While you can surely try so many hobbies to give some meaning to your free time, starting a stamp collection has something exciting about it. Not only is it fun, but it is also going to help you learn a lot regarding the stamps issued on different occasions. You can also show that collection to your friends and family and that is going to look great because postage stamps are nothing less than works of art, as they are well-designed, colourful, and superbly printed using the Vancouver printers. Some of them will show birds, animals, railways, flowers, buildings, and coats o arms and flags, while others will commemorate famous events and people. In other words, every stamp will have a story to tell, and that is the reason why you should give serious thought to stamp collecting as a hobby.
Finding New Stamps
Finding a new stamp can be an exciting and rewarding experience for collectors and enthusiasts. There are a variety of ways to find new stamps, from visiting local stamp dealers or shows to searching online marketplaces or auction sites. Local stamp dealers can offer a wide selection of stamps and often provide expert advice and information on collecting. Check Zen Engravings to know more.
However, if you’re interested in going that way, you will have to learn a bit about the ways you can use to find new stamps. Here, you have two options – you can remove stamps from envelopes or you can learn how to buy stamps online.
The truth is that you need to use both the options in order to have a collection worth showing to people around you. Be sure to learn how you can remove stamps from envelopes in a safe and efficient way. It doesn’t have to be tricky, as using warm water usually works wonders.
Buying stamps online is the other alternative and is actually a good option to consider. With so many sellers online, you will have a huge variety in front of you to make a choice. So many of these sellers would offer discounted deals if you buy stamps in bulk. Now, there is nothing wrong in going online to make a purchase, but be sure to keep the following points in mind.
- Be sure to work with a reliable dealer. It is of immense importance to avoid receiving fake or substandard stamps. You need to take your time, do your research, and then finalize a buying decision.
- Pick a dealer who offers a variety of packages. They may have different packets available and you need to know about all of them before finalizing a purchase.
- Be sure to inquire about the weight of your letter or package. Not all online dealers will use tools, such as a scale to calculate accruement measurements for what you need. Confirm the resources available before picking a dealer.
- Check their terms of use and pay attention to whatever directions they have available on their website. For instance, some dealers would want you to create your account before being able to choose a package. Also, check if they have the policy to send your stamps printed on your envelopes or they are only going to deliver stamps to you. You can get to know more about these issues by reading their FAQ sections.
Getting and Using Your First Stamps
Whether you’re purchasing online or offline, it is a good idea to go for a packet of whole-world stamps. It is usually the best thing to do to get you started. Keep in mind that there will be different packages, and it is okay to go with the one you can afford. As you’re just starting off as a stamp collector, you should also be ready to invest in some gummed stamp hinges as well as a reasonably good album.
It will be a simple start, but usually enough to spark your interest in stamp collecting. This alone will take a lot of your time while you’re busy sorting all your stamps by country and presenting them elegantly in your album. It is usually not that tricky to identify stamps, but you may be confused regarding a few, which is just fine. To identify them properly, you should consider tracing them in the catalog, which is a fun activity too. Just ensure you don’t settle for the ones you have, but keep looking for more, and you can surely find a variety of sources of supply to keep your interest alive.
Letting your friends and family know of your hobby is a great way of getting new stamps. They may receive letters from different countries and you can ask them to save those stamps for you. Interestingly, you can find a large variety of stamps exclusively used in your own city or town. Don’t forget to get them and use them to expand your collection. Moreover, you can consider buying some of the stamp magazines where you can find advertisements from dealers selling stamps “on approval”. This way, you can get packets of stamps, examine them in your home, pick the ones you like, pay for them, and then return the rest. It serves as a great way to augment your stamp collection.
Choosing the Right Album
Learning how to buy stamps online is important, but presenting those stamps elegantly is just as crucial. That is the reason why you need to take your time when choosing the album to put your collection at display.
To make the right decision, start by considering your goals. Are you going to stop after collecting a few stamps or you’re going to stick with it for long? In other words, know the scope of your collection to decide which album to buy. If you become serious about starting a stamp collection, you will soon run out of space in an ordinary album, so it is better to invest in a good one right from the word go.
If money is not a huge issue, in the beginning, you may benefit a great deal by buying printed albums that have country names printed at the top of each page. It is also a good idea to buy loose ring-fitting albums because it is easy to rearrange them as per your liking.
The fact of the matter is that stamp collection is an amazing hobby, but you will have to learn how to start in the right way and end up having an impressive collection. So, keep buying and keep adding new masterpieces to your album!
Comments are closed.