Yup. Exactly as the title states. I'm thinking about starting up a stamp collection and in need of advice. What should I begin collecting and what information do I need to know? Any information is helpful; thanks!
1st of all decide if you want to collect by country or by theme. If you decide on country then your best bet is the one you live in as those stamps would be easier to come by. As for a theme pick a subject that is close to your heart for example flowers/cats/dogs/trains/ships/space, I think you get the idea LOL Then get a book on the subject buy it or loan it from a library Buy a stock book to store them in, a pair of tweezers to handle them with and ask us questions
Okay great! I think I'm going to start off with the Country one. Where would I get the stamps? Just sites like eBay?
Ebay/Delcamp/ebid all are ok then for modern stuff at face value try the post office Another thing to do is check out flea markets and the local press for collectors markets, the phone book might tell you if you have a stamp shop close to you. Good luck
Welcome to the forum. New stamps are easy to buy in your local post office. Old stamps can be found on some antique shops or collector's shops.
It's important to have a stamp book instead of just keeping them in random places. Keeping them in a good spot ensure that there's no dirt, dust mites, and generally maintaining them in new condition.
Focus on your interests, then settle on a thematic, global or country collection. Find a short term storage method, glassines, stockbooks or stock pages. Visualize a long term goal and buy a decent showcase for your collection. I liked buying collections at first, it was a way to acquire a load of stamps at one time at a good price point. Buying small lots that are focused is another way to get a good start. Stamps shows, auctions, mail bidding and kiloware are great ways to get stamps too. Good luck and welcome!
It's a wonderful journey you are setting yourself to.. Stamp collecting is a really rewarding hobby especially when you look for something for a really long time and then you finally find it.. That feeling is incredible!
Buy kiloware, soak them, dry them, straighten them, then load them in your stamp album. Kiloware is not very expensive, but you will have to devote some time and be patient to retrieve the stamps. Stamp collecting is a very good hobby. warm wishes.
Great choice to start collecting. I restarted about a year ago, after a long hiatus (collected as a kid, then fell out of the practice) Doing by country, or a few countries, is the most popular way to go. Some people still do collect everything and anything; however, this method is much less common than it used to be. Another way to get stamps is on approval. This is when you are sent a package of stamps and get to select the ones you want to keep. I get my stamps this way, and get a good deal. Let us know what your collection choice is and people here will be happy to help out. read the threads for information and never hesitate to ask questions Happy Collecting.
I've just started too and so far really enjoying it. post some pictures of any stamps you do get, we love seeing them! good luck
Some are worth money, but most are not. It's not a good field to get into as an investment. Rather look at the knowledge, history and other important things you learn from collecting. Money is nice, but some things are worth doing for knowledge or enjoyment, and not because it might make you wealthy some point down the road.
