Collector From Michigan

Hi folks,

I used to collect as a kid back in India. Now I am picking it back up and trying to get my 7 yr old daughter involved. The way I collected as a kid was to collect as many countries but didnt have all this useful info at that time.Now trying to learn the basics.

Good to have you here.
How can we help with your expansion?

Thanks @classicphilatelist . At this point not sure which direction to take it or what to focus on. Do I keep collecting as many countries as I want or do I focus on a theme or topic? I have about 3 albums not focusing on different countries..

Greetings to you, Aravind. You have endless options for pursuing philately. The choice is yours (the following examples are in no particular order, nor are they mutually exclusive):

1. Philatelic integrity: Collect for the purpose of attaining all examples needed to complete a historic sequence of issues (my favorite issue, for example, is the 1938 U.S. Presidential Definitives). Seek to obtain examples in the best condition available. Avoid stamps that look like they were run over by a burning tank.

2. Speculative investment: Lots of risk here, but focus on obtaining very few stamps of VERY high quality and value. Seek to flip them the way real estate people do with houses.

3. Artistic innovation: Approach stamps as art. Obtain as many as you can for as little money as you can ("kiloware" is the term of art for this). Use the stamps to create decorative displays - this approach is like scrapbooking on steroids. I will be engaging my daughter with this.

Whatever you do, have fun with it. I find that if you tell your friends and family that you are collecting stamps, all manner of philatelic paraphernalia starts coming to your doorstep.

Welcome!!

Welcome to the stamp community.

AravindMichigan,
What is your "objective" in collecting?
That can help define a direction. Do you want value, do you want something that becomes a family heirloom, or do you want something that is accessable, and allows the family to join in as you mention with your 7 year old?
Stamp collecting can literally be "free". It all depends on what you want to get out of it.
Stay open for now, you'll probably find yourself narrowing your focus without realizing it, and then one day you'll discover "Oh, I have a reasonable collection of <something>". And then you start to get more and more of those.

@BFRomeos Great points! Thanks for your valuable advice.
@classicphilateslist Thank you ! I will keep an open mind :)