Greetings...if you found this section then we should have a fine relationship.  Don't know what you are going to do with some big or little collection you just found in the attic or cellar?  Don't know what to do without a catalog of stamps?   Want to become a collector but don,t know where to start?  Well, you have come to one of the right places.  I have been digging in some old manuals and have been looking at Facebook (sorry, but that is where you found me) and there are a lot of you are not sure what way to go.  This section of my website will hopefully help you in whatever venture you decide to take.  You may have noticed that i sell stuff but that is not the purpose of this section and you don't have to look elsewhere if you do not want to.  By the way if you have specific questions (and i can answer them) just go to the Contact section and i will answer as soon as i can.  I am NOT going to try to tell you how or where to sell your find but i think the information following will give you some indication as to what to look for.  Be careful who you sell to and try to find some local people who are actually collectors who may lead you to an appropriate source for sales.

What is the difference between a stamp collection and an accumulation?  A collection is a number of stamps or stuff with stamps on them that are systematically mounted.  An accumulation is stored in envelopes or boxes, not a collection, and you cannot tell easily what you have or what you need.  You should realize, no matter your age, that the hobby of stamp collecting is fun and can bring hours of pleasure, relaxation, and troves of information.  Have you ever heard of Ifni or Oltre Giuba or know the history of Pitcairn Island?  A collector will have to learn about perfs, kinds of paper, different watermarks and printing processes. Many publications have been issued so that you can learn to be a stamp collector...we might even start calling you a philatelist if you really get into it.

You have decided to try collecting.  You should start by starting a general collection so that you get some idea of the wide variety of stamps you could be dealing with. A limited collection, like only one country, will limit you on the knowledge of the different types of stuff to look for on a stamp.  If you have an accumulation you are ready to go.  If not go buy a packet of stamps that you can afford, the larger the better. Once you take care of that you are ready to add to it by getting another packet of different stamps. (Try to get them non-duplicated).

Tools for Starting.  Your next purchase will be a starting album.  A lot of different albums are available depending on what you have started with.  You might want to start with a used album for awhile until you get it down pat as to what your stamps are.  You might want to get a couple of slotted binders to place your stamps safely in until you figure out what you need with an album.  A couple of more things you may need are: Stamp hinges and tongs to handle the stamps with (you should not touch your stamps if you can avoid it) (of course, us responsible collectors touch their stamps all the time).  Practice at the start with tongs and hopefully you can do it right. DO NOT PUT YOUR STAMPS IN ANYWHERE USING GLUE OR LICKING THE STAMPS, you are a collector now not a mailing machine!!!  Hinges will be discussed later but are normally the best things to use when putting stamps in albums (at least for the used stamps). There are special tools for special and mint stamps.  Once you get into your collection you will need a magnifying glass to help identify your stam;ps..

Identifying Your Stamps.    What the heck is Magyar....that is Hungary.  There are a lot of countries that use English to identify their stamps and they are obviously the easier one to identify if you speak or read English.  Some are written in Latin and some are written so that we may have no idea where they are from at first glance (like Magyar or even Suomi for Finland).  Today's world has the Internet and most of the time if you take the time you can find out which country you are looking for.  You will also run across countries in Greek, Cyrillic, Arabic and Oriental.  Have fun trying to find them on the Internet!  I will at some time in the future try to pass on some of those symbols and other characters. There are some stamps that show only abbreviations, a design, or numerals of value.  

More Stamps!!!  Oh, so now you want to be a philatelist...ok here are some things to be aware of when you are looking to expand.  One of the most popular methods for getting stamps is by the "Approval" method.  Many of the more stamp companies use this method with their customers.  You tell the company what type of stamps you would like to have in your collection and they will send you a book or books to look over and decide if you want to buy any of them. Factors they should know are used or unused, what country, and price range. Stamps are usually priced singly or by sets and sometimes at reduced prices. Be cautious of unsolicited approvals!!  Another possible place of expansion would be a local Stamp Club where stamps are usually shown and traded.  Another outlet can be stamp newspapers easily found on the Internet. If you can not afford or find one public libraries may have stamp books, catalogs and periodicals on stamps.  You might want to prepare a Want List to send to some stamp dealers online to let them know your needs.  Stamp dealers are always available for both selling and buying. Other options are Auctions, Consignment Sales, national Philatelic societies, post offices, and foreign philatelic societies

Limited Collections otherwise know as Specialization. Wow, did not know that there were that many options for collecting in Special areas! Beginners may fix their limits by recent events and collect stamps for certain dates, i.e., World Wars. Collectors with patriotic motives build collections of their native countries, or a single political period.  A British collection may have only stamps about Queen Elizabeth II and her Silver Jubilee. Stamps of the US could be almost any two decade period from the late 1800s to the present.  Some are regional groups like the Commonwealth countries, Canada, Great Britain, or British West Indies or the Germany after Wars or the German Empire. Every collector worthy of being know as a philatelist should know enough about all stamps to be able to enjoy the work of another collector, no matter how different than his own.

Should I collect Mint or Used??  Mint describes a stamp in the condition as sold by a post office.  In almost all cases should have its original gum (o.g.) and is without hinge marks. (You will notice o.g. is our first abbreviation).  Used stamps are those which have been postal service and have been cancelled.