Collecting and bringing stuff together is fun and it can be rewarding too when your collection gets noticed by other people who may even want to buy your collection. People collect all kinds of things like dolls, cars, toys, etc. But for some, there is nothing like collecting stamps.
Before you decide on starting a stamp collection you should first determine what kinds of stamps you are going to collect. You can collect almost any kind of stamp, but it would be more valuable if you collect a certain kind of stamp. You can choode to collect stamps accorfing to their types, formats, purpose, or condition.
A total of ten thousand postage stamps are being issued every year throughout the world and it would be very expensive and probably impossible to aspire for a worldwide collection all at once. You can however start with a realistic and doable stamp collection by collecting stamps issued in a specific country.
The easiest stamps to collect are those issued in the country where you live because they are more accessible. However, you can also choose to collect stamps from countries which have special meanings to you. The kind of stamps you will collect will also depend on your financial resources because there are stamps that are just way to expensive for a beginning collector.
You can also collect stamps by topic such as stamps depicting birds, ships, planes, flowers or any other topic. There are people who collect Disney or cartoon stamps but you must develop a network for this collection starting with friends in all areas of the world. Another option is to collect used or new stamps. You can also opt for a color-scheme stamp collection where you will only collect blue or red stamps.
You can already start collecting stamps even if you don’t have the money to spend on them. Start with used stamps because you can usually get them for free from your friends and other sources. Start by asking your family for stamps that come with their postcards and letters. You can also expand your network by asking friends, relatives, and other aquantices for used stamps. Some people write to may pen pals from different countries so that they can exchange stamps.
While you may be excited enough to tear off stamps from envelopes, the best way is to use the stamps from the envelopes and remove them later by a special process used by stamp collectors. If you have the extra money then you can look for new stamps from stamp dealers in your area.
To start off your stamp collection, make sure you are equipped with the very basic stamp collecting tools such as a stamp album, tongs, hinges, a perforation gauge, a magnifying glass, and a watermark sensing device. When you have collected enough stamps, it is better to place them in a stamp album. Most stamp albums already have hinges with which you can mount the stamps safely.
Never mount your stamps using adhesive tapes or glues because it can damage your stamps. If your album does not have those little plastic dividers, then it is best to buy hinges to separate your stamps accordingly.
Be careful when handling stamps because you do not want to ruin them; it is better to use tongs to keep sweaty and dirty hands away from the stamps. No matter how you wash your hands, there will always be sweat and grime left which could affect the quality of the stamps you are handling. Also a good magnifying glass will help you to inspect your stamps closely. Stamps may appear the same when viewed with the naked eye but who knows what you will discover when you use a magnifying glass.
There are a variety of choices when starting your stamp collection but do not be so caught up with the technicalities because stamp collecting is basically a hobby and you do it for enjoyment. You can start a stamp collecting hobby for pleasure but when you have already mastered this hobby you can turn it into a money making venture. But first, take the time to enjoy your stamps.