Help for Beginners in Stamp Collecting

Study Guidebooks

• When beginning any hobby, doing some initial research makes the process easier and more enjoyable. Novice stamp collectors should visit their local library or bookstore to find guidebooks on starting a collection. General guidebooks give background on how stamps are printed, resources for collecting stamps, information regarding the best tools for collectors, and details on recognizing a stamp in good condition. To know how much you should pay for specific stamps, consult a specialized price guide.

Decide What You Want to Collect

• Rather than trying to gather as many various stamps as you can, focus your collection by choosing a theme. At first your theme might be quite general, such as collecting foreign stamps. However, narrowing that focus, for example to a specific country or time period, will ultimately create a more satisfying collection. Pick a theme in which you have an inherent interest and collect the stamps that relate to that interest.

Find Stamp Resources

• Resources can entail everything from asking relatives and friends to save stamps for you to buying stamps in the marketplace. If you are interesting in buying stamps, consult a website like the Stamp Classifieds, where stamps are available for sale or for exchange. You can even advertise if you are looking for a specific stamp.

Get the Right Equipment

• While you really only need stamps to be a collector, several pieces of equipment aid in recognizing the best stamps and protect the condition of those stamps. An album is a must for a beginning collector. It lets you show off your collection while keeping the stamps in the best possible condition. Never glue stamps to an album page. Use hinges or mounts to arrange the stamps in the album. A magnifying glass of 4x to 8x magnification lets you see the details of a stamp's illustration and allows you to examine it for minute damage that can influence the value of the piece. A pair of tongs, which work like tweezers, lets you pick up the stamps without damaging them with the oil and dirt of your fingertips.

Learn from Other Collectors

• Don't be afraid to ask questions of other collectors. Veteran philatelists are sources of information regarding current stamp collecting trends, how to spot fakes and which stamps offer the best investment potential. Join a stamp collecting club either locally or a national organization such as the American Philatelic Society.