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Stamp collecting for beginners: What is stamp philately?

Collecting stamps, known as Philately, is one of the world’s most popular hobbies. Stamps are beautiful and interesting, and there are so many that the opportunities for collections are almost without limit. You can enjoy stamp collecting by yourself or in a group. You can collect single stamps, sheets, blocks, stamps on envelopes, and more. You can collect by country, by subject, by date, by region, by anything you choose.

Through collecting stamps, you’ll find information about science, sports, currency, history, arts, animals, customs and rituals of different peoples and countries, and more.

As a beginning stamp collector, it is best to start with a small general collection. So first you may want to decide if you’d like to specialize in something. Like a Historical collection. This would be a collection from a particular time in history. Perhaps you’re a Civil War buff. Collecting Civil war stamps would be ideal for you.

Pictorial Stamps would be another possibility. Such stamps would be organized by subject matter of the stamp. Say you like animals. You may want to collect animal stamps. There might be animals of North America, or South America. Or maybe you would like to collect Bird Stamps. Or how about Sports Stamps? Or flowers. Or even art. You decide on the subject matter of the stamps you would like to collect.

Some Things You Will Need :

When you first start collecting stamps, you will need a magnifying glass at least 5x to 10x.

A pair of tongs with rounded ends to handle the stamps.

A good guide book, like The Complete Guide to Stamp Collecting.

And a catalog.

(The guide book and catalog are more than likely available at your Public Library.)

Sources Of Stamps

Generally you can buy a packet of stamps for a couple of dollars, and it’s a good way for a beginner to begin. Make sure it is a sorted mixture. You can also get information on buying stamps from several Government Agencies. You can write for more information to the ones listed here:

United States Stamps: Philatelic Sales Unit, City Post Office, Washington, D.C. 20013

Canadian Stamps, Post Office Department, Ottawa, Canada

Latin-American Stamps, Philatelic Section, Organization of American States, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036

United Nations Stamps: United Nations Postal Administration, United Nations Building, New York, New York. 10017

Stamps of Other Nations, Director of Posts, Washington, D.C. 20036

Most Post Offices in the United States maintain a special window just for stamp collectors. You can sign up to be notified when new stamps are to be released. And there are hundreds of stamp clubs you can join, either in your town, or online.

You will, of course, need an album to put your stamps in. The best album for a beginner is a loose-leaf type with preprinted pages that can be supplemented as the collection grows.

Mounting stamps:

The most commonly used mounting device is a peelable hinge, a small rectangle coated with adhesive on one side. Never use glue, rubber cement or cellophane tape for mounting your stamps!

It is also good to keep a record of each item in your collection. Write down its history, source, and cost. You can enter this information in the album itself, or you can use seperate file cards.

The benefits of collecting stamps are many. You’ll meet people from all over the world through it, it’s fun, and it’s educational. Stamps are fascinating. And in your search for the right stamp for your collection, you may even find a rare and very valuable stamp!

So think about stamp collecting as a hobby. The choices are limitless, the fun endless. It’s a great and interesting hobby!