Hello There

Welcome bearwithfish !


Quick note to future new members of the forum. There is a separate private thread, only open to members, that you may choose to introduce yourself on if you feel any need for privacy.


Although it is nice to see so many responses, and so varied, come up to a Hello thread in the main forum. Great stuff.

I also want to add in a note about postmarks or cancellations or cancels. A bit cheaper collecting used stamps (mostly) instead of new mint, but harder to do the investing thing this way also.

Cancels tell you (especially if you have glorious old covers like Tony has shown above) where the stamp has been and where it went to and how it got there.

There are many fascinating aspects that include cancels. Just being concerned about cancels gets you into (at times) a vast and all encompassing world. I had collected World and Canada stamps for years, lost all my stamps, and a few years later started up again, and now I am choosing to enjoy appreciating beauty more than completing anything to any extent, and cancels let me collect different eras and different themes and countries without too much worry.

Collecting and creating (sometimes) the newer personalized stamps available from many countries or the new postal labels (FRAMA) can be rewarding also.

The nice thing is you can start off in any way you wish, continue with that way for many years or a lifetime, or skip around and poke you nose into many different areas and chew on some fascinating historical fact here and just nibble away at some tasty cancels there.

Part of the fun is deciding you want to do something and then finding ways and means to accomplish your aim and engaging in the hunt for the, to you, elusive gem of a stamp, cover (envelope), postcard, souvenir sheet, theme related item, or information.

This forum is great to see what some people have accomplished or are attempting and to find the passion ignited in so many people in different ways and for different ideas. All joined by stamps in one way or another.

And you get to type really long posts too!
Not sure if anyone reads them or not but it's Fun to post them, and about stamps too! Woo hoo.

yes I read every single word!!! LOL.... I was unaware of another area to post in and appologize if I broke a general rule... however again more food for thought and I love the exploration even with out a single stamp yet!! man this is amazing.....as for privacy I am an open book and have been for a number of years so I personally have no reason to worry.. its a long story I will not bore you with here but I do appreciate you looking out for everyones interest..

Oh, basic info for a newbie is to get yourself (on ebay or a shop or stamp show) some stamp tongs to handle the stamps with.

These are similar to but not the same as tweezers (called that in England though) as I think of tweezers having a pointed tip and stamp tongs are rounded off to help avoid puncturing your stamps and sometimes bent to aid in handling.

Finger oils or whatever is or has been on your fingers also can get transferred to stamps so the sooner you get in the habit of handling all stamps with tongs, the better.

To sort and store you can use envelopes (paper or even buy glassine (made for stamps, a waxy coating on so new stamps won't stick, and you can write carefully on the glassine envelopes also).

Or stock books (cheap, expensive) or blank album pages or make your own up or quadrilled (I used to like these) which have a light grid printed on the paper to aid in placing or mounting your stamps with either plastic mounts or glassine hinges (lick (or dab) and stick).

Plastic stock pages are nice but a bit pricey if you need a lot.

Don't use old photo albums with sticky or magnetic pages, those are a no no, the glue will stick and not come off.

Join a local stamp club for local support if you want.

You must have a reward!

I will reveal to you the hidden-from-many secret and ancient way of the Quote (thing I have just used above):

After pressing the Reply To Topic link above a topic thread you get the Message editor window and directly above that is a row of icons.

The Quote icon
is this one, near the right hand side.

Click this icon and the Quote /Quote appears in your reply. Just copy and paste between the two words (and brackets) whatever you want to quote.

I appreciate your appreciation.

Oh, and do Not use Scotch tape or 3M tape or sticky tape to attach your stamps with. The glue sticks after a while and does not come off. Can stain the stamps irreversibly also.

This applies even to the newer (still being experimented with by some) 3M 610 (forget the actual number) tape that is touted to be removable.

Some stamps and papers and glues and printing inks react with other chemicals also.

Water is usually OK (for soaking stamps from envelope paper) but on some older stamps the inks used in printing hem are water-based analine inks and will run and ruin the stamp. If in doubt, ask.

is my life philosophy LOL.....
i also doubt much and ask alot after I have tried to research the answer in most cases so as to not flood the board with millions of seemingly nuisance posts...

what does one use to mount the stamps? I have looked around this site and found some of those wonderful pages that you print off and put in a 3 ring binder but once those stamps are acquired how do I keep them in place? perhaps a link or two for retailers would be good also... I will go look this up now but thought I would ask.... again I may start off cheap but I want to still start off right and develop good habits .. much like I use in my fish keeping....

Hi manwithfish. Welcome to the site.

There will be no shortage of ideas for what you can collect...it will be like a hot spring gushing forth. The trouble is what to pick!

For instance, I can suggest:

Stamps with fish on them
Certain periods of history you're interested in (i.e. German WWII stamps)

The possibilities are endless!

so a definition is required... what is back of the book? back of a book of stamps? or the end of a catalog? curiosity has me looking ...

also some good books? thinking the book titled "stamp collecting" by Datz my be on my shopping list. any others?

Showgard plastic mounts, either with clear background or black background
http://www.showgard.com/results.cfm?id=1
(I don't use mounts myself, just Vario or Hagner pages and stockbooks, but if I was to have an album or paper pages with mint (with gum still on, post office fresh) stamps then Showgard has been recommended many times on Stamp Community. What you have to watch out for is the aging of the mounts, glue yellowing, coming apart at the seams (literally), glue coming through the back split to touch the mint never hinged (MNH) stamp thus turning it into a mint hinged (MH) one of lesser value.

Stock-books use Lighthouse brand.

For used stamp hinges can be OK. Not sure on a good name on these. The old Dennison (not Dennisen) hinges are the top of the hill best ones ever. Some on ebay right now. Expensive because they can be used and peeled off with no damage, and reused sometimes. Trouble is they don't make them anymore.

For all of the above search on here SCF for them. Many discussion and recommendations.

The names above I have used could be Not used by others. Sometimes you need to experiment or get out and see what others have perhaps and see what you think of them.



Yes, that's what we are here for. We learn by teaching. You learn by not paying attention to the words of wisdom (ahem) on here and doing things yourself. (Best way really)

Back of the Book
'The Book' is the catalogue (for US specialized(more info) or worldwide general Scott's (SC) catalogues (can get them used at good prices). British Commonwealth countries use Stanley Gibbon's (SG). Germany use Michel (Mi), France and colonies Yvert et Tellier (YT) and there are many many specialized catalogues of different eras and series of stamps. Look on ebay and search for 'country name' catalog* or just stamp catalog.

So, in Scott, they like to put non-regular-postal-duty stamps like airmail, registration, special delivery, official, war tax, etc etc after the regular (?!) stamps in their catalogues. Thus back of the book BOB. SG does not. Not sure on others.

Just stick with one catalog (probably Scott when you are in the US) so not so much confusion. After you get used to it all you can branch out. Or, if you don't want to bother with catalogues even your local library usually has them in reference or circulation. Or just use ebay worldwide to search. Or other good sites like Delcampe (in Belgium) or BidStart (US). You will find that a lot of stamps are listed on these sites by their catalog number(s) which only helps if you have a catalog. Although you can just buy and search by topic too.

Books to tell you about stamps, hmmm. Many out there but I do not know what to recommend. Lots of sites on the web now, and there is Stamp Community.

Good to have a group to ask as one person might know a lot but not all usually.

edit: typos

Welcome Bearwithfish! Have to ask fishing or aquarium??
Your on the right road to properly start collecting unlike myself and many others who have made the mistakes .
I think for starters picking a main country would be a good starting point and also a thematic . The Main country will have most of the study and reading aspects where the thematic theme is more for personal pleasure and can be your personal likes. Bears and fish and bears with fish would be an excellent thematic study with a huge range . Theres a fish thread somewhere close by that shows hundreds of examples and bears are abound by most countries as well.
Consider the country wisely as in how likely would it be to attain the rarities and early issues as well as points in history that can offshoot really fast and drive you crazy. I mostly collect Canada but there are several of the first issues that I may never come across even if I could afford them and then there is the provinces which is a whole different world in itself. Back of book, revenues, war times all had varying uses in postal history . Look at it as a lifetime venture and pick up what you like rather than worrying about getting the best of each. Many of even the best collectors have fillers( beat up torn tattered and the like) for the really rare stamps and they can be replaced as time availiability and money prevails.
Most importantly is have fun.

both actually and in conjunction with a long story of earning my totem (bear) but I do fish and I do keep fish (currently 4 tanks 29 gallon, 45 gallon 55 gallon and 72 gallon LOL)

ok so I lost the ebay bid but I found a resource for us stamps locally!!! running out to get me some in an hour... grab bag style wish me luck on the start of this journey!!

Welcome to the forum bearwithfish

Ask all the question you want because this is a very active and friendly forum.

Happy collecting

Chimo

Bujutsu

When I first met and later married my wife, she had aquariums around the house too.

She asked me one day if there were fish on stamps, and the rest is history.

Chimo

Bujutsu

what a thought provoking post! Makes me wish I would have worded mine a little better! As a result of joining I discovered Topical collections and I found an interest already! I too am a history buff and mainly focus on pre-1940's classics. Just stick with it and the wealth of information these folks have is second to none! Welcome bearwithfish and enjoy your new found addiction! -Jay