How
to Start Collecting Stamps?
Stamp
collecting called philately,
is a hobby enjoyed by people
all over the world. Each
collector has his own special
reasons for enjoying this
hobby. Families find stamps
a wonderful way to spend
time together. They like
to share their discoveries
of new places , people and
events with each other,
and stamps are a fine way
in which they can widen
their horizons. Boys and
girls enjoy trading stamps
with their friends and seeing
how much they can improve
their collections through
"swapping". There
are people who love stamps
for the beauty of their
designs and the achievement
in graphic art that they
represent. But whatever
the reason for the pleasure
in collecting, one thing
remains true for everyone:
Stamps open the windows
of the world. They introduce
us to everything in which
a country takes pride, be
it the famous landmarks,
the famous artists, authors,
athletes, inventors who
have deserved their nation's
tribute. Stamps, commemorate
significant people, events
and accomplishment and we
learn what a country considers
important. In that way,
we grow in our understanding
of foreign lands and people.
One
of the most exciting things
about stamp collecting is
the search to find a stamp
that will complete a favorite
set or discover a great
treasure. You will have
so many questions when you
begin to collect stamps
but the most sensible thing
to do is to plan your interest
which should set you on
the path to maximum enjoyment
of your hobby. Follow closely
your imagination as we explore
the world of stamps. Stamp
collecting can be a great
adventure!
To
begin with, while stamps
are necessary, it is also
necessary to know what you
are going to do with them
after you have acquired
them.
- Hence,
in addition to stamps
you need something in
which to place them -
an album.
- Then
you will need something
with which to secure them
in the album - stamp
hinges.
- Next
you will need something
to help you identify the
stamps so that you will
know where in the album
they should be placed
- a stamp catalogue.
- You
will need the tools for
identification - a
watermark detector and
a perforation gauge.
- Lastly
you will need the tool
with which to handle your
stamps - a pair
of stamp tongs.
I
know that this already may
sound so complicated but
no matter how you start,
you must have the tools
to finish the job. We will
try to touch base with some
of these tools and explore
the way how to use them.
But as a beginning collector,
I suggest the following
essentials: a stamp album,
stamp hinges, a packet of
one or two thousand stamps
and stamp tongs. And later,
it is also desirable to
add a catalogue of the stamps
of the world. Also depending
on what you decide to collect,
it is nice to start a packet
of worldwide stamps so you
will acquire the basic knowledge
of other countries in general.
You might need to tour a
stamp shop and browse to
get familiarity of the items
you will need later. But
the hobby doesn't need to
be expensive if you have
the idea and resources to
get your way in to it. Joining
a stamp club like AJD Stampers
Club can be very helpful
as you can met so many people
around the world who will
help you with your collecting
endeavor.
As
soon as you get your basic
essentials and are ready
to get to work on your treasures,
you need to choose where
you want to do your work.
A good site for operations
is the dining table as it
offers plenty of room and,
also the rest of the family
can sit around and put in
their "two cents' worth"
on occassion. This might
become a one-person project,
just like myself that I
ended up retiring in my
computer room and lay some
of my stamps on the floor
but right now it will be
more fun to let everyone
in on the act for you are
going to need much help
in sorting those one thousand
stamps.
- Open
the packet of stamps and
spill them on the table.
Using your tongs to handle
the stamps, start sorting
them into three separate
piles, as follows: Stamps
that you can identify
as to country of origin.
You will find quite a
few of these for you will
recognize the names upon
them.
- Stamps
you think you know but
are not quite sure of.
-
Stamps you cannot identify
at all.
I
suggest that you don't separate
them by countries all at
once or you will end up
with so many small piles
that you may get desperately
confused. Continue working
on Pile #2 and look up the
country of origin and move
them to Pile #1, then tackle
your research to Pile #3.
If you need more time to
research, put aside Pile
#2 and #3 and concentrate
on Pile #1.
If
Pile #1 is not a large pile
you may sort the stamps
into separate piles each
of single countries. However,
if the pile is quite large,
you better proceed by sorting
alphabetically. You can
placed all "A"
countries in one pile, "B"
countries in another, and
so on. Then go back to the
"A" countries
and sort into individual
countries. Again, do not
try to do too many operations
in one sorting. No matter
how expert you will become,
you will find it necessary
to sort any large accumulation
of stamps by stages.
After
sorting your Pile #1 into
individual countries, now
you are ready for your album.
Go over the pages of your
album and find the country
that you wish to mount.
Most albums have the countries
arranged alphabetically,
so this is easy to do. Then,
you need to locate the stamp
illustration or the catalog
number of the stamp you
are mounting on the album.
Please refer to Illustration
A and B on the side of this
page. Also, we will discuss
the different kind of albums
on the next pages and illustrate
the possibility of making
your own album. Find the
stamp illustration that
matches your stamp, you
can go ahead and use the
hinges at the back of the
stamps and mount them to
your album page. If you
can find the illustration
and there are blank spaces
on the page, you can go
ahead and mount it there
as long as it is on the
same year issued. These
are just the basics of collecting
to introduce you to the
world of stamp collecting.
You have not yet seen some
beauty of the stamps like
the flora, fauna, landscapes,
arts, ships and so many
more. These are called "Topical
collections". Well,
tomorrow is another day
and another page for me
to do but for sure we have
a great adventure!!!.
~~~STAMPS
ARE WORK OF ART ~~~
~~ENJOY
WITH YOUR FAMILY WHILE YOU
CAN~~
