New Senior Citizens Here. Would Like Some Advice.

I would like to start collecting stamps. I (we) have decided on all things Baltic. I know there is a forum just for themes but first we need to get some advice.

We are not in it for any money, just pleasure. And because of health issues will probably 'collect' via the Internet. (We're both computer literate)

Are there any tips or articles we should read that might help direct our interests?
Are there other seniors here doing more or less the same thing?

I truthfully don't even know the right questions to ask so any tips or advice will be welcome.
Thank you.

Welcome, you could start here with very inexpensive items if you do some poking around.


http://www.ebay.com/chp/65181

Hi Cave76, and a very warm welcome to this forum! I myself am a senior and I guess have been one for some fifteen years,
or so does the grocery store make me believe! I am also a senior as far as stamp collecting is concerned; I was doing it when I was ten years old!
I was , back then, very fortunate in that my next door neighbor had been collecting stamps almost since the late eighties. I did not have far to go to get my experience!
I could suggest one thing if I may. I have no idea where you live, but maybe there is a stamp club somewhere near you!
The APS ( American Philatelic Society ) will gladly let you know about a club near you. The internet and this forum are nice, but there is nothing like the personal touch!

Peter

Thanks to both of you for replying so quickly. I'll certainly look in on ebay (hope I don't go crazy there lol).

Peter----- because of health problems going to a club meeting is out, but I certainly agree with you-----that would be the best.

Welcome Cave76; this is a good place to start. Many of us here are seniors and many have been collecting since childhood, so there is lots of knowledge to spread around. Perhaps you could clarify what you mean by "all things Baltic". Do you mean stamps from the countries bordering on the Baltic Sea or do you have a more specific theme in mind? I'm sure lots of us (including me) have spare material from those countries and perhaps could help you out.

You will find lots of threads on the forum which are informative about philatelic supplies and storage and display methods, but don't be shy about asking.

Forgot to ask---- is there a function on this forum that will send me an email when I get a reply to my questions?

Or one where any topic I've been following. (I know that last one is more problematic, but I have belonged on other forums where you 'subscribe' to a topic and you get notified if anyone posts on th at thread.)

@NBStamper----- what I meant (about all things Baltic) isn't even very clear in MY head, yet. Off the top of my head I think we'll start with stamps from the different states of course, no matter their focus. That's the simple part.

I'm also thinking wildlife (including fish etc) that are (more or less) specific to that area, if those can be found.

Foods?
Authors?
History?

And so on. I tend to do everything in an organic (chaotic?) way.
But first of all stamps from the States (that we can afford.)

cave76, welcome. I too am a senior and collected when I was a kid then resumed about the year 2000. I am not sure where you are in your knowledge quest, but here is one beginning link you may find helpful.

http://stamps.org/Starting-a-Collection

Most stamp collectors are friendly and there is a stamp club in Eugene, you may want to contact. the Greater Eugene Stamp Society. Here is the website:

http://www.greatereugenestampclub.org/

As the old saying goes, there are no dumb questions, so ask away, and,
good luck!

Welcome Cave76. I have been collecting since 1952. I think if you have a question someone in our membership should be able to help.

Hi Cave76,
Welcome to the forum.

If you click on "Topic Subscription" link you should get an email every time someone posts a response. It's under the row with icons for Facebook etc. and to the right of "New Topic."

Thank you all---- and to sparkle8 who told me how to subscribe.

Welcome. You might want to checkout

http://www.stampcollectingblog.com

by Keijo Kortelainen of Finland. His blog has excellent running comments on collecting, storage, display, etc. and, of course, stay tuned here!

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!
I laughed when you asked about any seniors here.......... I suspect there are quite a few, including myself.
In my opinion, now is a good time to get into the hobby. One can gather a very respectable collection for reasonable prices off the internet (I.E. ebay). In fact, if you choose to have one, your biggest (and perhaps most important) expenditure will be an album(s).
There are a number of beginner guides for the hobby, again ebay may be your best source.
And, when you are ready to acquire stamps, one method is to buy used album collections (again off ebay), pull the stamps you want, and then resell the albums. You will always recover monies doing this.
Again, buy a guide, ask questions on this Forum, decide what you are wanting to collect (countries/topics/time period) and go from there.
ENJOY !

Welcome cave76

You've come to the right place to learn and enjoy the wonderful hobby of stamp collecting.

Dianne

Welcome Cave76 from a German senior of 76 years.
If you plan to build a collection of MNH (mint never hinged) stamps as many US fellow collectors do, you should consider to buy the stamps issued since the new independance (1990/91) directly from their Postal Services. They still have nearly all these stamps on stock. If you are interested, I can give further information.
(I get nothing from them; living in Munich is just too far away from the Baltic.)
Enjoy collecting and life in general!
Heinrich

Welcome to the forum Cave76. As you have probably already guessed, we are a friendly lot. Only once in a while do we yell, in excitement of course. We are all on a similar path, some looking back some looking front. It's a fun hobby where the average age is around 50 so we have lots of seniors here. ebay is just one of several on line site to purchase stamps, though perhaps the best known. Do a Google search for what you are looking for and you will get more hits than you might think. In as I only collect US I can't help out with the Baltic search. Your most expensive item can be the album itself so may I suggest purchasing a Baltic collection and using the album(s) that might be within? Have fun and again welcome.

Art