As a beginning stamp collector, the first thing you must do is gather some STAMPS! There are lots of places where you can get stamps. Here are some good sources:
The easiest
and least expensive way to start is by taking stamps from envelopes,
packages, and postcards that come to your house. Be sure to ask
permission before you cut stamps off of envelopes. (Remove the stamps
from packages and envelopes by cutting a portion of the area around
the stamp. Don't try to peel them off, they may tear. We talk about
how to remove stamps from paper (soaking) in our "Stamp
Tips" section.)
- Ask your friends and relatives to save the stamps from their
mail for you. Ask places that receive a lot of mail -- neighborhood
businesses or where your parents work -- to save their envelopes for
you. If your interest is foreign stamps, you might try airlines, travel
agencies, and foreign government offices in your area.
- Find a pen pal (perhaps friends or relatives) so that you can
send each other letters with cool stamps. See our section "Youth
Resources" for some places you may contact to find a pen pal.
- Don't be too concerned that you are getting too many copies of the
same stamps. You can trade duplicate stamps with other collectors.
- You can purchase new stamps at your local post office.
Stamp
Dealers are a great source for older stamps and often offer inexpensive
packages containing many different stamps from all over the world. To
find a Stamp Dealer in your area, look in your yellow pages or visit
the on-line APS
Dealer Directory where you can search in your state or city.
Stamp
clubs are another place to get stamps. A club may offer stamps as
prizes, or have inexpensive stamps you can afford to buy, or there may
be someone at the club who might offer you some good advice. You may
be able to find a club in your area by using our geographical listing
of APS Stamp Clubs.
Some stamp clubs sponsor junior clubs that meet at schools or the local
YMCA or community center. If you are fortunate enough to have one of
these in your area, it can be a great source of both stamps and advice.
Another
resource is stamp shows. Here you will not only find stamps but
also get to meet other collectors. Stamp shows may be small one- or
two-day events in your local area, or very large events in big-city
convention halls lasting several days and featuring hundreds of dealers
and thousands of pages of stamp exhibits to see. You can find out about
stamp shows in your area by contacting your local postmaster or you
can use the APS
Show Time listing, where you will find a listing of upcoming
shows and contact information.
After you begin gathering stamps, you may wonder where you should store them, how to handle them, what tools you might need. We cover this in our next section "Stamp Tools". Click here to learn about stamp collecting tools.
