Harry,
Like you, I am new to this forum. However, I have been collecting stamps since childhood, and I would just like to share some thoughts. (Apologies in advance for getting on my soapbox).
An online forum is a good place to get a quick idea about value (which you rightly did) because so many of the participants are experienced collectors; but it can be a tough place to feel like you belong, again, because so many of the participants are experienced collectors.
Here is what my experience has taught me: Most of what I originally collected has very little value today.
Let me explain: I used to get mint sets from the USPS and other countries because I thought that was the best way to obtain the stamps in pristine condition and get their collateral material (the folder, the descriptions, etc.). Some stamps I also purchased as mint sheets. Most of those stamps, though, were printed in the hundreds of millions and are still easily and cheaply available. They are often sold today at a discount to face value.
I used to get worldwide used stamps in packets from major suppliers like Harris. The packets were filled with colorful but commonplace stamps that every other collector around the world purchased in packets and saved, too. Those stamps are still easily and cheaply available. They are often considered "album filler."
As a teenager and 20-something, I spent a lot of my collecting budget on First Day Covers (FDC's). I loved the colorful cachets on the envelope along with the new issue stamp and special cancellation. Apparently, so did a lot of other collectors because those are still easily and cheaply available. Matter-of-fact, I can buy the same FDC's from the 1970's for 50 cents today that I purchased for $1.25 back when they were issued.
Today, even though my stamp collecting interests are different--perhaps more financially thoughtful--I liked what I collected back then, and I still have most of it to enjoy. The great thing about stamp collecting is that we are all involved in a hobby that each one of us gets to make uniquely our own.
So if you feel you are interested in stamp collecting, great! Feel welcome because we all have had at some point piles of stamps with little to no value. And many of us keep them anyway.
I would advise looking through that album you found and pick out which stamps are your favorites. Which stamps strike you as attractive or unusual or for some reason worth keeping? Also browse through some of forum threads (it's free!), see what others are collecting and pick out what you like best: maybe it's classics, maybe it's a theme, maybe it's the style of the artwork, maybe it's certain countries, maybe it's back-of-the-book, maybe it's covers, whatever.
Once you choose some items you might want to collect, then find a friendly place (either a forum like SCF; or person-to-person at a stamp show, club or find someone who could be a mentor), tell your story and ask plenty of questions. Then you will figure out what is the best way for you to grow your own collection and enjoy.
Thanks for reading my long-winded response.
Best wishes,
--Kevin
Posted 04/04/2013 2:50 pm
