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~~
