I've been collecting stamps since I was ten years old or so. My mother worked in the post office in our small hometown. One day a man, Mr. Minkus, came into the post office---he was a tourist in the area for the summer--and told my mother to start collecting stamps--and she did. And I did, too. Those were the days when every day's mail brought an interesting stamp or two-- a commemorative. Today it's a general celebration to receive a commemorative on a piece of mail. (Like the plumber's bill that came yesterday----Container Shipping) Anyway, after I married and moved away, my mother kept ripping stamps off envelopes and would send them to me. I have them stored away. Occasionally I would start to sort through them, but----too many, very confusing. I still have the old stamp album I bought at a dime store---has some rocket and a "spaceman" on the cardboard cover. I continue to rip the occasional stamp off an envelope---and drop them through a slit in a big oatmeal box. I prefer US stamps, but have a few foreign. An unimpressive collection, I'm sure, in such a highly professional hobby. Hope to learn how to get my stamps in order.
Hello there Lulu and welcome to stamp exchange forum. It was so nice to see new member here. Will really like to see some of your collections here. And hope to see more of your posts around in different threads here.
Hello Lulu, I think your best bet would be to google American stamps archives or such as I did in order to find annual stamp releases (albeit I'm in Canada http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/postal-archives) as starter books are no longer really produced, or at least not that I can find, such as the Paragon Stamp Album, the Super Stamp Album or the Galaxy World Stamp Albums that I have in my collections, or visit your local stamp/ coin shop and see if they have suggestions to start you off. Personally I sort the stamps I have by country, soak them in cold water to remove (carefully) from paper, if they're old I wouldn't suggest this unless our new found friends here approve, dry face down on tea towels (not paper towels), and then arrange (with hinges or insert pages by group or $ amount. Good luck! If you'd like to trade for some Canadian stamps, please feel free to contact me.
Lulu I love that canada page, i might start on my collection in a bit with such good photo's and descriptions
