Philately can be an extremely enjoyable and educative experience. It requires little investment of time and resources. This articles contains information for beginners.
Philately or the hobby of collecting stamps can be an extremely rewarding and enlightening experience. Apart from being beautiful and aesthetically appealing, stamps provide information about different countries, landscapes, wildlife and major historical events.
Collecting stamps is easy for anyone to start. You too can be a philatelist or a stamp collector. You just need a little time, investment and training. Soon, you can be the proud owner of your own stamp collection.
How to start
Most stamp collectors begin by collecting stamps that come in the mail or by buying a set of stamps from a stamp dealer. This is a great way to start, since, you can control the time and effort you can put into your hobby.
Buy a Stamp Album or a Stock Book
Stamps are beautiful as well as delicate. Stamp albums offer a safe way of preserving your stamps. A stamp album is a book with pages on which stamps can be attached. They also help categorize the stamps according to country, theme or time.
Stamps should be attached to the album by means of stamp hinges. Stamp hinges are tiny bits of glassine paper which have been gummed. These hinges can be moistened on one side and used to attach the stamps to the album. Stamps should never be pasted on to the album as this will ruin them.
Another way of preserving your stamp collection is by using stock books. Stock books are similar to stamp albums. However, they differ in that they have special mounts on which stamps can be inserted. Hence, it is not necessary to use stamp hinges.
Adding to you collection.
You can add to your collection by asking friends and relatives for stamps which they may receive in the mail. Another great way of collecting stamps is by exchanging stamps with other stamp collectors. Find out about the activities of your philatelic club in your town. This is a great place for developing your collection and networking with others who share your interest.
Purchasing stamps is another way of increasing your collection. You may like to purchase stamps on a specific country or a theme from registered vendors.
Participate in Philatelic Shows and Exhibitions:
Browse through your telephone directory and find out the philatelic club in your place and get to know their activities. Most philatelic clubs and societies organize shows and exhibitions where stamps are exhibited. Exhibitions are great places to acquire new stamps and to sell or exchange other stamps from your collection.
While philately should not be looked at as an investment option, stamps have an intrinsic commercial value. Hence, it is imperative that your collection is well maintained and cared for.
Philately can be a greatly enjoyable hobby. Apart from developing a beautiful collection of stamps, as a stamp collector, you get to know a lot of information countries, events and people. It is also a great way to make friends and develop acquaintances.
