Master the Two Major Stamp Collecting Methods

Stamp collecting, for the uninitiated, is the collection of stamps from around the globe. Technically, it is called a philatelic collection (funny way of naming things, these scientists have). And if you think it’s a hobby for kids and weird ones, you’ll be surprised at how many people, great and small have been indulging in this hobby for years. It has become serious enough that people are setting up and maintaining organizations that study these postal artifacts with care and respect.

Stamps have a certain amount of history and culture attached to them, and that makes them so fascinating to collect. You are brought face to face with different cultures and different time periods. Browsing though a stamp album is pretty much like browsing through history itself.

And while many hobbies require very expensive equipment, stamp collecting requires inexpensive and readily available equipment to enjoy. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to set up you collection, not to mention straightforward and engaging.

So you’ve started your own stamp collection, huh? You’ve invested in tools and albums and are ready and raring to start you stamp collecting career. The only bummer is that you don’t know where to get your stamps.

For starting collectors, here are a few sources of collecting stamps to help you build up your stash of postal wonders.

1. Mail – Yes, the oldest and cheapest means of getting stamps is the mail that gets to your mailbox. And while the amount of mail you are receiving may be affected by the advent of the internet and email, mailboxes are still a great way to get stamps. However, you will have to take great care in handling such stamps as you have to learn how to properly soak and mount these stamps for you collection.

Your friends and neighbor are also a good source of stamps. You can tell them of your hobby, and more often than not, they’d be happy to give their unused stamps to you. You may have to instruct them to give you the envelope as it is so that you can properly process the stamps out. Or you may have them cut out the stamp from the envelope – while, of course, leaving a lot of leeway around the stamp.

2. Trading – during your stamp collecting career, you will definitely come across a glut of same stamps. Well, if you have two of the same kind, why not find another stamp enthusiast and swap stamps. Trading stamps is one of the most exciting activities in stamp collecting. It’s a great way to meet fellow enthusiasts and a great way to land your hands – I mean stamp tongs (never handle your stamps without them!) on a unique stamp.

But before you consider trading a stamp, you have to examine them if they truly are alike. Some stamps may look alike, but may actually be different. Try looking at the perforation count using a perforation gauge, or at watermarks and fine detail. And to top that, look at every minutiae, including wear, tear, and damage. This will help you assess whether the stamp you are trading is worth trading after all.

You may also trade some of the unique ones in your collection for unique ones that you like better. But that is a trickier and more complicated story.

3. Sellers – there are some that sell stamps either as a collector’s item or in bulk. Many collectors have duplicate stamps – just like you. You may be able to get good deals on these stamps especially if they are not rare.

In the case of rare stamps, you will find that they will cost a greater deal of money. If you are starting out in your hobby, you may want to focus on the easier ones to procure before going after the bigger fish.

Some will sell bulk orders of assorted stamps. This is a great way to beef up your collection, especially if you are starting out.

Conclusion
There is a multitude of ways to get your hands on stamps - everyone as exciting as the other. The trick here is to be consistent in your collecting efforts. Try not to pass up on opportunities to get new stamps for your collection. In terms of value and enjoyment, they definitely become more fulfilling as time goes by.

Collect it, stamp it

Believe it or not, the first stamp was issued in England on the 6th of May, in the year 1840.  Since then, the issuance of stamps grew in all countries and the collection of stamps have also increased, and there is no stopping it.  And because the number of stamps have grown in leaps and bounds – for the sake of convenience – collectors have limited themselves into single country collecting. 

Multiple country collecting

Collecting stamps from one country compared to collecting stamps from various nations is better as there is a lot more time and effort to have access to more stamps locally than internationally. 

For instance, it is a bit difficult to complete an Austrian stamp collection because of its rarity and only a few stamps are ever available.
The easiest and probably the most famous stamp to collect are those that come from one’s own country. 

However it all depends on your own preference.  For instance, stamps from Austria began to be collected through a specific motif that a particular stamp or group of stamps have.  An example would be the collection of stamps as according to the pictures they have, such as flowers, dogs, trains, paintings, ships, buildings, weapons or women.

However, a beginning stamp collector or those that intend to collect on an average basis may do well to start gathering stamps from their own country. 

Stamps that are issued fresh hot of the post are very affordable.  Believe it or not, stamps that have just been released may be bought with no additional charge from any postal office right on the day of its issuance. 

Beautiful US stamps about beautiful US

If you are willing to collect stamps about the beautiful country that is the US of A, there are a set of stamps out there which showcase such. 
The Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, for instance are shown in the stamp issued by the United States Postal Service.  The stamp that costs a mere seventy-five cents shows the Great Smokey Mountain during sunset as photographed by David Muench from California, specifically in Santa Barbara. 

The breathtaking picture view also has portions of Tennessee and North Carolina.  This national park is best known for its diverse plant life as well as animal life as one will definitely see when he hikes along  its eight hundred mile trail.

Another beautiful US landmark that has been immortalized in a stamp is the Yosemite National Park.  The stamp costs eight-four US cents and it features a picture of the valley gates of the Yosemite as photographed by Galen Rowell of California, specifically Emervville.

If you are a nature lover, or even if you are not,  collecting the stamp will most probably make you one. 

Yosemite park was established as such on the first of October in the year 1890.  the park boasts of a variety of natural features and geographical wonders such as meadows that stretch as far as the eye can see, lakes, waterfalls, sequoias and monoliths that are made out of granite.  These granites are called half Dome and El Capitan.

Believe it or not, Yosemite has been designated as ninety five percent authentic wilderness.
Another US treasure found on a sixty three cent stamp is Utah’s Bryce Canyon.  These stamps are all part of the Scenic Landscapes in America released by the US Postal Service. 

The canyon is beautifully photographed by Tom Till from the city of Moab, Utah.  Thanks to erosion, the Utah landscape developed spires now called as whimsical-looking hoodoos.  Bryce Canyon was recognized nationally as a monument in 1923. 

America’s crops

Believe it or not, the crops grown  in America are also featured in US stamps.  The following crops has been featured,  beans, corn, squashes, chili peppers, sunflowers.

An artist named Steve Buchanan designed five of the stamps through the slides photographed by his wife.  Other crops featured were corn ears, chilies (both the red and green type), lima beans, pintos, squash, pintos, seeds and sunflowers.
 
All in all, collecting stamps is a worthwhile activity that anyone who has the perseverance, patience and passion to pursue could.  All it takes is a good eye for detail and a liking for anything and everything literally small.

Know the lingo of stamp collectors

Stamp collecting is a hobby that dates back to the 1840s when the first stamp known as “Penny Black” was issued by Great Britain. Prior to this year, man’s communication system was done primitively without the use of postal service maybe be cause man has not yet appreciated the functions of a post master and the corresponding costs of hiring him and his postmen..

British postmaster general Sir Rowland Hill came up with the concept of using a stamp that would be paid by the letter sender as early as 1837 but the long debates stretched the issuance of the first stamped letter three years after that proposal.

The first issued stamp, which had a photo of Queen Victoria, became known as Penny Black because it used black ink and it required a penny for one stamp.  The United States, which caught on the practice of sending letters with a stamp, made its first stamp in 1847 with the image of Benjamin Franklin.

Since then, philatelists or stamp collectors have started their vocation.  Stamp collecting may look like a simple hobby but listen to philatelists do their stamp banter and you would get lost in the way.

While the word ambulant may commonly refer to medicine or ambulances, philatelists view an ambulant as a roving post office.  And do you know that stamp makers protect stamps from counterfeiting by placing a burelage or a design on top of the stamp?

When philatelists say grill, they are not talking abut dinner but parallel line pattern pushed into stamps to prevent the reuse of stamps.   And when you hear the words killer or killer cancel, do not call a policeman just yet because they are just referring to the cancellation of a particular design of stamp.

A cancelled mail which does not reveal the identity of the canceling post office can be referred to as a mute cancel.   While a specimen naturally refers to an object placed and studied in a microscope, the word specimen in philatelist lingo

When you are just starting your stamp collecting hobby you will probably be inundated with words like adhesive which refers to that sticky substance under a stamp which enable you to stick it easily to an envelope.   Stamps with cancellation marks mean stamps that have been marked to show previous usage.

When choosing your stamp collection, you can start with collecting commemorative stamps or stamps issued to commemorate a particular person, event or for a significant reason.  In 1893, the United States issued its first commemorative stamps to mark the discovery made by Christopher Columbus

And when you are asked by a philatelist of you got your stamps from a covered enveloped, it may just mean that the envelope has been mailed.  A denomination on the other hand does not refer to a religious group but to how much the stamp is worth in terms of postage.

Stamp collectors use simple but weird terms like referring to a stamp placed on an envelope but which was canceled the very first day it was sold as first day cover.   Business people may be more familiar with the term revenue stamps which refer to stamps that are not for postage of a letter but for the payment of taxes.

So now that you are quite familiar with the philatelists’ lingo, it may be time to get to know the process of creating stamps.  For quite a long time, it was the postmaster general who decided on the design of stamps that will be issued.  However, the US legislators started making laws about the subjects to be featured on stamps, giving rise to the formation of a committee that will review the stamp designs.

At least fifty thousand stamp design ideas from Americans are reviewed by the committee annually.  Out of these, only 35 ideas are recommended by the committee to the postmaster general who then makes the final decision.

While any design idea can be entertained, the general rule is that only dead people can be the subject of a US postage stamp.  As a general rule only former presidents can be depicted in US stamps at any time after their death while other people can only be depicted in the stamps at least ten years after their death.

Don’t fake it, how to know an original stamp from a counterfeit one

Postage stamps are one of the most collected items in the world.  However, they are also considered as the most faked, regummed and counterfeited items. 

The following are basic tips and advice to know which is fake and which is not. 

Gum or re-gummed, that is the question

First things first, what does it mean when a stamp is said to have been regummed? 

A regummed stamp basically means that the stamp no longer contains gum in its one hundred percent original content. 

A gum is said to have been original when the gum is produced from the United States postal authority or any other official postal authority such as Newfoundland or Canada.    The instance a particular individual has applied his own gum blend to the stamp’s back is the instance wherein the stamp is considered as officially regummed. 

Why is regumming done?

Regumming is made to stamps to make it appear better and enhanced, therefore further increasing the stamp’s value.  Frau occurs when a particular collector buys a stamp and was informed that the stamp has an original gum, but is really a re-gummed one. 

How to know which is which?

The most easy and convenient way to detect which gum is original and which is counterfeit is by simply comparing an original gum from a regummed one. 

Try to take note of the following.  A regummed stamp has a textured and dull appearance with a little inconsistencies in the thickness of the gum or when it is reflected in the light.  Also, there are stamps that have been regummed and appear to have a surface that is glossy.  The same appearance holds with stamps that are imperforated. 

A stamp that contains a watermark can be easily seen on a stamp that has been regummed. 
Meanwhile, a stamp that was originally gummed has a watermark that could only be seen when the stamp is dipped in a tray of watermark using fluid for watermark.  In the absence of such a fluid, the watermark in an original gum could also be seen when the stamp is put up to a light that is very strong.

Observe, try to notice if the watermark seems to have been impressed in the gum.  If so, start to be suspicious. 

Another tip is that a stamp that has been regummed will most likely curl if it is placed down with its face on the hand’s palm.  A stamp that has been originally gummed will not do that. 
One sure sign that a stamp has been regummed is to check on the stamps tips.  If the perforation feels sharp, it surely has been regummed.  Usually, an originally gummed stamp will feel soft. 

Fortunately or unfortunately, a good regummer still has a way to fake it.  What he usually does is that he will try to file patiently down the tips of the perf in order to make them soft.

The only way to effectively differentiate this is via looking through them under a strong magnifying glass. 

Another clue to know a regum from an original is to check and see if the gum extends well into the holes of the perforation.  This situation never occurs in an original because the perforation is done after applying the gum. 

However, a regummer still has a way to fake it via filing out the perforated holes in order to eliminate any gum that are in excess.  But most likely, they will almost always miss a spot.   

Stamps that are reperforated

Believe it or not, these types of stamps are prevalent than most collectors think.  This basically means that a perforation has been done privately by an individual and not officially by the United States Postal Service. Why do individuals do it then?  This is done in order to increase the stamp’s value. 

Stamps that were perforated officially have holes that are shaped in oval form and are cut less cleanly than perforations done privately.  When seen closely, perforations that are originally done have little paper tufts that extend to the holes. 

All in all, stamp collecting – contrary to popular belief – is a challenging and an adventurous hobby.  It requires diligence, patience, perseverance and a lot of passion.   That is if you know what to look for and how.

Stamps ‘r us: know their grade and condition

Collecting stamps is a worthwhile if not a very lucrative hobby.  But more than simply gathering them, it is just as important that their condition and grade be well determined by its collector. 

Serious stamp collecting requires discipline and sufficient knowledge thereby allowing the collector to save appropriate money and time to build a strong and sufficient collection. 

Believe it or not, there are available catalogs that provide an outline of a stamp’s relationship between its grade and value.  Even modern-day technology such as the internet offers no respite from sound stamp descriptions since some stamp faults could very well escape the eye of the scanner. 

Basically, the grading and condition of a stamp is the same for all stamp collectors in any part of the world.  So how does a stamp get to make that all-elusive grade?
What is a grade?

First things first, a grade involves centering, gum and cancels.  It basically describes the design of the stamp and just how well the design is located right in the middle and in between the stamp’s perforations. 

The stamp must be looked at both vertically and horizontally on the stamp paper. 
The grade of the stamps are given out similar to how a grade will be given out in an exam in schools, such as:  excellent or  poor.

The grades

A stamp that has been given a grade of  “superb” basically means that it is perfect and possesses the qualities that are the finest. 

A grade that says “extremely fine” basically mean that the stamp is almost close to perfection.  It also means that the design is centered well.  The margins are even around the stamp. 

Cancels present in such a stamp are hardly perceptible and are generally neat.  The condition of the stamp is bright, it possesses a rich color and is clean.  Although most stamps made early on are seldom, if not never, seen in such a condition. 

Stamps that are given the grade of “very fine” is centered well.  It is also balanced and the margins are appropriate, though not even.  Just as the previous grade, the stamp possess no undesirable faults.  Believe it or not, it is this grade that is usually used in many stamp catalogs.

A stamp that has been given a grade of fine or very fine has a design that is a little off the center.  The general condition of the stamp is that it has no such faults.

Meanwhile, a stamp that has been given the grade of fine is where the design could be found as not centered, both vertically as well as horizontally.  However, the stamp’s general condition is that it possesses no faults.
A stamp that has been given the grade of average or good mean that its design is not centered. 
There are no available tears or spots that are thin.  Stamps that are given such a grade are collected less.

A stamp that has been given the grade of poor means that the design is not centered and the found perforations extend into the stamp’s design.  The cancellation marks are also heavy, thick, blurred and smeared.  Stamps with such a grade are generally not suited to be collected.

What are the conditions of the stamp? 

A stamp’s condition is the basic description of its obvious characteristics, such as the stamp paper used, the ink, or the gum. 

A stamp that has been given the condition of positive generally mean that the stamp is clear, and has a crisp impression of its printing.  It also has colors that are rich and fresh. 
However, faults may be considered when there is any part that has been damaged, altered or modified.  The color of the stamp may also be stained.  In such cases, any attempt to clean it up may just as well result to the color being changed permanently.   The stamp may also be considered as having faults if the paper has some holes, or maybe torn, or has creases or stains.

All in all, a perfect stamp may or may not be that hard to find.  What is definite is that what one seeks one shall definitely find.  Though it could take numerous and stamps upon stamps of searching, it is definitely out there.