Stamp Collecting

Our resources contain tons of excellent articles. This is just one of them.

Since the first stamp was created in England in 1840, people have been collecting stamps. The Penny Black as it was called had to be cut with scissors so that it could be attached to an envelope. It was only later that stamps had perforations which made stamps much easier to use. Stamp collecting is a very popular hobby with millions of collectors in the United States alone.

The first stamp hobbyists were mostly children and teenagers. Adults saw stamps as utilitarian and not something of importance. As the young stamp collectors grew up, they continued collecting stamps even into adulthood. Because they were intensely interested in stamps, they began to study stamps from all over the world. Their research encouraged others to begin collecting. Many collectors even began to see that stamp collecting might become a lucrative business. It wasn’t until the 1920’s that stamps did begin to have a real monetary worth. Because so many collectors had kept their older stamps in pristine condition, collectors began to vie for the rare ones.

One would think that the Penny Black would be worth a fortune since it was the first stamp. On the contrary, these stamps are worth less than $200. Sometimes, Penny Black stamps that are in poorer condition barely fetch prices over $20. If a stamp collector is lucky enough to run across an unused Penny Black, the stamp would be worth quite a lot of money. Most of the supply are used stamps.

Most stamp collectors take up the hobby because they enjoy stamps and not for monetary gain. Some people collect stamps for their beauty. Many countries produce more stamps than they can use so that they can sell them to collectors. They devise extraordinary stamps to lure collectors to their stamps. It’s a great source of revenue.

Many people worry that stamp collecting will soon be a thing of the past because so many people refuse to use snail mail. They rely almost completely on e-mails rather than postage stamps. It is doubtful that stamps will ever go entirely out of business. There is just something about getting a real letter in the mail. Getting cards and letters are so much more personal.

Stamp collecting is a very popular hobby because unless you are a stamp investor, you don’t have to spend much money. Every post office offers stamps especially for the collector. If you life to travel, you can buy postage stamps all over the world. They make great reminders of our vacations.

As I have said before thanks for reading this article. I hope it was useful.

Stamp Collecting News:

Great Britain and China issue joint postage stamp for Olympic handover
As the nation salutes the astonishing success of Team GB at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad held in Beijing, Royal Mail and China Post have issued an historic joint miniature sheet of four postage stamps to mark the handover of the ...

Top Cop: New Laws Needed to Fight Organized Crime, Child Porn (Deutsche Welle)
In its annual review on serious and organized crime in Germany, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) announced that new laws were needed to combat child pornography and organized crime...

Azadi Tower displaying three decades of stamp collecting (mehrnews.com)
TEHRAN, Aug. 24 (MNA) -- An exhibition of stamps published after the Islamic Revolution in Iran opened with a ceremony at the Islamic Revolution Cultural Center in Tehrans Azadi Tower on Sunday...

Be proud to be a stamp collector (East York Mirror)
Is there any wonder why young people are not flocking to the hobby of stamp collecting? One of the main reasons is because there is a stigma that kids who like to collect stamps are nerds. They a...

Louise Boyd Dale (c. 1913 - 1967)
Many people think of stamp collecting as a "guy thing." And while it's true men out number the women, over the years there have been quite a few distinguished female philatelists. One of which was Louise Boyd Dale who was inducted into ...

Uganda: Diamond Trust to Collect Import Duties (AllAfrica.com)
DIAMOND Trust Bank (DTB) is to start collecting import duties using the Uganda Revenue Authority's (URA) centralised ASYCUDA system...

Olympic parents deserve gold just as much as their children (Gretna Breeze)
When I was a young new mother with my first-born son, and had the parenting I.Q. of a dandelion, I could hardly wait until he could talk, walk, and memorize the Periodic Table of Elements...

Stamp collecting suddenly cool for shrewd investors - Times Online

BBC News

Stamp collecting suddenly cool for shrewd investors
Times Online, UK - Aug 8, 2008
China, where stamp collecting was illegal until recently, is seen as a key market for the future. The group's claim that stamps are big business is backed .
Stamp seller reaps crunch rewards BBC News
Stanley Gibbons thrives as stamps win approval from investors guardian.co.uk
Collectables: Madonna and Penny Blacks beat inflation guardian.co.uk
all 13 news articles

For retired Chinese collector, chains are key to Olympics history - Xinhua

Turkish Press

For retired Chinese collector, chains are key to Olympics history
Xinhua, China - Jul 28, 2008
Sun said he briefly tried stamp collecting when he was a poor boarding student in the middle school. After that, however, life had been hard for many years .
A heart chained to Olympics SINDH TODAY
all 111 news articles

Today's Tip On Stamp Collecting

The next place to check for information is eBay and Craigslist, where buyers and sellers meet to trade. For an advanced and exhaustive international database, try eBay. On the other hand, Craigslist is a localized site connecting individuals. There are pros and cons to all online trading sites, but sometimes it's just enjoyable to browse what's offered. Generally it's an inexpensive way to bolster your collection or a good way to find that rare stamp.

Technorati Tags: Stamp Collecting, Stamp Collecting