Greetings From A New Stamp Collector

Hello All,

I made an account here a few weeks ago and thought I had introduced myself. Apparently not. So...hello!

I'm very new to the hobby, having started just a couple months ago. I actually got started largely because I was writing frequent letters to my partner while we couldn't see eachother due to the pandemic, and I realized the wide variety of available stamps and gained an appreciation for them.

My main collection is primarily modern U.S. stamps since 1996, but a neighbor gifted me a collection that she inherited from her late brother, and that collection is worldwide (and in dire need of rearranging and probably stamp soaking).

Hope to meet you all and have some fun learning about and sharing this great hobby.

Welcome!

Peter

Welcome!

Welcome to Stamp Community Forum!

If you have not soaked stamps before, you may want to read some of the threads/topics on this site before doing so. There are some very good tips from experienced collectors here who are always willing to help a "newbie".

Never be afraid to ask.

Thanks all for the warm welcomes so far.

Indeed I have not soaked anything before, but have seen some tutorials about how to do it.

Forgive me if this thread isn't the best place to ask, but...is it "right" of me to rearrange a collection I was gifted? I sort of feel like I'm undoing someone's hard work.

Also, is there any benefit to leaving them unsoaked? My main reasoning for soaking would be to save space, as the pieces of envelope take a lot of room.

Welcome!

Dale

to the Family!




The short answer to your question is yes, we all do it.

Think of it this way. You are taking the collection you were gifted and building on it to a new level. It is a compliment to the original collector.

Dan

Stamps on piece are usually collected that way if there is a significant postmark or other marking. What is significant is in the eye of the beholder. I always suggest leaving stamps on piece until you become more familiar with the hobby.

If the collection has been given to you, you should collect it as you see fit. No problem there.

Back to soaking stamps. Be aware that modern stamps from many countries are self stick and some (US for sure) do not soak off in water. Use the search function above to find our more about this.

Keep us posted and post some photos. We love to see new members develop as collectors.

Welcome to the SCF family. You'll find that it's a great place to connect with other collectors and engage in many interesting discussions.

Scott

Welcome to the hobby. There is so much to this. Take your time and get a feel for things then maybe try to specialize in an area or two or even more (I still have not taken that latter part of advice and continue to see the collection grow, grow, grow)

A wise person from this forum once said, "We are not collectors, we are caretakers." I tend to agree.

Welcome; don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions and have fun!

ckildegaard

Above all else enjoy this hobby and whatever new adventures it leads you into. I am a postal history collector treasuring not only the stamps but the entire envelope they are on. You lose so much context when a stamp is taken off envelope. It just becomes another catalog number #xxxx stamp on a page. Also this approach avoids the many problems of trying to soak stamps today. "Forever" mens forever stuck

Take your time and explore what stamps mean the most to you and enjoy the adventure of collecting them.

Best regards and stay healthy. Russ

Welcome!
Very good start!

Welcome!

Stamps are a trailhead for exploring history.

Welcome!