The Ultimate Price Guide in Stamp CollectingStamp collecting
is the act of gathering the stamps. Stamps are basically the labels
placed on the letters as a charge for the postal delivery. Those are
issued by the country through the post office.
Philately is another endeavor related to stamp collecting. The goal of stamp collection is the simple collection of the various designs. On the other hand, the philately is the study of postage stamps and other matters related with the stamps. It is not necessary to include the act of collecting stamps in the philately and vice-versa. Stamps The first stamp was issued by the United Kingdom. The idea was put forward by an English civil servant Rowland Hill as a postal improvement. This suggested for a uniform prepaid rate in the postage of letters. This is to make the system more efficient and less expensive. It was 1840 when the first one-penny stamp was issued in the UK. It was called as the Penny Black and it displayed a kingdom of Queen Victoria. After the issuance of the first stamp, the country has witnessed a increase in the amount of mails sent. Next, the quest to collect the stamps came out, just after the first postage stamp was issued. The acts of collecting stamps are increased when the first list were published in 1861. Major collectors then start to put their efforts into acquiring more for their collection. The good thing about collecting stamps is that apart from their aesthetic appeal, they give a lot when it comes to history. Some way the stamps are the records too of the many aspects, like geography, politics, art, or religion, of a certain civilization. Ways of Collecting Stamps It is easy to collect the stamps. Simply collect, all the stamps used in the mails sent to you, especially those coming from other countries and you can get your first collection with out any expense at all. Once you have started, you will have a glance on the different stamps for their various sizes, illustrations, countries of origin and colors. From this points keeping in their mind, some of the collectors would choose to narrow down their choices in collecting. Some would go behind the stamps of a particular country. Some would collect the stamps of a particular decade. Others would be more interested with the rare collections, which are hard to find. If there is enough number of stamp collectors in your network, you can easily make trades for the one you have. You can exchange whatever you have in doubles or more. You can also ask from other people who are not in the hobby of the collection. They will simply give the stamps to you, which are used in the mails they received. The usual way adopted by the serious and advanced stamp collectors are to acquire the additions to their set by the purchase of the stamps from the post office or the suppliers. Stamps can be bought in stamp shops, auctions and even from other people or collectors. Purchasing Stamps Definitive stamps are the common type received in the mails. They are generally being printed every day. Those can be easily bought from the postage services and there is no need for price guide for these stamps because, those are indicated with the face value. The special type stamps are called as the commemorative stamp. It is issued only for a limited time. Commemorative stamps are issued to celebrate an event or anniversary or honor for a person or historical figure. The commemorative stamp can be acquired from the stamp dealers. Stamp dealers are key persons, where you can ask questions about the stamps, including the price and even the valuation of your collection. However, the prices will vary when it comes to the matter of commemorative stamps, where some can be more expensive, especially the hard-to-find ones. Stamp Price Guide Any serious stamp collector would know that the stamp catalogue is the ultimate guide to collect the informations of the postage stamps details and especially the price. Comprehensive stamp catalogues could provide the prices of the old stamps as well as the recently released stamps. The stamp shop is the traditional refuge when searching for the stamp catalogues. It can even have its own price list or price guide for the local stamps or for any special stamps, the shop may choose to display. Now there are further options, especially with the help of new technology. The Internet is a good resource to know the details and the prices of the stamps. Stamp catalogues can be purchased online, some even free. Web sites dedicated to stamp collecting are offering the features like viewing the stamps and indicating their prices. Some can even go as far as to classify the stamps. With the
encouraging environment given by new technology and by other stamp collectors
in the market, it is not a difficult task to start the hobby of stamp
collection. Price guides will educate a beginner to know enough while
buying stamps for the collection. Despite the changes brought by the
technology in communications, stamp collecting is definitely to stay
here.
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