The Art of Collecting Stamps

Many people around the world cultivate the hobby of collecting stamps. As a stamp collector you can either purchase stamps or get them from some of the free sources. As a beginner in stamp collection all you are interested in is to have a collection, but without spending much money.

As a beginner in stamp collection you might not know where to begin as you may not have any thing to start with. In such a scenario you can buy a packet of stamps which will have an assortment of stamps from different countries. This will also help you focus on the kind of stamps that appeal to you.

These days another good source for getting stamps is eBay on the internet. Here you will often be able to buy large number of stamps for a very low price. Once you have a sizable collection of stamps, you will need to organize them so that the stamps are safe. This will also help you decide how and where you want to proceed with your stamp collection.

Most of the stamps that you buy will still be on the paper on which they were mailed. This makes them durable and easy to handle. Once you remove the paper backing the stamp becomes much more fragile and you'll have to be very careful in the way that you move it around. This is why you should sort out your purchased stamps according to country before you take off the paper backing.

While taking off the paper backing from the stamps do not just try pulling the paper away from the stamp in a hurry. Take your time and be patient so that you do not damage the stamps. Pulling the paper off in a hurry can rip the stamp edges. So use scissors to cut the paper backing as close to the stamp body as possible.

Find a shallow plate or bowl and fill it with just a bit of clean water. Place the stamp with the paper backing into the water, stamp side up, and let it soak for about ten to fifteen minutes. After that amount of time has passed you can carefully pick up the stamp and try to remove it slowly from the paper.

Once you've removed the stamps from the paper you need to allow them to dry out. You want to take care when drying the stamps so that they dry slowly and gently - this reduces the folds and wrinkles that may occur on the stamp. Lay the stamps of a layer of paper toweling, making sure that none of the stamps touch or overlap. Gently lay a paper towel on top of the stamps and lightly press (be very gentle) to remove the excess water from the stamps.

The dried stamps need to be flattened. This can be done by placing these dried stamps in the pages of a large or heavy book. Else you have the option of buying a stamp drying book to dry your stamps. These dry and flattened stamps can be sorted country wise to help you locate them when ever you want to. These sorted stamps then need to be arranged in your stamp collecting book.

Fiona Whealer is the owner of FW Stamps, a fantastic resource for information about stamps. For questions or comments about this article why not visit: http://www.fwstamps.com/articles