Posts Tagged ‘hobby’

Stamps are small self adhesive paper cut outs having amazing art works printed on them and are used as a means for paying postage. Stamps are miniature icons and memento of major national events and achievements. Before the concept of stamps was originated, the person at the receiving end of the postage was been charged depending on the number of pages sent by post and the distance it has traveled. Stamps made it all easy as we could now pay before hand for the postage making it far more convenient for both the sender and the receiver. The hobby of collecting such postage stamps is popularly known as Stamp Collection.

Stamp Collection, also called philatelic, as a hobby can help one understand cultures and events of major countries of the world. There are two ways of collecting stamps – one is collecting used stamps and the other is to collect unused or mint stamps. To begin with there is no harm in collecting used stamps. This might give you an initial shove in stamp collection and help you understand different types of stamps available from various countries. You can then probably decide upon a theme for your stamp collection hobby. Although a collection of mint stamps would have more money value as compared to used stamps but for an amateur stamp collector, philatelic of a variety of stamps would probably make more sense.

Thematic philatelic would limit your stamp collection to a single subject or country. To begin with you should opt for a more general topic for stamp collection. To start with, gather stamps from all possible areas and then you may sort them by country or animals, butterflies, sailing ships, important national events, etc. There are more than 200 countries till date that are producing stamps every year and these stamps cover almost every subject that a human mind could possibly imagine.

When you have finally sat down to begin with your new stamp collection hobby visit your local stamp dealer. Buy a large packet of used stamps from him. This should not hurt your pocket a lot. You might receive a good number of stamps covering diverse topics. You can have fun sorting these stamps based on animals or countries and so on.

Then you can arrange them in your stamp collection album where they can be stored carefully for many years to come.

Alongside collecting stamps you could go ahead and investigate about the stamp clubs in your city. This opens up doors to meet other stamp collectors and exchange ideas on your stamp collection hobby. You can also exchange stamps if you have two similar stamps to get one, which you don’t have. This will make your stamp collection hobby more interactive. Stamp dealers could also be a good source of information and advice to guide you deeper into this hobby. You should regularly visit post offices to check out which new stamps are available. Post offices too help out enthusiast stamp collectors. You would enjoy stamp collection more when you would learn more and more about it rather than just sorting stamps and sticking them in your stamp collection album.

So what are you waiting for! Visit your nearest stamp dealer and post office. Call your local stamp club and enroll to become a member and make your stamp collection hobby more zestful.

There are no specific tools used for stamp collecting. However, great majority of collectors used few helpful tools that are essential for making a stamp collecting hobby hassle free, and it also minimize damage infliction to your collections.

Most postage stamps enthusiasts like to invest in a few items for the better display, preservation and inspection of their stamp collections. Here are some of the most commonly used materials and tools for stamp collecting.

1.) Magnifying glass – Gives you a magnified view when picking postage stamps from envelopes, it minimizes damage infliction.

2.) Stamp tongs with rounded tips – helps prevent damage and stains from skin oils and rough handling.

3.) Perforation gauge – Use to measure the perforation of postmarks.

4.) Archival stock book with clear plastic pockets – This is one of the safest means of postage stamps storage. By using this, your collections will be free from humidity, light, and heat.

It is also advisable to invest in glassine envelopes for your stamps. These envelopes are made for stamp collecting and they are semi-transparent. The glassine material is found to have no harmful effects on the stamps it stores.

Your postage stamps collection can be displayed whatever you want them to be seen, let it be by country, by topic, or even by size, such a way that it pleases your eyes and make stamp collecting a rewarding hobby for you.