New Guy

Ok well up until a week ago I did not have 1 stamp now I inherited a ton of stamps.10 to 15 books of completely protected stamps.I have no idea on where to start as far as loose stamps in boxes.Can anybody recommend a good pricing book.I have done some research on the few pages of a book and was like wow. I never thought stamps could be worth so much.Pretty cool to see stamps that where first made and bank notes.

If any body can shoot me terms or lingo of the stamp collectors. Seen word hinged. What do refer to as a used stamp? Postmarked?

I imagine somewhere on the forum is a glossary of terms but I'll get things rolling a bit. MNH = mint never hinged (same shape as originally bought at the post office)Hinged is the little sticky tabs that hold alot of stamps to album pages- Can be hinged used or unused. Used is simply any stamp used for its purpose , can be on an envelope or loose usually cancelled either by hand or machine with all sorts of assorted designs and types.
When looking through catalogs such as scotts ( availiable at library) consider the pricing with a large grain of salt. generally stamps will sell well below catalog value with exceptions of really rare and usually higher values. If you plan on taking up the hobby which you may find yourself doing without intent, the best advice is slow and steady. Trying to absorb a whole collection when you are new to stamps can be overwhelming and discouraging. In all honesty this forum is one of the best places for information and no question is off base. If you can scan or take good pics we all will jump in and give you great advice. Theres probably an expert or really close to it for just about any area in the world.

Here is a full glossary from a good website - askphil ....
http://www.askphil.org/b25.htm

You might want to start by picking up a basic book about stamp collecting from the library .. look for something relatively new, because even though it is an old hobby, some concepts and trends have certainly changed over the years.

Eventually, you will be looking at a good catalogue as a reference. The Scott guides and catalogs are the standards in the U.S.

Where did you get all those stamps and stamp books in one weeks time?

Pprunier, who did you inherit that lot from, they may have been a member here or be known from other places, someone may know the type/value of items they collected.

Treat them as valuable, avoid humidity and continue collecting posting and learning.