What Do You Wish You Had Done When Beginning Collecting?

Or hadn't done? I am brand new to stamp collecting and am trying to figure out albums, keeping track,etc.

I know with most hobbies, there are things we do in the beginning that we wish we hadn't (or had) done, as a newbie, I would love to hear this from all you "old timers",lol!

I'm sure I've made some simple mistakes along the way.
But the one thing I remember doing something a year before I started collecting stamps. I was going through a bowl my parents put keys, paper clips, spare change and stamps. I noticed a partial coil roll of stamps and saw that 2 stamps were stuck together it was missing the holes, so I help my parents, took my snippy scissors and separated them.

I split up Scott # 1298a imperf. pair, take a look at it's value now.

Oh Well!
Mike

Welcome stefanib123.

Advice?

Don't drink coffee near where you are working with your stamps.

It can really mess up those zeppelin sheets.

Yeah, I wish.

Seriously, when I first began, nearly 55 years ago, I couldn't do anything wrong, including using the gum on the back of mint stamps to help reinforce the stamp hinge's holding power.

When I jumped back in, I was only too eager to overpay for some of the lots I purchased because of new-found enthusiasm and lack of current market experience.

I guess the best advice I could give is to start small and not invest in whole lot of stuff -- albums are so expensive these days -- until you get some direction from within yourself. Pick up something like a Harris Statesman album which covers the world, and see where your interests take you and how much you enjoy the hobby before getting in too deep.

I wish I hadn't waited so long , 4 trips to Cuba and I'm sure that if I only had as much enthusiasm as I have now I could've purchased some neat sheets at Cuban face value which translates to a 22 : 1 ratio w/ the American dollar.

One of the better investments I made , stamp tongs , used Scotts catalogues from the local library.

Still have not figured out the appropriate 3 ring binder for my vario pages , because my pages don't move freely and snag on the rings.

oh.... and made mistakes like getting rid of duplicates that were actually different varieties because I didn't know about watermarks or perfs.

I'm still learning.

Do differently? Find a source of money to buy stamps.

Seriously, none of us can predict the future. If only I had bought some of the stamps which now 50 years later are out of reach. I know it is a temptation to go for quantity at first. But give some consideration to getting at least a few of the higher priced stamps immediately. Twenty years from now you may be glad you did.

Rohumpy, I think I am going to try to do both. The only thing is I don't know any stamp collectors, and I am kind of hesitant to spend any substantial money until I either know a little more, or know someone who does. I live in a really small town in Ky. and our population is only around 5,000. I'm sure there are collectors, but I've got to find them,lol. There isn't any dealers besides one comic book store and they are notorious around here for being extremely expensive, way above going rates. Still, I may run by there today just to nose around, might meet some collectors there!

I will probably do most of my buying on the internet, as I live so far from any larger cities. That presents a problem also, as I can't check them out in person.

Thanks everyone for all the advice! As I said, I don't know any collectors in person, so you guys are a blessing!

Make sure you get a big enough album.
My suggestion - something loose leaf that will allow for expansion as you need it. Never get an album that you can't easily add pages to.

Make sure you never run out of hinges or mounts.
I am sure that at one time or another, most collectors that started as kids were tempted to reach for the tape when they ran out of hinges, which is a definite no-no as it ruins your stamps and your pages. The solution is to always keep a pack or two of whatever method you're using in reserve.

Make sure to keep on top of your sorting and mounting.
Let either go too long, and it will be too much like work when you finally sit down to do it. And we all know that nothing spoils fun like work.

Join a Stamp Club.
You can always benefit from the wisdom of those that are experienced with collecting, and they can usually be a good source of material.

Get everyone you know to save stamps for you.
Relatives and friends can be a great source of free material, and a lot of them probably have old letters with stamps on the envelopes that they'll give you.

When you can get a deal, take it.
In the beginning, when your focus is probably on anything and everything, buy in bulk when you have the chance. Assortments at low prices are also a great way to build a collection, so snap them up when you see them.

Take time to learn about your stamps.
You can learn so much from any stamp. If you have the chance to borrow Scott catalogues, you can learn why any particular stamp was issued, as Scott usually carries footnotes explaining this. If you are any type of an inquiring person, you may want to find out more about the person or place or thing the stamp is about, and with the convenience of a computer, such a thing is easier than its ever been. At a bare minimum, you can learn what currency is used in the country, and maybe what language they use and what it looks like.

Always remember to have fun.

Be patient!...There are times when I cant wait for the stamps to soak so I end up playing surgeon...I damagaed a lot of stamps that way

Hello stefanib123....

You have already taken a giant leap over what was available when many of us started......using the internet and joining this club. Read, read, and read some more......getting as many different opinions as you can find.

Things I think are important for beginners to know....


Do not buy anything based on one opinion.

Do not buy anything labeled as rare.....very little actually qualifies and if it were it would not be listed for pennies on the dollar.

Resist impulse buying.....when you find something interesting research similar listings. It is common for me to have nearly 100 items on my watch list.....some I watch just to see what they eventually sell for, some I bid on, some are just things to think about....do I need, want or absolutely have to have this ? We all live on budgets, I just can't buy everything that I think would be nice to have.

Never bid early......I bid once and only once with about 20-15 seconds left on the auction. I win 85-90% of everything I bid on. If I loose it's only because someone else was willing to bid more.....and I never feel bad about loosing because I know I can find something just as good or better within a day or two.

Buy a pair of tongs and always use them. Even clean hand have natural body oils that can stain stamps.

Other tools you should have include perf gauges, watermark fluid (for older stamps) 2 1/2x -10x magnifying glasses. Sooner or later you'll also want a color gauge. I would suggest that you think about building collectors library....even just one or two books a year would be to your benefit. Also, try to subscribe to at least one of the trade mags....Linns, Scott Stamp Monthly, MeKeels, the APS American Philatelist.....any of these will help you.

As rohumpy mentioned.....consider that stamps that seem costly now will, in all probability increase in value. No one can guarantee which will be the best investment but if you watch auctions and catalog listings over the next few years you will begin to recognise trends that will give indications of value increases. With the introduction of self-stick stamps and the very limited use of stamps on daily mail, older material (pre 1900) will be more in demand by die-hard collectors, try getting ahead of the crowd and start building a collection centered on those. Always buy the best quality you can afford.....a dozen very good stamps is worth much more than 100 not-so-good ones.

Generally speaking....stamps on cover are worth more than just the stamp. Do not automatically cut every stamp from it's cover. Even common mail covers from the 50's to present can yield interesting finds.....today's mail is tomorrows postal history.

Keep in mind that all of this is just my opinion.....based on over 50 years collecting....but just my opinion.

I would have sorted my duplicates in a stock book by Scott #. I have had a container of my discarded duplicates stamps for 2 decades that has never been cataloged. Now is just seems like too much work. Keep up on your collection by updated your pages & mounting stamps as soon as you are able and be conscious of your space available for your collection.

When I first started collecting, I decided to organize all my stamps based on the taste of the gum. Nah, just kidding

I second the comment of WpgLwr -- learn about the stamps. Unfortunately, the Scott Catalogues are expensive, but try to think of it as a good investment. As mentioned elsewhere, some dealers and retailers have free print or online catalogs that make good resource materials even if you don't purchase from them. Read this thread for more info:
https://goscf.com/t/3939

[Edit: Thanks Stefani, I corrected the link --KS]

Remember that it is your collection, no one else's, so collect what makes you happy. Don't be intimidated by those who would have you believe that there is only one right way to collect. You do want to be open to learning from more experienced collectors. But don't let anyone make you feel like you are stupid if you aren't a "serious" collector like they are.

I'm not referring to anyone I have encountered here on this forum! I've only been here a short time, but I feel that this is a place where all are welcome regardless of how experienced or serious a collector they are.

What Tom said!

Seriously, don't be in too big a hurry to decide on what you want to collect. Spend a lot of time looking at ebay or other auction sites to get a feel for what you like. If you can afford to, join the APS or other stamp affiliated organization and/or subscribe to Linn's or a similar periodical. Finally, hang out here a lot!

Kirk S, that link is missing a "t" its:

https://goscf.com/t/3939

and thanks, that thread answers about ten questions I have,lol!

I won a volume two of Scotts! Who-hoo, I can't wait to get it.I am trying to work out a deal with the guy for the others, its from 2006.

Thanks for all the info, everyone!