Iz 55 To Old....

...to start Stamp collecting as an investment
how old we're you when you started collecting

You're never too old! Some people start as a young child and collect stamps all their lives. Others may have started a small collection as a child and gave it up for other interests when they got older, and came back to it at retirement. Others have just picked it up in their older years. I started collecting stamps when I was about 8, put it away through my young adult years and have taken it up again when I hit 40.

The one thing you have to watch out for, though, is the term "investment". Stamps are fun. Stamps are educational. Stamps are a relaxing hobby. But as an "investment" it has been said many times, that it can't be the primary reason for your collection or you will almost certainly be disappointed (unless of course, you have an unlimited budget and can afford to "invest" in the true rarities that almost certainly appreciate in value.)

The more common stamps that are in most hobbyists collections are never going to get them rich or pay for their retirement, so you just can't look at the hobby in that way.

thanks bro'

It has been said may times. The best investment in Philately is an investment in learning and knowledge.

I have a little knowledge which makes me dangerous.

Edit: Started as a kid. I kind of picked up things here and there through teenage years. Came back at age 41 full bore.

Randy,

to the forum. There are a lot of people here with a lot of information, all you need do is ask. I started collecting stamps in my early thirties and have been collecting them for about as long. I may have a couple of stamps that are, to me, expensive. But that's a subjective term, depends on one's financial situation. However, I don't collect stamps as part of my investments for several reasons.

1) Buying price & selling price are too far apart.
2) Condition is everything and extra fine is extra hard to find.
3) Its the chase that matters and filling up a hole in my album.
4) The hobby is too much fun
5) Any return you do get is usually not $$ related.

If you do go after the high dollar stamps for investment I urge you to 1st invest in documentation concerning them so that you become very familiar with exactly what to look for and then to have them certified by a reputable person or company. Good luck with your investment.

Art

For investments I like Pimco and T. Rowe Price.i let them worry about it and meddle with my stamps !! This is my personal opinion not a commercial !

lol, thanks for the "words of wisdom" guys, I'll enjoy my collection for what it iz then, a hobby and NOT a business venture....

Welcome Randy...

Collecting stamps as an investment would be a challenge these days, unless you want an investment in time and enjoyment.

Wow. You're 55 and you use words like "IZ"

yup and I sea your pokin' fun at me2

p.s.
yes, I've been pounding on keys on the inter-net since @1996, mostly on Drag Racing and Sportfishing forums, my other hobbies

I tried to collect as a kid, but failed miserable. It was pre-Internet, there were no local stamp stores, and I didn't know any other collectors who could mentor me in the right things to do. So, with a bit of frustration, I gave it up.

Years later, after ebay the now-defunct Yahoo Auctions, I started seeing lots of stamp sales on the Internet. So I jumped back into the hobby.

I'm sure glad I did!

Kirk

Hi Randy, and welcome.
I'd agree with the sentiments posted above. I too came back to collecting at the age of 50 and enjoy it much more now than I did as a kid. Or...differently at least.
Kirk is right in saying it seems much easier to collect now a days with the inter-web (as I like to call it).
As for investing. I've said on this site before the investment here is time and enjoyment. If you are lucky enough to find something of real $$ value, it's a bonus. And really, by the time we're ready to give up (or bequeath) our collections, who knows what will be of value?

I started collecting when I was eight years old, and never really dropped it at any point along the way, unlike so many people I talk to. I was fortunate to have many people who would help me with donations of stamps, collecting stamps from office mail, advising me, and so on. I cannot imagine any age being too old to begin.

I started on my own just a few years ago, like 3 maybe. Before that it was my Grandfather's hobbies that sparked my interest in collecting anything peroid. I do have a very high end very early United States coin collection but most of that I inherited from my Father & my Grandfather and was just waaaaaaay to rich for my blood to keep it up going, so I stored it proper and started to take up stamp collecting in my late 30's.
I found a small collection of my Grandpa's in a shoebox after he passed away and I thought it would be fun to see how far I could take it. For me the older I am, the more enjoyment I seem get out of the hobby. I just collect mostly postally used stamps that are sound, as nicely centered as I can find and hopefully the lightest cancel or hopefully a neat slogan cancel will look nice...I guess it's all up to what you want to get out of it and what you want to put into it. "Have fun I say!"- you only live once- and your stamps, with a little luck, a whole lot longer! ~Jay
Sorry for rambling on.. lol

Randy, I also got back into stamp collecting at age 55. It is the best decision I made in a long time because the hobby had given me so much enjoyment and satisfaction. I did collect for a half dozen years as a kid but was distracted by other pursuits in my teenage years. I particularly love spending hours upon hours enjoying the hobby during the long cold winters here in western Canada. I never approached the hobby as an investment and I believe that many others on this forum feel the same way.
Regards
Mike