Humans are notorious for collecting and hoarding. Many people have collections of some sort – be it collecting coins, cars, dolls, china, art work and a myriad of many many other collectible items. Stamp collecting is no exception. The art of stamp collecting is known as Philately.

Collectible postage stamps aren’t necessarily the highest dollar value – or most valuable stamps. Virtually all stamps will feature something that appeals to a stamp collector, instantly making the item a collectible. Whilst most collectors aspire to own stamps worth large sums of money, many who enjoy the hobby simply collect and/or purchase stamps they find visually interesting.

The obvious source for finding stamps is a post office, but shopping for collectible stamps at such a location barely scratches the surface in terms of what’s available. By using the Internet, you gain access to stamps from around the world. One of the best internet resources for a stamp collector is eBay, the world’s single largest marketplace.

An east strategy to begin a collection is to ask family and friends to collect the stamps off mail they have received. remember to ask them not to try to take the stamp off the envelope – leave that task for yourself top do properly.

Some of the most popular collectible postage stamps feature images of pop culture icons. Disney characters, Elvis Presley, and Princess Diana have all been honoured with their own postage stamps. For those new to the world of philately, these celebrity stamps make the ideal starting point. They feature familiar faces we all know and love, and many of them are available at economical prices. You may also choose an event such as the olympic games as a theme for your first collection – think of where your own interests lay – and follow that interest. For example – you may be interested in flowers, animals or cars – so you could use those themes as the theme for your first collection.

The very first stamp was issued by United Kingdom in 1840 and was called the One Penny Black. Soon after, a myriad of stamps were introduced to the public and eventually, stamp collectors were born.Collectible stamps are divided in many categories such as rare old stamps, postage stamps, commemorative stamps, pictorials stamps, revenue stamps and the list can go on. In order to recognize and collect stamps in an optimum condition you will require the following equipment:

Specialized stamp collecting notebook or album: this notebook or album is especially designed to store stamps, it has clear plastic pockets that protect the stamps while they can be stored and viewed as desired. Some collectors will develop a stamp catalog where each stamp will have its dedicated space in which details about this are listed.

Magnifying glass: This tool is very useful when you will deal with an old stamp and will need to see details in order to be sure it is authentic. Also some stamps are very small and in order to be able to read details on them you will require a magnifying glass. Stamp togs: This tool is particularly useful in order to prevent damaging stamps by handling them directly with your hands. While you can easily start a stamp collection without any of the above tools, it is important that you take the right measures to preserve them in good condition if you wish to maintain their value over the years.

You can start acquiring stamps today from any letter or from family and friends who don’t share your passion but posses old traditional mail. To acquire collectible stamps today is harder than in the older days as we have switched more or less to electronic mail and in our post offices real stamps are rarely used. However, it is not impossible to share the passion of this hobby with other like-minded individuals.