Hello There

hello to every one I am very new to this .. I collected passively when I was a kid and now at 35 have decided to contemplate getting into collecting with a bit more knowledge and seriousness.. not that I have a ton of money to spend on such things but being that I am a huge fan of history I thought this would be a great way to explore various time frames from a new angle..... as this is really a new interest I look forward to tips and advice on getting started .... so far I have desire and nothing else LOL.... please let the ideas flow and the discussion begin....

I recommend the classic stamps of the Republic of Panama. Colorful and well-designed and executed.

bearwithfish! This forum will offer you an abundance of great knowledge and really great people! Post pictures, ask questions and post often. You will be amazed at the responses you'll get here Happy stamping! ~Ash

thank you both so much I look forward to learning more and starting to collecting

Hello!
Welcome to the world of stamps. Stamp collectors are like engineers, ask three collectors a question and you will receive four answers.
My sage advise is to ask yourself what is your goal. Are you planning to build a collection for investment? Or strictly as a hobby? Or a combination of the two? What is the amount of time you are willing to spend on it? Usually it takes years or in my case decades to build a respectable collection. Budget is another factor, as I am sure you know quality stamps can be quite expensive while a lower quality stamps can be within your reach. Most hobby collectors start with lower quality, then trade up as time and money allow. An investment collector usually will only buy top quality stamps because of the greater return on their investment.
The first step, you have already done by coming to this forum and asking your question. Next, is start reading some or all the publications that I am sure others here will be posting for you. Once you obtain a handle on the language of stamp collecting, you then need to decide what you wish to start collecting and make your initial investments. Always remember that all stamp collectors love to share the knowledge and show off their collections. So I suggest that you continue to use this forum as a sounding board.
All the best and good collecting
Ron

bearwithfish - a hearty welcome. Take time to thind of how you would like your collection to express your love of history, whether that means stamps from just one country, stamps from just one theme, stamps of just one color - whatever you get the drift. Then ask around. People here have lots of stamps to share, sell, show and talk about, so you can find out just about anything you want about postage stamps, tax stamps, cigarette stamps, cinderellas (which are stamp wannabees). The point is you do it your way, on your terms and however the hobby makes you happy. You don't need a lot of money, just some time to spend with a lot of friends. - - Jeff

Bearwithfish, welcome to SCF website.

Your request for advice is a tough one since everyone has different tastes and interests. You are interested in history and I have found that the pre-1950s issues have a historical context that really interest me. In my case, I chose a half dozen countries with most of them being English speaking and focused my energies and money in acquiring stamps from them.

There's quite a few ways to explore various time frames. One of the most interesting might be history since postage stamps have been issued. For example, you can learn a lot about the 20th Century by following some of the smaller areas in Eastern Europe through two world wars, and the collapse of both the Austrian and Soviet empires. You can do something similar following the colonies around the world of France, Belgium, etc. It's also interesting to watch what the stamps portray as they go through these changes.

Another way is to track centennials, archaeology, castles, coats of arms, etc. There are various things you can do with coats of arms, for example, you might track the lion from Iraq's historical stamps on Mesopotamia through history, and even watch the lion stand up. You can learn further that the lion standing up was mentioned by one of the biblical prophets. So besides tracking alliances, and political heredity, you can branch out into related areas of the history of religion, and follow the symbols there as well.

Personally, my favorite kind of history isn't politics, but technology. For example, the history of salt is a fascinating, subject, as is the history of technology such as water mills.

bearwithfish I remember being 35 with 3 young kids...there was no stamp budget pretty much until the kids were done with college..but I read the American Philatelist and Linns and kept the interest smoldering . I was not aware back then that there are certain small affordable countries to collect to completion...Costa Rica would be one of many...and then there are topics also already mentioned..you can spend as little or as much as you like...cinderella collecting seems to becoming popular as well !!

Bearwithfish, you can satisfy a taste for history in so many ways through stamps. Just about any older stamp will have a historical aspect to it. All you need to do is pick the stamp up, and start digging. That can lead you down so many fascinating bye-ways that you'll never lack for stimulation. On another forum, I just pulled out this old envelope from the mid-1940s





It travelled on government business from Hyderabad State in southern India to the former French Indian colony of Pondicherry. You could spend happy hours chasing down the histories of Hyderabad and Pondicherry. Then, if the bug has really bitten, you can go on to try to find out why this envelope was allowed (perfectly properly) to travel from Hyderabad, through British India, to the French enclave.

Or you could concentrate on the postal history of the place where you live, and trace its history through its postmarks - or you could do the same thing for any other place, anywhere in the world.

bearwithfish, welcome to the forum.
Once you decide on an area or country or topic, whatever, I suggest a copy of a catalog in that area. It doesn't have to be a new catalog, even a few years old will do OK and you can find one on ebay. The stamps don't change much after their printed and the data stays pretty much the same in subsequent catalog editions. Of course, there's exceptions. But starting out an old one is just fine and won't cost too much.

Each stamp has a history. Be it the subject of the stamp, the delivery of the contents or the printing process. Lots to learn and too much to see. Have fun with it, whatever arena you play in. Everyone here will be glad to help, just ask. Just remember, it's a hobby, not an investment.

Welcome bearwithfish.
You'll enjoy renewing your hobby here, as I did. There's lots to see, and lots of collectors with advice and information to share. You've picked the right place.

welcome friend, I am 30 now, just reviving my old stamp collection. I joined this community and again started collecting stamps

warm wishes.

wow I am so grateful that I found this place!! ok so I have been considering most of what has been posted here all day .. kinda like how that happens on a search such as this.. initially I want to get hold of a grab bag to get the idea of how to handle and sort the stamps and get some ideas on wider themes than my original ideas... my basic search will be a collection of stamps though out major wars in history involving the United states and then perhaps some of europe.... from there I will see how things develop but right now just the basics LOL...

thank you all so much for helping a noob in a search for what I hope will be a most enjoyable hobby...

Welcome!

As mentioned earlier in this thread, collecting what you enjoy is most important, as there are no right or wrong answers as to what to collect.

If you're somewhat of a history buff, as I am, I enjoy old covers. Why? You have the history right there before you. You have the stamp, of course, and then the postmark depicting the region of the country (or the world) that it came from and both the sender's and receiver's address. All of that research (thanks to the internet) makes it possible to search out the history of many people during their lifetimes. Lawyers and Doctors, Politicians and Businessmen, as well as those in the military and even in high society can easily be researched and oftentimes it leads to getting to know more of the personalities represented.

great point! I am assuming (told you I am supper new) that you mean either the entire envelope or at least the front of it.. I am however (at this moment) just going to focus on the stamps themselves... seams to be a some what easier to obtain the stamps for what I am trying to do at this time.. perhaps in time I may consider such a quest just not in the early stages.. though I must admit the thought is provoking