Stamp Collecting
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, which carry a stamp on the First Day it was sold with that day's postmark.
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.
3 Responses Leave a comment
Even though I truly like this post, I believe there was an spelling error shut towards the finish from the 3rd section.
Some genuinely excellent posts on this site, appreciate it for contribution.
Are you really the owner of Define All Stamps, this is an amazing site! Congrats
. So I’ve been kind of following it for a while because I run a really similar website. A few days ago, a friend of mine (who runs like 500 sites, god!) suggested I check out: http://sn.im/incometimesten because it had really impacted his earnings (he uses adsense and sells his own products). Jesus! The difference is like night and day, and I hate using cliches!! I was making about $136-$257 per day (not bad I guess) but for the last 2 days, my income has been OVER $500 and steady. Income times ten really lives to its name huh? Not only does it take you through the ropes but if you’re more serious and looking to make a big impact in your lifestyle, it’ll show you how to grow your empire. I’m not a salesman, I can’t stand those guys 
. I honestly would not recommend anything I personally am not using to make money. If you don’t at least check http://sn.im/incometimesten you’re missing out BIGtime. Cheers, and I hope you have an *awesome* rest of the week.