Reviewing The Postage Stamp Collecting

This article has been written using advanced research of many case studies. Data accuracy is excellent and I surely hope you will enjoy it.

Postage stamp collecting can be a fun hobby to show off to friends and family, or a serious study (also known as "Philately") that can potentially earn you a lot of money. Whether you're looking for a Princess Diana or Elvis because you're a fan, or a souvenir sheet from Tokyo, or the rare "Inverted Jenny" US postage stamps, you'll find that this type of collection is easy to preserve, put on display and trade.

Initially the hobby began in 1840 England with the issuance of the first collecting stamp -- a portrait of a young Queen Victoria, called "One Black Penny." Much in the same way kids trade baseball cards in the US, kids exchanged new postage stamps with their peers. Postage stamp collecting was so popular, they dubbed it "Timbromania" (meaning "stamp madness"). The hobby hit the United States in the 1920s where the rising value of the stamp made older stamps instantly more valuable. However, unlike money, stamps are not necessarily worth a lot simply because they're old. Many people still have older stamps and they're available at affordable rates.

It became the misprints that became the most coveted in the world of collecting postage stamps. Most serious collectors will try to seek out a rare stamp resulting from a printing error. For instance, the "Inverted Jenny" is a US postage one from 1918 featuring a photo of a Curtiss JN-4 airplane where the plane was mistakenly printed upside-down!

Only 100 were ever printed and a block of four just sold at an auction for $2.7 Million! The US-made "Benjamin Franklin Z Grill" ones were made with a waffle pattern embossed into the paper supposedly to prevent the ink from running. Only two were printed before they realized this process was impractical. Now one stamp could get as much as $3 Million!

Internationally, collecting postage stamps often equates with big bucks. For example, the "Treskilling Yellow" one from Sweden was misprinted in the wrong color, placing its value at over $2 Million. Historically, Britain's "Penny Black" (the first official adhesive stamp) sold for $200 in the year 2000, and unused went for as much as $3,000!

Or imagine owning the "British Guiana Magenta," a rare stamp with a face value of one cent but an estimated value of $935,000! There is much controversy surrounding this one. Since there is only one known copy in existence, some say that it was an altered 4-cent one, however these claims were disproved. Others speculate that another copy was discovered but was purchased by Arthur Hind, who owned the original and who quietly destroyed the copy so he wouldn't lose the value. In 1999 a forged copy was found in Bremen, Germany.

Postage Stamp collecting is an expansive library of options, values and designs. Some people prefer "Cinderellas" (or stamps not intended for postage), while others prefer souvenir sheet stamps from various countries. There are themed topical stamps, revenue stamps, PHQ cards, postal stationery, pictorals, definitive stamps and commemorative stamps. It can be overwhelming to know where to begin, but you can find a lot of organizations and literature dedicated to the subject.

Please keep browsing my site to find out more interesting information.

Stamp Collecting News:
'Jim' Smith was known for humility, generosity (New London Day)
For Laurence P. EURJimEUR Smith, who died Wednesday at age 94 after donating millions in his lifetime to area charities, giving was never about the glory. EURHe used to say, 'Tell these people I don't need a 'thank you.' I got the letter I need from the IRS. Tell them not to waste the stamp,' EUR recalled Alice Fitzpatrick, president of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Connecticut. Smith, of ...


Stamp Collecting For Beginners | proctorpta.com
Stamp collecting for beginners side-steps this issue as there is very little cost in starting the hobby. This may bring to mind old and valuable stamps but a stamp collection can contain any stamp, including modern day issues, ...


Shull to observe 84th birthday (Sedalia Democrat)
Yvonne Maxine Shull, of Sedalia, will observe her 84th birthday on Tuesday. She was born July 7, 1925, in Sedalia. She was married to James N. Shull, who died April 16, 2001...


T2 Celebrates the Season - The Morning News

T2 Celebrates the Season
The Morning News
. the stakes are high when estranged half-sisters inherit a book of rare stamps that may include the "crown jewel" of the stamp-collecting world. .

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The Stamp Collecting Round-Up: Soaking the Unsoakable
The Stamp Collecting Round-Up. Interesting news, resources and links about stamps, stamp collecting and postal operations. CONTACT US AT: E-mail: donschilling@worldnet.att.net. Saturday, June 27, 2009. Soaking the Unsoakable ...


The 20p coin that is worth 50 (Evening Standard)
An "incredibly rare" error by the Royal Mint has seen up to 200,000 20p coins issued without a year date - making them worth 50 each. The coins are missing their 2009 stamp and are instantly valuable - and could become more so...


Cross Country: Vast collection of farm mementos to be sold - Capital Times

Cross Country: Vast collection of farm mementos to be sold
Capital Times
What do you do with such a collection? It's not like a stamp or coin collection taking up a cabinet or two or a pile of boxes of magazines, newspaper or .

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State Bar Warns Lawyers to Beware of Internet Scams Aimed at Attorneys (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance)
SAN FRANCISCO----Carmichael attorney Jana Aagaard got an unplanned lesson in Internet scams when she learned that someone was using her name to solicit business for a bogus legal client...


Cheap ways to make life extra special: banana bread, other treats (Bullard Banner News)
"Do you like banana bread," asked my young, bubbly friend. Is this a trick question, I thought. "I'm baking those tiny banana bread loaves for all the people I love on Saturday," she explained. "Really?" I asked, amazed at my good fortune, "You would put me on your 'people I love' list? Awww!..


EON BANK EYES RM100 MLN FROM REFRESHED SMART JUNIOR ACCOUNT (Bernama via Yahoo! Malaysia News)
KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (Bernama) -- EON Bank Bhd expects to attract 20,000 new account holders with deposits amounting to RM100 million by the end of this year for its refreshed Smart Junior Account...





Today's Tip On Stamp Collecting

The Professional Stamp Experts at PSEStamp.com can give you a Certificate of Authenticity on postage stamps including: photograph, Scott catalogue number, year of issue, denomination, color and condition descriptions. You can have your stamp encapsulated in a tamper-proof display case to maintain its condition. For 30-day shipping, the service costs $25 (for stamps under $700), $30 (under $1,000), $45 (under $2,499) or $70 for that really rare stamp! An express fifteen day service is also available for $15 extra. Some collectors may want to take advantage of an annual membership for $120, where they will receive a sheet of PSE coupons (for $150 in services), notification of all specials and a subscription to Stamp Market Quarterly.



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