People have different hobby. They can dedicate their free time to anything that makes them interested and happy. As such, the choice of hobby of any person will also tell a lot about his or her personality. An athletic person will spend the pastime playing sports and games. The creative ones will devote their time to arts and crafts.

There are a number people out there who would dedicate their time into collecting things. Stamp collecting for one is one of the most famous hobbies in the world. Comprising of more than 20 million enthusiasts at the United States alone, it is clear that this is really popular.

What Is Stamp Collecting?

Stamp collecting is all about stamps and everything related to it. Thus, a stamp collector will aim to collect as much stamps to comprise a considerable collection. It is to be contrasted with philately which is concerned mainly with the study of stamps and everything related to it.

Starting a hobby of collecting stamps is not difficult. All you have to do is collect all the letters in the household. Remove the stamps from the envelope, gather them and you have your first items.

Most stamp collectors may start the hobby just for fun or out of curiosity. It cannot be denied that there are lots of stamps out there that are really interesting. They can showcase all sorts of information and data. They can cover the historical events, important figures, artworks, animals, insects, planets, sports or just about anything under the sun. The illustration and the subject give so much satisfaction to the interest. The beginner will simply find out later that he or she has been hooked on the hobby.

Collecting Specialties

Most collectors will focus their collection to a certain type. There are actually hundreds and thousands of stamps out there. It will be helpful to narrow down the choices to have some more focus in the collection.

There are different areas where collecting may be focused on.

Postage Stamps
These are the usual stamps used by countries at a specific time.

Postal Stationery
Postal stationeries are some sort of post cards and air letter sheets which the government issued. The earliest of these were issued back in the year 1819.

Federal Duck Stamps
These are stamps used for duck hunting licenses. They are applied mainly on Unites States and Canada. Every year, a wildlife artist and his or her design is selected among many competitors and shall be showcased in the Duck stamp.

Souvenir Sheets
They are stamps released in a format of a sheet forming a big picture.

First Day Covers
Also known as the FDC’s, these are envelopes with stamps that were cancelled on the day the stamp was issued.

It becomes more challenging as they take on the search for specific stamps. Often, this challenge makes the collector desire for more.

Aiming for More

To satisfy this desire for more, it is necessary that the collector knows all the details of the stamps. The most useful tool to use here is the stamp catalogue. This could showcase the stamps of a particular region or even worldwide coverage. It provides stamp details such as the official name, date of issuance, material, face value and actual value.

The value of a stamp is often determined by the conditions of its issuance. Most stamps are for ordinary release. The valuable ones are those that came out in a very limited edition. They can be very rare and hard-to-find, making their market value very high.

Take a particular place in United States, the Channel Island for example. The postage service in the locality of Channel Island will usually provide ordinary stamps for mail purposes of the citizens.

However, every now and then, the postage service may release a special commemoration stamp. This may commemorate an event or a figure very special to Channel Island. The Channel Island for example has a special Channel Island 1940-45 Occupation Stamp.

It tells a lot about the history of Channel Island. Thus, it is also very much expected that the residents of Channel Island will especially aim for that and more.

There are many stamp collectors out there, millions actually, who have different goals and aims in pursuing their hobby. They may have different history, origin and languages. Still, the very same hobby unites them all as they share the same sentiments and love for collecting stamps.