Twenty Million Stamp Collectors Can't be Wrong

There is a difference between stamp collectors and those who extensively study stamps, which is called philately. Most people enjoy collecting stamps as a form of recreation. They don't spend time worrying about minute details. Those who indulge in philately are typically those who tend to invest large amounts of money in the buying of stamps. They make it a point to understand the finer points of a stamp and the rarity or desirability of a particular stamp. Rare stamps are rising increasingly in value and for some this can be quite an investment.

Stamps are an extremely portable item unlike the bigger items such as paintings or sculptures. They're tiny and much easier to display in an attractive album that can be displayed or locked in a safe depending on the value of the stamps one owns. Many people arrange stamps in varying ways, some by country while others like to place them according to their sizes. Still others will arrange them by topic.

There have been an incredible number of stamps that have been created over the decades. For one to have a complete comprehensive collection they would have to have literally thousands of albums to hold them all. Typically your average collector will limit their collection to a specific topic or types of stamps. Some collect only stamps from a specific country while others will look for those stamps from a certain time frame. Whatever the range that collectors are limiting themselves to, one can be certain that there will always be some very interesting pieces in the collection.

With the sheer number of stamp collectors there are today, there are now thousands of clubs and organizations for these collectors to exchange information about their passion. The Internet has also opened up huge opportunities for one to search for a particular stamp or investigate a certain type of stamp that they may be looking for. Just about any postal system all over the world has had some rare stamps. They can be postal errors or simply a very limited number that had been printed. One of the rarest stamps around is the 1-cent Z grill stamp. There are only two of these stamps known to exist. One is on display in a library in New York, under lock and key. The other one is available to collectors.

Stamp collecting began roughly in the 1800's. In the beginning it was considered mainly a child's hobby. It wasn't until the late 1800's that these children, now adults began to study existing stamps and read up on plate flaws and general production information. In the early 1900's there was a sharp increase in the number of stamp collectors when people found that there was value and profit in certain stamps. This encouraged people to begin looking for specific stamps. With the onslaught of Internet communication, emails and text messaging, it may be that stamps will grow even more in value as they become more and more scarce.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking enthusiast who writes for WindPurifier.com, RareStamp.com, and MarketingSuccess.biz
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Buy Postage Stamps

OK so you got mail - to post that is! You obviously now need to buy a postage stamp? Well the obvious place to go would be the Post Office - but have you ever though that this is not the only place to purchase them from?

Depending on exactly what you need you may be able to buy your postage stamps online. A quick search on www.google.com shows there are over 3 million sites for the search term buy postage stamps so looking closely at some of these sites will show you the procedure on buying stamps online.

One site I found - stamps.com allows you to buy postage stamps and print them off on your own printer!

Instead of going to the post office - have a look for the blue-and-red U.S. Postal Service logo at grocery stores, drugstores and mini-marts. Also look for stores that specialize in mail and shipping services. Swing by the ATM machine and buy stamps while you make deposits or withdrawals. You can even go to USPS to simply have stamps mailed to your home.

If you want cheaper stamps - You can even get stamps for below the face value! Buy them in a greater quantity from a dealer. They have so many they actually reduce the price below what the stamps originally were worth (sometimes), especially if you have $25 or more to spend all at once on a whole bunch.

Ebay.com is also a great source to buy postage stamps. Research carefully to find both new and uses postage stamps as well as special and hard to get stamps. When searching ebay, mix up your search terms such as postage stamps, stamp collections, first day of issue stamps and so on. This will give you a wide range of stamps to choose from.You could even begin your own little business by trading and buying and selling postage stamps.

So good luck and happy buying of postage stamps.

Tony Robinson is a keen stamp collector and also has a range of First day of Issue envelopes. His site is at http://www.betterpostagestamps.com

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The Hobby of Stamp Collecting

Stamp collecting is a popular and rewarding hobby. If you are just starting out and would like to know where to start, here are some helpful tips.

It is said that the first rule of stamp collecting is to find a particular type of stamp you think you would like to collect and to take care of your collection. Some suggestions for types of stamps to collect are location of the stamp (i.e. country, state, etc.), stamp design, or a stamp for a particular season/holiday.

Some people collect one issue of a stamp in volume, one type of stamp only (sometimes referred to as a specialist), and some people collect all the stamps that are able to.

Once you have decided what type of stamp collector you want to be and what sort of stamps you want to collect, you need to learn how to properly care for your stamps.

The first piece of advice is to always use stamp tongs when handling your stamps. While stamp tongs bear a resemblance to tweezers, they are different from tweezers in that they do not have pointy ends. Tweezers should not be used in place of actual stamp tongs as they may damage stamps.

Stamps should not be handled with fingers or laid out on bare table surfaces as the natural oil in human skin and any particulates that may be on the table will cause damage to the stamp over time. When viewing stamps, they should be laid out on a clean piece of paper to avoid as much contamination as possible.

The basic necessary supplies for stamp collecting are the stamp tongs, an envelope to store your stamps in and a storage box to store the envelopes in. It is important to note that the stamp tongs will need to be purchased from a stamp store or can be found at a stamp show.

Once your collection grows, it is suggested that you invest in glassine envelopes for your stamps. These envelopes are made for stamp collecting and are semi-transparent. The glassine material is found to have no harmful effects on the stamps it stores.

It is suggested that once your stamp collection has grown and you have isolated what particular types of stamps you like to collect, you may wish to invest in a album for stamp storage.
http://stampcollectinghq.com Everything you need to know about the hoby of stamp collecting.
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Postage Stamps

Postage stamps are an adhesive label stuck on envelopes and other postal packages, as proof of the deposit of fee paid for postal services. The first country to issue postage stamps was United Kingdom.

Postage stamps are traded through various outlets of the post office, and are issued by the government. Postage stamps are available in various forms and dimensions. There are memorial postage stamps committed to various important events. Postage stamps are also issued to give respect to national personalities, or other extremely important personalities. There are also a range of other types of postage stamps available that depict diverse cultures and geographical features. Many postage stamps also have birds and animals as their theme.

Postage stamps differ according to the way they are used. The main kinds of postage stamps in use are airmail stamps, postage due stamps, special delivery stamps, and express mail stamps. The rates of postage stamps usually differ according to the weight of the postal article and the nature of the mail.

Self-adhesive postage stamps and water-activated type of postage stamps are available. Postage stamps by and large have details such as the name of the country, year, and the value of the stamp. These days, there are postage stamps that are sold around the holidays that are a sign of the season, such as Christmas and Hanukkah. Individuals may also opt to buy postage stamps that have messages on them, such as stamps that are sold to generate funds for charities. Apart from, raising fund for charities, there are various other postage stamps that help medical institutions and health organizations raise adequate funds.

Philately is the collection and study of postage stamps, and many a philatelist would pay an exorbitant amount to get a rare stamp. Stamps that are collector?s items can be bought at auctions or online.

Postage provides detailed information on Postage, Postage Stamps, Postage Meters, Postage Rates and more. Postage is affiliated with Postage Meter Tape.

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Amazing Stamp Collecting In America

Stamp research is called Philately. Many Americans become drawn to this large field of research. This attraction with stamps and all of the history concerning them has started a hobby connected to philately, which is stamp collecting.

Normally, stamp collecting starts by acquiring a few stamps and choosing a certain type of stamp that the collector will pay attention to. Stamps can be acquired for the collection either through the postal office, private letters, dealers of stamps, making a trade with fellow collectors of high quality and rare stamps in whatever type that is chosen.

Although, the philatelic hobby might appear to be hard or vague, it really is not. It is not an uncommon idea to study and collect stamps. There are over 100 countries throughout the world that have a group of people called philatelists (people that study stamps).

In the year 1886, numerous philatelists joined together in America and formed the American Philatelic Society(APS). It has been over a century now, the APS gives its members not only a way to get together with other enthusiasts, but also provide many programs and information to help in the pleasure and enrichment of the collecting experience. Over a long time, many people have helped APS by donating, selling different publications, and collecting dues of members. The group of people in APS is large and may not be overlooked. In America, there are over 44,000 philatelists members of APS officially. There are a large number of people getting involved but have yet to discover APS. This great amount of people is validated by the fact that many states have conventions in the area for people excited about Philately. There is another philatelic association in America with many experts and that is the Philatelic Foundation.

There is a large variety of collections that are available. Many have postage stamps which came from different countries (mainly those of age).These include stationery postage, revenue stamps, and first day cover stamps.

However, there is one category that stands out in the USA. These are Federal Duck stamps, which duck hunters need. The purpose of these is to conserve the environment and help the ducks. A popular conservationist by the name of Ding Darling created the first Federal Duck stamp in 1934. After a while it became a tradition and many wildlife artists competed. The winner of the competition had his or her design picked to be on the new Federal Duck stamp for the year. That person gained a good reputation and was held in high regard for winning the competition. The American government works with local state agencies and the Department of Interior to manage the sale of Federal Duck Stamps. The sales of the stamps produces a large enough revenue that new wetlands can be acquired which help to preserve and protect the ducks.

First-day covers (FDCs), which many stamp collectors are finding more interesting, are stamped envelopes that are terminated on the same day the stamps were released. Some of the FDCs that were designed later will bear the motif of a special stamp’s issue, also called a cachet. In 1923, George W. Linn a famous philatelist cacheted the first FDC for the Harding Memorial stamp issue. Many people consider cachetmaking an art form today and is accomplished by different means. These ways include lithography, drawing straight on the envelope, using laser printer, and block printing. There are several cachetmaking companies like Colorano, House of Farnam, and Artcraft that make a large amount of the cacheted stamps in America.

Stamp collecting in the U.S. was not always easy to follow. During the 1920s, the U.S. stamp values were much higher. This motivated countless Americans to acquire large quantities of U.S. stamp issues in mint condition and hoping to sell them much later for a profit. Since there was an abundance available in the market, they are priced only a little more than their original face value.

The trend of stamp collecting and philately in America may increase in the coming years. Email and internet use has many critics saying that philately interests will go down. Many people still need stamps and demand is continuing as stamp designs change frequently. The world of philately will continue to be an exciting place.

To find more great Stamp Collecting tips please visit: www.MyStampCollecting.com

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Stamp Collecting Basics

Stamp collecting is the most popular hobby in the world. Philately is a broader term for the study of stamps, and it is frequently - but wrongly - equated to stamp collecting.

Through stamp collecting, people find information about history, currency, science, politics, arts, architecture and customs of different nations and countries of the world. All stamp collectors have fun with their stamps because no collection is ever complete, and there is always a challenge.

First, decide whether you would like to collect unused (mint) or used (canceled) stamps. If starting a mint stamp collection, purchase unused stamps from the post office. And if you see interesting stamps coming in the mail - collect them.

Many collectors prefer used stamps because they are less expensive or they may cost you nothing.

Some collectors save stamps by "topic": for instance, if you are interested in ships, you may want to collect stamps of ships and boats. Car fans often collect stamps with cars on them. You can disregard the countries and only collect stamps that have pictures that you like. Some people like to collect stamps of one or several countries, but which are all of the same subject. Popular topical themes are birds, cats, butterflies, flowers, sports, space, art, chess, famous people and other.

Specialized collecting means that you can collect all the varieties of a single stamp or collect stamps used for a special purpose.

Country collecting is usually done chronologically by date of issue, sub-divided into reigns or political periods.

Some collectors specialize in collecting only the first stamps, one for each country that has ever issued a postage stamp, or collecting first-day covers.

Some areas of collecting cost less than ten cents a stamp, while others can cost thousands of dollars.

A lot of people collect "Cinderellas" - stamps that are not official stamps issued by a country's postal administration. Cinderella collectors include in their collections local postage issues, telegraph stamps, tax stamps, forgeries and counterfeits.

The "hobbies" section of your local library may have basic books about stamp collecting, and the reference department may have a set of stamp-collecting catalogs. To find the value of a specific stamp, visit some good stamp-collecting web sites.

If looking for more information on stamps and stamp collecting, the local post office is the best place to start.

Albreht Moy owns Old World Maps website.
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Stamp Collecting - A Time-Honored Hobby

Philately, or stamp collecting, is a time-honored hobby enjoyed by collectors all over the world.
Stamp collecting is the collecting of postage stamps and related objects, such as covers (envelopes or packages with stamps on them). Stamp collecting can be fun and certainly easy.
Stamp collecting a very rewarding hobby because it immensely enhances the general knowledge of the collector.

Stamp collecting is a special mix of the structured and the unstructured, and you can make it a personal hobby that will not be like anyone else's.

Collecting stamps is a treasured hobby that people around the world have enjoyed for centuries. Stamp collecting started in 1860's with teenagers who started to collect stamps.

The collecting of stamps can be a fun and educational lasts you a lifetime.

Stamp collecting provides you skills which will help you connect to the history of a specific location, person, animal or thing. Stamp collecting is not a new trend of the people and the hobby is sweeping through out the world.

Collecting stamps is a very interesting hobby that is preferred and loved by the people throughout the world. Stamp collecting is the act of gathering of Stamps and basically the labels placed on the letters as charge for the postal delivery that are issued by the country or by the post office.

Stamp collecting is considered to be one of the most popular hobbies in the world This is despite the fact that there is not that much money that can be made from it even if the person has some of the oldest stamps dating back to the 19th century.

The new collector can start this hobby at any age and have a collection of both local and foreign postage, there are a lot of places where the collection can begin the first place is usually through the mail that the person has delivered to there home.

It has become common place to declare that the future of stamp collecting is bleak, due to the increasing popularity of e-mail, other electronic forms of communication.

The Internet has greatly expanded the availability of stamp collecting information and has also made it easier for starting and intermediate stamp collectors to obtain stamps, covers and other philatelic material.

You can spend a lot of money for this wonderful hobby if you want to but you don't have to.

However you start, stamp collecting is a hobby that you can continue through your life. For more than 150 years, stamp collecting has been the hobby of choice of royalty, movie stars, sports celebrities, kings, presidents, and hundreds of thousands of other people.

Tony Harries
www.jacksworldshop.com/TheStampAuction
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