Stamp Collecting Hobby - Tips To Get You Started

Stamp Collecting or ‘Philately’ is one of the most popular hobbies in the world. Stamps are not just pictures on little pieces of paper but represent history, events, people and places. According to avid stamp collector, Ravi Somani, stamps are an easy stepping stone towards learning about world history and events. When you collect stamps, you own a piece of history; but, there’s always a correct way to collect stamps. Read on to find out, some helpful tips by Ravi Somani.

How to get started

Starting a stamp collection is simple to do. When first starting a stamp collection, collectors can save stamps from packages, postcards, and letters. Collectors could ask friends and family to save mail for them. Local businesses are also great places to get stamps. You can also contact stamp dealers and hobby stores to get affordable packets with hundreds of different used stamps. But, make sure the packet is all-different stamps.

Different ways to collect stamps

There are so many ways to collect stamps. You can either be a generalist and collect every stamp ever made or you can specialize on a particular area. You can also be a generalist with a number of specialized areas. “The possibilities are endless”, says the well known philatelist, Ravi Somani.

How to sort the stamps

Once you have a good collection of stamps, the next step is sorting your stamps. Sorting by country is one of the most common ways of doing this. Knowing the country that produced a stamp will be helpful later when you are looking for further information about the stamp. Another popular way of sorting is by the subject represented on the stamp. Color and shape is also a criterion for the classification of the stamps.

Organizing your stamps

A stamp album helps you organize and display your collection. There are many types to choose from, but one of the most popular is a loose-leaf album, with separate sheets in a binder. 

Tools you’ll need

When it comes to stamp collecting hobby, the following tools are a philatelist’s friends:

1.      Stamp tweezers with blunt ends

2.      A magnifying glass to help you see small details.

These were some tips by the eminent philatelist Ravi Somani to get you started on the right foot. So, start collecting and be ready to discover the interesting world of stamps.