Stamp Collecting

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.

Stamp Collecting News:

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie « RA 763's Blog
As a motherless child of an emotionally absent father obsessed with stamp collecting and with two older sisters who are so wrapped up in their own interests that they barely acknowledge her existence, Flavia is getting tired of her .....

» Breaking the mold
This article is filed under How to collect stamps - guide to stamp collecting basics, Recommended articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. .....

Tiger Stamps………. Popular!? | Real Stamp Collecting
The tiger stamps issued on February 23, 2010 inded are beautiful. The stamps were sold out in many post offices (even the GPO Kuala Lumpur) with three...

Stamp Collecting in Indonesia (1976) | The Philatelic Database ...
This article was originally published in the New Zealand Stamp Collector, the official journal of the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand (December,..

StampSelector: Stamp Investment Tip: Queensland 1900 Boer War Semi ...
It is likely that Australia's stamp collecting population will grow significantly as the nation ages. The percentage of Australians over 60 is projected to rise from 16% in 2000 to 24.8% in 2025, and 28.2% in 2050. .....

The Industry of Stamp Collecting Posted By : Mac Gay at Hobby Ideas
Stamp collecting one of the oldest hobbies. The stamp collecting hobby crosses all borders and genders. There are many hobbies which were founded in a particular nation only, whereas stamp collecting is universal. Stamp collecting not .....

The Stamp Collecting Round-Up: APS Lowers Minimum Expertizing fee
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. Tuesday, March 16, 2010. APS Lowers Minimum Expertizing fee .....

» Random stamp stories
Subscribe newsletter. Stay tuned with latest entries on Stamp Collecting Blog. You can choose between a daily RSS feed or weekly email. Click here to subscribe the weekly newsletter. .....

Stamp Collecting « Ærchies Archive – The Curmudgeon's Magazine
Stamp Collecting. Posted on March 9, 2010 by archiearchive FCD. A lad of 12 was a dedicated stamp collector; until the kid next door bought an album also. “He buys every stamp I do and copies everything I do,” the kid complained to his .....

The Stamp Collecting Round-Up: Mexico's Fighting Irish
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. Wednesday, March 17, 2010. Mexico's Fighting Irish .....

Technorati Tags: Stamp Collecting, Stamp Collecting