The first postage stamp appeared in 1840 in Britain. At that time, no one might have guessed that stamps would become a collector’s item. In today’s world, about 5 million people in the USA alone collect, preserve and trade all sorts of stamps.
If you also want to become a philatelist or a stamp collector, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. Following are the things that a stamp collector or stamp investor can consider while collecting unique stamps like WW2 German Stamps.
Kinds of Stamps that You Might Like
The first thing that you need to decide is what kind of stamps you want to collect. There are various types of stamps. For example, you can collect commemorative stamps. These stamps are large, colorful, and printed only once. These stamps often honor a person, an event, or a subject.
The second type is definitive. These stamps are smaller, printed in large quantities, which means you might find them easily. Last is the unique stamps. You will discover special stamps on Christmas and holidays.
Place You Will Find the Stamps
You can find stamps everywhere around the globe. Moreover, you can buy new stamps from your local post office. You can also ask your friends, relatives, and local businesses to save the stamps for you. You can also ask your friends and family living in different countries to send you the stamps of other locations.
You can also find stamps online and find the dealers by visiting the dealer directory in your state or city. Another thing you can do is join the stamp club and trade stamps with other group members.
Storing Your Stamps
You can easily store your stamps in an album. Moreover, you can place them on loose-leaf paper in a binder. You can use stamp mounts, stamp hinges, and glassine strips with gums on one side to paste your stamps.
Telling the Worth of Your Stamp
If you want to tell the value of your stamp, you should get yourself a stamp catalog. The most common stamp catalog that you will find in the USA is the standard postage stamp catalog. It will help you get an idea of how much different stamps can cost. Moreover, you will get an idea of how rare other stamps are. Another thing that can affect the value of the stamp is the mint condition.
Stamp Collection and Insurance
If you are collecting rare stamps as an investment, you would surely like to protect your money. Therefore, you should consider getting insurance for your rare stamps. You can find insurance companies that specialize in all risk coverage on collectibles.
Bottom Line
Stamp collection is a very famous hobby, and it is getting more popular as more people are investing in collecting rare stamps to earn good money. However, as a new stamp collector, there are a few things that one must keep in mind to avoid making the mistake of investing in worthless stamps.
