Post by Admin on Nov 16, 2014 22:33:15 GMT
What do you need to start collecting stamps?
the following will help you to start stamp collecting.
Many that read this thread will have inherited a collection and might have many of the items listed.
Why instead of selling the collection, try your hand at stamp collecting.
You will be amazed what you will learn, its like a personal trip around the world.
Discover places you never knew about, learn the history of the time. Take a trip to that place using Google maps.
Look at old postcards and the wonderful views of old cities.
Enjoy conversations on the forum, take part in some good old banter.
Stamp collecting in the age of the internet is fantastic.
Stock book
The most important thing is housing your stamps. My suggestion if you are a new collector is to purchase a stock book
Another alternative is to purchase stock pages like hangar or vario and use a binder. This is very much a personal prefarance. Stock books come in clear strip that are great to see the stamps but cost more then the Glassine stock books.
I like the clear stock books to house my stamps.
I surgest you begin with a stockbook/stockpages before purchasing any stamp album. When you begin to collect you will evolve from one interest to another. You will see some of the members here on TSF that are worldwide collectors and others that specialise in one area.
Once you have a good feeling of what road you wish to take then look into albums.
Tongs
These you will need to handle your stamps and the tweezers that you use to pluck eyebrows and nose hairs are no good, they will damage the stamp. They come in many different styles some like the spade others the pointy ones. it will take time to get the hang of using them , but in time you will feel naked without them, they become an extension of your hand.
Make sure you purchase a couple of different types to see which ones suit you best, some have different uses. The pointy ones are great to pierce hinges off album pages. The spade is good to pick stamps off the table. They also seem to have legs attached to them, you will put them down and when you go to pick them up you cant find them.
That's why buy a few so you have an extras around. I do most of my stamping at my desk and have my tongs housed in a pouch simply made with cardboard and some tape.
Join a local club/forum
If you live in an area that has a local stamp club why not take a trip to their next meeting, don't be scared nobody will bite you. Here you will get to meet collectors and ask questions, look at club exhibits. They often have an auction which is a great way to pick up material.
If you are a guest on this forum why not take the time to register and take part in the discussion's. Don't worry if you think you will ask a stupid question, every member of this forum was in your shoes at one stage and we understand the learning curve that you are going through.
Also unlike other forums you will not get attacked if you have problems posting an image, make a spelling mistake. We have members that use translation software and English is not their native language. One of the goals of this forum is to make everyone feel comfortable.
Stamp Catalogues
To be able to identify stamps you will need a catalog, There is just not one catalog for stamps but many. In the USA the Scott's catalog is the most popular which uses the Scott's numbers, Unitrade Canadian catalog also uses the Scott's numbers.
Another catalogue is the Stanley Gibbons and is the major catalog for collectors of Great Britain and the Common Wealth country's, SG have their own set of numbers which are totally different then Scott's.
In Europe Michel catalog are very popular and even though they are in German many English speaking collectors use them, they go into much more depth about European country's then Scott's or Stanley Gibbons does.
The Yvert et Tellier is a French Catalog The Hibernian is a specialised Irish catalog
Before you invest in a set of catalogs take a visit to your local library and borrow them, some eBay sellers sell single country pages of the Scotts. You will often see older sets of catalogs listed on eBay. As a new collector you probably wont need the latest issue. I use a set of Scott's from 2007 as I don't collect modern I have no need for anything newer, Yes the latest catalog will have the current values of the stamps but for identification older ones work fine.
Buying obtaining Stamps
There are many ways to buy stamps, if you are lucky to have a stamp store close to were you live that's one option
Another is online, with sites like eBay you can browse through endless lots of stamps. This is one of the most popular ways of obtaining stamps.
Another way and also very popular amongst members is to trade stamps, many trading partners to be found on this site. Also from time to time we have live auctions here on the forum. Members often have auctions or lots for sale in the Buy Sell Section of the forum.
Be yourself
Stamp collecting is a personal choice of how you want to do it
