Postage Stamps - Collecting

There are many excellent stamp albums on the market. Which one you buy must depend upon what stamps you plan to collect and how much you want to pay. Stamp dealers, department stores, hobby shops, and five-and-ten-cent stores sell stamp albums.

Generally, there are three sources of postage stamps: your own and your friends' mail, collectors who will exchange stamps with you, and stamp dealers. In addition, important collections and valuable individual stamps are sometimes sold at auction.

All stamp magazines and newspapers carry advertisements of stamp dealers. Many Sunday newspapers devote a full page or more to stamp and coin news. The advertisements offer single stamps, or small related groups of stamps. For example, a typical Stamps-Coins page of The New York Times offers: a United States commemorative single at $3, a $5 Coolidge stamp of the 1938 Presidential Series and a $5 Hamilton of the 1954 Presidential Series, both for $1; 65 all-different United States stamps at 10 cents; and 1,675 foreign stamps at $1. A big packet of stamps can get you off to a good start, and it is the best buy for a beginner.

There is one phase of selling stamps by mail that is unique. When you receive the stamps you have ordered, the envelope will almost always include a sheet of approvals. The approvals consist of several, usually related stamps, mounted on a sheet or card. These stamps are offered for your inspection and possible purchase. After you have had an opportunity to check the price against the catalogue value, you are obligated to send in a check or money order to the dealer or to return those stamps you do not want.

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