
to the stamp's top paper layer. Naphtha or turpentine can loosen
the adhesive, afterwhich you must gently rub off the adhesive
residue

"Un-du" is a heptane-based, adhesive remover sold in craft and
variety stores. It can loosen stubborn SA stamps, but it can also
affect some cancellation inks.

1989-90 Autopost and Postage Validation Imprinter metered
strips do not have a binder layer. Soaking does not release the
stamp from the envelope: the adhesive holds the stamp paper
to the envelope.

The 1999 Sonoran Desert stamps may need to soak over night
in hot water.
See other material on soaking stamps. Mints, Covers
and "Cold Flow"

Some stamp collectors favor the removal of the self-adhesive
layer on mint stamps because of the cold flow or edge ooze
problem, though removal of gum from a mint lowers its
acceptability in the eyes of some collectors.

Do not peel the stamp from it's original protective backing. Use
adjacent stamps for postage and trim a 1/8" border around the
stamp. Mount it, but periodically inspect it for cold flow.

Cold flow can cause trouble for cover collectors. Not only can
the adhesive seep out around the stamp and into the envelope
paper, but it can react with the inks in the envelope itself.
discoloring the envelope or turning it translucent. Ink, binder
and adhesive chemical formulations continue to change so be
alert for news of particularly stubborn stamps, and if you have
an SA tip please post it for others to read.

Stamp Grading and Condition

Stamp Collecting with GS

Nothing is more important to a collector than a stamp's
grading and condition, and nothing is more important than
knowing how to adequately describe and accurately grade
stamps.

Knowing how to eye-ball a stamp's grade and condition is
something each collector must learn, and though it might
take a little practice, a practiced eye will save both time
and money and help a collector build a better collection.

Stamp catalogs have sections that outline the relationship
between a stamp's grade and it's value. Typically, a catalog
pegs its printed prices to a certain grade, and it's understood
that better grades sell for a premium and lesser for a discount.

Even in this day of enlarged web site scans, collectors need
sound and fair descriptions because some faults do not scan
well and rarely are both sides of the stamp shown at a web
auction site.

In fact, many grade a stamp by the picture, then compare
their opinion with the seller's. If his is inflated, either he does
not know his stamps, or hopes that you don't.

The verbiage of stamp grading and condition is fairly standard
across the world of philately, here and abroad, and in fact, it is
the language of stamp collecting.

Does it make the grade

Grade is about centering, cancels and gum. Grade describes
how well the stamp's design is centered between the
perforations*, both horizontally and vertically, on the paper,
and the condition of the gum for mint stamps, or the effect of
the cancellation on used stamps. (*or margins in the case of
imperforates)

Grades are meted out like school exam scores: "superb" all
the way down to "poor," but an adequate description also
addresses all necessary concerns about condition.

Stamp Grades

Superb:
Perfect in all respects. The finest quality.
A rare grade.
Extremely Fine or Extra-Fine:
Close to perfect.
Design is well-centered. Margins are even all around.
Designs of even the earliest issues are well clear of the perfs
on all sides.
Imperforates have even margins that are wider than
usual for that particular issue.
Cancels are light and neat.
Mint have OG.
Condition: Rich, bright color. Clean. Perfs intact.
Condition: no faults.
Many early stamps are never seen in this condition.
Very Fine:
Design is balanced and well-centered. There are ample margins,
though not necessarily perfectly even.
Imperforates have three normal sized margins.
Cancels are light and neat.
Mint have OG.
Condition: Rich, bright color. Clean. Perfs intact.
Condition: no faults.
Grade used for most catalog values.
Fine/Very Fine:
Design is "slightly" off-center, or may be off-center either
horizontally or vertically but not both. Design is well clear
of the perfs.
Imperforates have two normal size margins, and design does
not touch the edge.
Cancels do not detract from the design of the stamp.
Mint have LH or HH, depending on the age of the issue.
Condition: no faults.

Fine:
Design is "noticeably" off-center both horizontally and
vertically. The design barely misses the perfs, but they
do not cut into the design.
Early issues have perfs or separations that may cut into the
design.
Imperforates have thin margins.
Cancels may be heavier than usual, perhaps even obscuring
the design.
Mint have LH or HH, depending on the age of the issue.
Condition: no faults.
Good or Average:
Design is off-center and perfs may cut into the design.
Cancel is heavy and obscures the stamp's design.
No tears or thin spots.
Lowest collectible grade.

Poor:
Design is off center and the perforations cut far into the design.
Cancellation is thick and heavy, smeared, blurred.
Generally not suitable for a collection.
Condition
Condition is a description of the physical characteristics of the
stamp's paper, ink and gum in the case of mint stamps. An
adequate description should be as concise as possible but use
as many words as necessary to fairly described the stamp.

A rare, early British colonial issue from the tropics may have
several faults that must be addressed and the description
might be as long as this paragraph. However, older issues
with faults may still be desireable because of the price and
rarity of faultless examples, some of which may no longer exist.

Postive Conditions:
Crisp, clear printing impression on a line engraved issue.
Wide margins between design and separations.
Rich, hot-off-the-press colors.
Selvage attached to the stamp, especially on older issues.
Usual or rare cancellation on used stamps.
Faults: anything that has altered, damaged or changed the
stamp or its appearance since printing other than a cancellation
or other postal marks, such as overprints and precancels.
Gum (see below): A regummed mint copy. No gum on an
uncancelled copy. Something stuck in the gum, dirt or a
fingerprint.
Paper: missing piece, holes, tears, folds, creases, stains. Paper
thinned, as if the back of the stamp has been peeled off, either
in whole or in part. Heavy hinge remnant.
Color: Chemical changes in color, stained. Attempts to remove
the cancellation may change the color.
Perfs: Shortened perforations or a row of perf tips cut off
forming a straight edge indicating a scissor cut. Nibbed perfs,
a singular or pair of perfs that were pulled off, or a single or
pair that are noticeably shorter than the others.
Face: Something stuck to the stamp. Scuffed. Pen, pencil or
other marks of a non-postal origin, e.g. your child's crayon marks.
Some repairs, tiny tears and thins may be seen only under
high magnification, ultraviolet light examination, or in watermark
fluid immersions.

Stamp conditions can vary by country and standards are not
the same for all countries, due to poor printing technology at
that time and place. Sometimes you'll see the note, "Very fine
for this country."

Gum: found on what now are called water-activated stamps,
has it's own lexicon.
No Gum (NG): The gum has been removed or the stamp was
issued without it.
Never hinged (NH): Undistrubed gum.
Lightly hinged (LH): Vestiges of a peelable hinge are seen in
the gum.
Heavily hinged (HH): A bit of hinge is stuck to the gum.
Original gum (OG): Original, undisturbed gum.
Regummed (RG): A person has applied a new coat of gum to
replace the damaged original.
Regumming has become so hard to detect, some say impossible,
that some collectors will not pay a premium for old stamps listed
as OG.

Soaking Stamps

Stamp Collecting with GS

Soaking stamps is something like a folk art. Every collector
has their collection of bowls, papers, blotters, weights,
techniques and rules, which is to say that nearly every
method will work, but its the collector's experience and
care that determines the outcome.

Since the condition of a stamp is so important, soaking's f
irst law is "do no harm." The goal is to loosen the stamp's
gum so that it comes free from the envelope with the least
amount of handling and without being stained.

The first consideration is to avoid time and effort with
obviously damaged or unwanted stamps. If you have 50
copies of the same issue, select only those few you think
would be worth the time and effort.

Then trim off large pieces of envelope from around the
stamps with a small pair of scissors.

Sorting

Next sort the stamps and the paper they are on. You
want to find those colored pieces of envelope whose
colors might run while they are soaking. Generally,
the plain bright white envelopes are color-fast, while
manila envelopes tend to leach yellow ink and to stain stamps.

The colored borders of airmail envelopes are notorious for
turning the water and stamps blue, red and purple. Also be
aware that purple postal cancellations tend to run in water.

Avoid stamps on pieces that are marked with pens and magic
markers. Some will run in water. The same goes for other
labels on the envelope, like "airmail" stickers. They get their
own cup.

Self-adhesive stamps are best tackled issue by issue. Some
adhesives will loosen in water and some will not. Take a damaged
stamp on paper and test it. If soaking doesn't cause any harm
and the stamp floats off the paper, you're in business.

Be aware of "fugitive inks." Some stamps were printed with
inks that dissolve in water. They would stop the removal of
cancellations and their reuse.

Soak stamps on colored envelopes in small bowls or cups by
themselves. It's impossible to tell which colored paper inks will
run when soaked in water, so play it safe.

You could test small bits of envelope with a cotton swab (Q-Tip)
if you'd like to see what colors run, but when in doubt play it safe,
do no harm. On the other hand, all stamp collectors have to
experiment from time-to-time, and an autopsy on a badly obliterated
stamp will be instructive.

Soaking

You need the right-sized bowl for the job. Don't cram hundreds
of stamps into a coffee cup. It'd be better to place a few in a
swimming pool. When the bowl's filled with water and stamps,
you should be able to gently swirl the contents around the bowl.

Glue and ink are affected by temperature and water. Never use
HOT water. Mild warm water is fine. Cold is good, too. Some people
use mild liquid dish soap as a wetting agent to help the process
along, but if you're experimenting do so with a cupful of stamps.

If your tap water has high iron or magnesium content, you might
want to fill up a few gallon jugs from another tap.

Ideally, a little agitation will help the water do its job. Swirling the
bowl a few times every now and then during commercials would be
just exactly right.

Fishing

When a cluster of stamps starts swimming free around the bowl,
it's time to remove the stamps from the water. The goal is to get
the stamps out of the bowl and some of the water off with the least
amount of fuss.

First pour out the gummy, gray water into the sink and fill the bowl
with enough fresh clean water to cover the mass of paper. The shallow
pool of water helps the stamps to swim free.

Drying

To dry the stamps you need a make a blotter. I use a bottom
layer of four or five sheets of newspaper, covered by a top
sheet of clean white kitchen paper towels. Other people have
photographic studio blotters. Just use the one that works for
you, but don't put your wet stamps on colored papers or
newsprint or they may be stained.

Sort through the bowl of stamps one-by-one, placing each
one face-down on the drying sheets and tossing away the
bits of envelope. The stamps are very fragile when wet,
and an index finger and thumb can crease a commemorative
before you know it. On the other hand, a tong blade can
be lethal. The trick seems to be to skim the stamp onto your
fingertip and then lay it onto the paper as gently as possible.

When a stamp won't come loose, let it soak. If it resists,
try gently peeling it away with your tongs. If it is still stubborn,
set it aside until you have to time to figure it out.

Now when the stamps are out and drying, let the water
evaporate for a while. Obviously, hot, humid rainy days and
tables set up near roaring woodstoves will have different
drying times.

Pressing

After the stamps' excess water has dried up but BEFORE
they loose all their moisture and curl up, lay a sheet of waxpaper
down over the stamps. Then on top of this place flat, heavy
objects to press the stamps down and keep them flat. Large
coffee table books work well, as long as they themselves have no
raised designs on them and are flat. Avoid laying a heavy
book over half a stamp: it will crease it.

Finishing Up

After a few hours, check your cache. If they are still damp,
then do no harm and leave them be, as long as they are neat
and flat. If the stamps slip around like dry leaves, remove
them from your makeshift press.

Stamp Collection Care

Just like stamp collection requires a lot of time similarly
taking good care of those stamps is vitally important.
Stamp Collection involves a schematic arrangement of
the collected stamps and preserving their quality. Stamps
having poor quality won’t make a good impression on
anyone looking at your stamp collection efforts.

Soaking Stamps

At times you receive a stamp pasted on an envelope.
You might have to get rid of the envelope to add that
stamp to your collection. Tearing it out would mean loss
of quality and possible damage to the stamp. Before
separating the stamp from its cover evaluate its worth
with and without the cover. At times old stamps with
covers are worth more than those without the cover as
they have interesting details of postal history. You could
refer your query to your stamp club mates to decide if you
need to keep the cover or no.

Once you have made up your mind to separate the stamp
from its cover, cut finely around the stamp close enough
to keep the teeth around the edges intact. Then soak this
stamp cut out in lukewarm water, spread in a saucer. Allow
the paper to float till the stamp is separated from the paper.
You may rub off the remaining adhesive at the backside of
the stamp with your fingertips. Now you need to dry these
stamps using either a newspaper or an absorbent paper. Once
these stamps dry they develop wrinkles on them, which could
be removed by placing them between the pages or beneath a
heavy book.

Stamp Collection Album

Arranging your stamps is an important part of stamp collection.
This ensures better quality and gives more life to your stamp
collection, when preserved in an appropriate manner. There
are different ways to store stamps. Easiest would be to sort
stamps and put them in separate envelopes. Envelopes are
available in different sizes and ones having a transparent portion
called as the glassine envelopes would be preferred by stamp
collectors as the stamps are visible through it. This would be
the most basic way to store your stamps. If you want to store
your stamps for a higher durability you could make use of stock
books. Stock books or folders have a set of transparent pockets
where in stamps could be arranged depending upon their sorting.
This ensures durability but not a very good presentation of your
stamp collection as the stamps are in groups. Individual stamps
cannot be viewed.

Making a Stamp album for your collection would be the ultimate
way to preserve your hard earned stamps. You could design your
own stamp album by punching a set of handmade paper together
either with a ribbon or getting it spiral bounded. Choose a good
color for the paper on to which stamps would be prominently visible.
You may choose to stick stamps on either side of this paper or just
on the right hand side, making use of special peel able gum that
will not harm stamps.

Another option would be to purchase a ready made album having
printed information that would help to sort stamps into different
subjects. This seems to be a good initiative for budding stamp
collectors. The only trouble here is that a readymade album restricts
any kind of creative presentation to preserve stamps. When you
create your own stamp album you could add on as many more
supplement s as you wish to. Moreover you could design various
sections within your album such as Sort by type – animals, ships,
nations, country, etc. You may add a separate section for covers.
Used and unused/mint stamps could have separate pages allotted
too. Remember to make use of stamp mounts while you stick mint
stamps to your album. This will help to restore its quality and
preserving the adhesive at the back of the stamp.

Postage Stamp Collecting

by Don Tanner

When starting postage stamp collecting, you'll find that
there are many categories to choose from as well as a
variety of other items related to stamp collecting. It is
advisable to stick to one or two categories, and focus on
those areas. Try to find a category that interests you and
you will find it easy to stick to that area.

One of the categories that a collector may start in, is the
state quarters and stamp kits. These are called
commemorative folios.They feature the state, its quarters
and usually 4 stamps. These sets pose little challenge to the
collector, as they come ready for display and storage.
Although, they can be a great starting gate for beginners.

Another category is non-stamp collectibles, such as stamp
lapels and miniature mailboxes. Stamp lapels are
commemorative pins issued by a particular company or
country in connection to a historic event or person. Miniature
mailboxes are exactly that. They can be found at most post
offices, and can be used to store a small amount of stamps.
You may also find items such as miniature mail trucks from
the past and miniature post office replicas.

However, it is most likely, that you will start your collection,
simply by collecting the stamps themselves. You can start
your collection with stamps in either mint or used condition.

Mint condition stamps are stamps that have not been affixed
to letters, and have not had the date stamped on them by the
post office. Basically they are in perfect condition. Used to
stamp usually come canceled, and are found on letters and
postcards that have already been delivered.

Do mint stamps hold more value than used stamps? Or is it
the other way around? There is no actual objective measure
that says a mint is better than a used stamp or vice versa.
Instead, however, the law of demand and rarity explains best
the assessed relative value that one would have over the other.

Mint or unused stamps, however, may be purchased in postal
stores in various forms. They may be bought in numbers as
preferred (4s or 6s, depending on preference), or in panes,
which are blocks of stamps. Other times, mint stamps may
also be purchased in coils. Stamp coils are in reels used in slot
machines in postal offices. Smaller coils are available for
individual purchases as well.

Stamps are historical pieces of note, and collecting postage
stamps is taking part in a hobby that has a history all its own.
If you do decide to collect used stamps, a word of caution.
Soaking and lifting stamps pose the risk of completely damaging
the stamp when done improperly and without adequate
knowledge. Before removing used stamps, research the history
of the stamp. Make sure the ink is not water-soluble, if it is, and
you do try to remove the stamp, you have just ruined it.

The stamp collecting can be a great hobby to get into but just like
any other new field education is key. The more you know about
this hobby, the more you will want to learn. The more you learn,
will increase the enjoyment of this new hobby.

Stamp Collecting Tips

by Michael Perry
Stamp collecting is an age-old hobby that holds the
interest of millions of people the world over. Stamp
collecting began in the 1840's when the first stamps
were issued. "Stamp madness," or "timbromania"
swept through Europe and spread worldwide. Stamp
collecting is not as popular as it once was, but there are
still an estimated 25 million people in the US alone and
over 200 million around the world who still collect.

It is not hard to get started in the infamous art of stamp
collecting, nor is it overly expensive. There are a few must
have items needed to begin: tweezer-like tongs to handle
stamps, a magnifying glass, a stamp album, and of course,
the stamps.

The first thing to decide is what type of stamps you wish
to collect. Many people collect new stamps and just as many
collect used ones; it is all a matter of personal preference. If
collecting new stamps, there are thousands of Internet sites
selling stamps, there are dealers all over the world that sell
them, and there are even stamp auctions. If collecting used
stamps, most people will save stamps off of their mail and also
save the stamps off of all their friends and families mail. One
of the cheapest ways to start a large collection is buying a roll
of used stamps from a collector. You can get 1000 mixed
stamps for as low as $12.00.

Many people only collect stamps from their respective countries,
then there are some that collect worldwide stamps. If you like a
specific theme of stamp you can collect just that one type, such as
birds, ships, planes, animals, or even celebrities. The types of
stamps are as different as the people that collect them. It is often
a good idea to start with a general collection until you decide exactly
what type of stamp interests you.

After there are a good number of stamps in your collection they
need to be sorted. Most people will sort their stamps by countries
and or themes. Then go another step further and arrange them
alphabetically. This will make stamps much easier to find.

When stamps have been accumulated, it is essential that you know
the proper ways to care for stamps so as not to ruin them. In order
to remove the stamp from the envelope, first cut around the stamp
carefully. Place the stamp face-up in a bowl of luke-warm water
and let it soak for about 20 minutes. When the stamp comes off
carefully put the stamp on a dry towel then use the special stamp
tweezers to put it into an album.

If looking for more information on stamps and stamp collecting,
the local post office is a good place to start. They usually have
separate philatelic counters. Some larger post offices also sell a
Stamp Collecting Start-up Kit. As a source for more information
there are also stamp clubs, magazines and stamp catalogues, or
experienced stamp dealers.

About the AuthorFor more valuable information about stamp
collecting, please visit our website at
http://www.info-research-online.com/.

Stamp Collecting has Never Been So Easy

by Bob Benson

Collecting stamps has been a popular pastime ever since
there were stamps to collect. Collecting stamps has never
been easier and collecting isn't just for the gray-haired
gentleman who spends his days poring over his stamps.

When collecting stamps, it's important to have at least some
definition of what you're hoping to achieve. Some people collect
only historical stamps. That is, they're only looking for the old,
rare stamps that are highly sought and prized by collectors.
This is a noble goal, but probably not much fun for those without
the finances to make those rare purchases. If you're simply
looking for a great hobby, start searching for unusual stamps
or collect stamps postmarked in other states and/or countries.

Take a look at some ideas that can help you get your stamp
collection off to a good start, or give your current collection a
real boost.

Don't keep your stamp collection a secret. While Great-Aunt
Margie isn't likely to want to sit down and hear the history of
every stamp in your collection, letting her know that you're a
stamp collector could be the best move you've ever made. She
may have a stash of letters in her attic from that special beau
who wrote to her from Europe during World War I! Or she may
have the letters her grandmother sent back home during her
trek across the country in a covered wagon. And she just may
remember to mail you a postcard from her next trip to a foreign
country. The most unlikely people may be the ones to help you
expand your collection, so let family and friends know that you're
collecting stamps.

The Internet can be a very useful tool for those collecting stamps.
All you really need to do is find an online forum for stamp collecting
and start trading stamps with others creating collections similar
to yours. In most cases, you'll be able to send a letter and the
recipient will send one back to you - instantly adding stamps to
your collection. Because this is a relatively inexpensive request,
you may also get people to send you stamps who aren't looking
for a return letter.

Another idea for collecting stamps that works well for youngsters
is to simply be looking for those unusual, strange or "cool" stamps.
Your post office will likely have a good selection and you can let
your child help you choose each time you need a new book of stamps.
Take one off to add to the collection and see how many great stamps
are available. Don't forget that the postal service will also let you
create your own stamps with photos you upload to their website!

Collecting stamps can be a great way to connect with your child,
and can create a hobby that will span a lifetime.

About the AuthorBob Benson is the founder of Stamp Collecting
online. You can check out our website at
http://www.stamp-collecting-supply.info