Some Essential Tips on Buying StampsNow you
would have reached a stage where in you have to take up the mounting
part of the stamps in an album. Keep all the tools such as magnifier,
tongs and catalogues ready and handy. A good album is very versatile
in giving you enough options and ease for arranging and manipulating
the mounting of stamps.
The preliminary step in stamp collecting process is buying your stamps. Note to follow the tips learned while you go for stamp collection. Exercise caution when you go for any expensive stamps or any rare variety of stamps. Check the authenticity of the dealer or seller. You can validate certain important points such as whether collectors recommend the dealer or your club has identified the seller as an authorised one? Look for sellers or dealers who has got a reputation and a long standing in the market. You can safely deal with any reliable dealers, as your encountering with any fake stamps is remote when you restrict your dealings with the reputed sellers. A dealer or seller who is a member of a philatelic society or the American Stamp Dealers? Association will be the safe bet. Whenever you visit a dealer, learn to identify the stamps correctly. Further, you can also look for collections that are pre-arranged based on colours, design, paper, perforations and watermarks. These features play a vital role in determining market value of stamps. You can also make use of catalogues for identifying the stamps before you go for actual purchase. With all the knowledge gained from the above pages, use your knowledge to assess the condition of the stamps. Apply and match all the parameters and check for any tear, creases, marks, blotches and perforations. Do not go for any poor quality stamps, as it is not worth spending any money on them, whatever may be the cheap price that the stamp has. Before deciding on your purchase determine whether the quoted price is worth and fair. You can make use of the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalog while deciding the worth of any stamp. Further, the price mentioned in a catalogue is only an indicative one and normally the actual price may even be little less than the indicated price in catalogues. Try to learn the knack of identifying the forged and counterfeit stamps. For any average collector or for any beginners, identifying the genuine stamps from that of manipulated one will be difficult. However, over a period of time you will also learn the intricacies involved and be able to identify the fake one. At the
outset, believe that stamp collecting is one of the best hobbies and
it is worth spending few bucks of your hard-earned money in pursuing
the hobby. Further, you can take the services of expert evaluators for
fine tuning your hobby. * If you have a heavily soiled stamp, you can soak that stamp in a small amount of undiluted liquid dishwashing detergent and then rinse with clean and cool water. Please note to use only liquid dishwashing detergent and not dishwasher detergent, as both are different. * If your stamps have blotches and are stained heavily, then try to wash the stamps in a mild solution of water mixed with little enzyme laundry detergent. This process will effectively remove the stains, however, a word of caution is that you have to be extra careful in using the enzyme laundry detergent as the detergent is capable of removing the printing ink also leaving the stamp blank. Self Adhesive Stamps In early 90's, the US printed this type of self-adhesive stamps and issued for circulation. You can soak latest self adhesive stamps in water and where as the earlier ones will tend to become pulpy when soaked in water even for a shorter period. Certain
variety of self-adhesive stamps come with a special, water-soluble backing,
and when you soak them, they take more time to get detached from the
base. In the event of your not soaking in the water, you can try to
cut the paper closely without making any visual damage to the perforations
and mount them on an album.
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