Philatelists (stamp collectors) have special tools that help them collect with skill and enjoyment. The great thing is that there are only a few basic items you will need and they are inexpensive. As a beginner, you really only need an album, hinges or mounts, a pair of tongs, a magnifying glass, a perforation gauge and a watermark detector. Stamp catalogues are very useful, but you don't have to have one. You can borrow catalogs from other collectors or you can usually find them in your local library. Let's review these tools in greater detail.

• Stamp Albums: It is a good idea to store your stamps in albums to help protect them. You can buy stamp albums from local stamp dealers, make your own, or even use a photo album with acid-free paper. (Do not use a photo album with pages that are sticky as these pages will damage your stamps). Some stamp albums that you purchase feature specific categories with pictures of the stamps that should appear on each page. A stock book is another type of album with plastic or paper pockets on each page. Stock books do not picture the stamps, so you can organize them however you wish.
  
  
• Hinges/Mounts: Put stamps in your albums with a hinge or a mount. Don't use tape or glue as you will decrease the stamp's value and possibly damage the stamps when you try to remove them from your album. Hinges are small, thin, folded pieces of translucent paper or plastic with special gum on the one side. Mounts are clear plastic sleeves that are open on both sides. Both hinges and mounts are available from local stamp dealers. We discuss the proper way to mount stamps in further detail in our "Stamp Tips" section.
  
  
• Tongs: Keep your stamps in good condition by handling them as little as possible. We suggst that you use tongs to handle dry stamps because no matter how well you wash your hands, oil from your skin will damage your stamps. Tongs look like tweezers, but have a smooth gripping surface designed to handle stamps.
  
  
• Magnifying Glass: Some stamps appear to be alike, but with close inspection you will see small differences that can help to identify a rare stamp. Considering the size of a stamp, a magnifying glass is a great tool to help see the details of our stamps and to find differences. When selecting a magnifying glass, choose one that magnifies clearly, without distortion. We recommend a magnifying lens with at letast 5 times to 10 times magnification. It's also a good idea to select one that folds into a case to help prevent scratches on the lens.
  
  
• Perforation Gauge: Here's another tool to help us find differences in stamps. Some stamps have the same design but different numbers of perforations (holes between stamps that make it easy to separate them). Of course you could count the perforations yourself by counting how many appear along a row 20 millimeters long on each edge of the stamp -- sounds confusing, don't you think? That's why perforation gauges are a good idea. They are usually made of cardboard, plastic, or metal and make the measurement of perforations simple. The gauge has different scales showing the various sizes of perforations so that you can simply place your stamp against each scale until its perforations match exactly those on the gauge.
  
  
• Watermark Detector: Watermarks are another way to recognize differences in similar stamps. A watermark is a design (maybe a letter, a number, or a picture) that is pressed into the paper that a stamp is printed on during manufacturing. Watermarks are used to make it harder to counterfeit stamps. Sometimes watermarks are visible, or can easily be seen by looking at the back of a stamp as you hold it up to the light, or by placing the stamp face down on a black background. If these methods don't work, a watermark detector can be used. A watermark detector is a shallow, glass black cup or dish. Simply place your stamp face down in the detector, and pour watermark fluid over it; if there is a watermark, it should become visible. Plain water is the most common and safest watermark fluid, but you can't use it with all stamps. You don't want to use water to test stamps that have gum intact or on stamps that have ink that can be damaged by water. For these special stamps you will want to use stamp chemicals known as "dry fluids," as they evaporate quickly and won't harm the stamps. These chemicals are flammable and can produce harmful fumes -- so use them only with the help of an adult.
  
  
• Stamp Catalog: A variety of stamp catalogs are available. They are very helpful, and can easily be borrowed from the library. A stamp catalog is a great reference book filled with illustrations that can help us identify and learn about our stamps. They provide us with such information as, the date when the stamp was issued, a description of the stamp, why it was issued, how it was printed, and gives the value of the stamps in used and unused-condition.

You are now armed with your philatelic tools and ready to organize and display your collection. But, there are a few more tips we would like to share with you. In our next section we cover how to soak (remove stamps from envelopes), sort, and mount your stamps. Click here to go on to "Stamp Tips".

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