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Stamp Collecting

Stamp collecting is a pleasurable and exciting hobby for many people all over the world, however the reasons for stamp collecting may differ. Some just enjoy the process of collecting and others to make money.

Buying stamps and selling stamps is big business and is rife on the internet.

The very first stamp ever made was the Penny Black which was first issued in 1840 named so, due to it costing one penny and made entirely of black ink. Next was the 2 penny blue stamp. Now, of course there are millions of different types of stamp to collect with varying values.

The definitive stamp which is the common stamp that can be purchased at the post office in any denomination usually feature symbols relating to the country of origin and begin at the lowest unit of currency and can reach up to a hundred times the normal postage rate.

These stamps are produced in a variety of watermarks, perforations, colours, and paper types. Sometimes there are printing errors which make the stamp more unique.

Collectors make it their business to obtain each denomination of a definitive series. A good example of an interesting group of definitives are the King George Definitives 58 -63

The commemorative stamp is issued to commemorate a particular momentous period in time or a person worthy of note or even a location. These a quite rare and would feature in a collector’s album.

Mint stamps are stamps that have never been utilized as postage to mail an article and therefore never been cancelled. Some collectors prefer used stamps and others the mint variety.

If you are keen to find out the current market stamp value of any stamps in your collection you can do this via a variety of on-line sites where dealers sell stamps. You can search for a particular stamp and find out it’s value.

If you wish to buy stamps, it is a good idea to check that the stamp dealers belong to an established Philatelic Society as this indicates that they have a well established reputation.

If you intend to, at some point, sell any of your stamps, it is worth noting that the value of a stamp will increase if they are in the excellent condition.
Also, a stamp that has never been hinged, has the original gum, and is well centred will be more valuable than hinged with no gum. It is therefore a good idea to keep quality in the fore-front of your mind when purchasing a stamp.

When beginning stamp collecting it is best to disregard the value of a stamp (as it can be quite tricky to distinguish a valuable stamp from a non-valuable stamp) and just choose according to visual appeal or simply to form a series or group. Yo might want to start your collection by collecting stamps from envelopes.

Look out for rare stamps when possible.
Once you can make this distinction then it is possible to build a lucrative stamp collection.

It is vital to take care of your stamps by keeping them in a dry place, preferably in an acid free stamps album or a standard stamps album. If you choose to use hinges, extra care is needed, as they can irreparably damage valuable stamps. Specially crafted tongs should also be used to reduce damage.