Postage stamp collector. Features and rules of stamp collecting. Types of postage stamps

First: determine your range of interests. Since the middle of the 19th century, about a million stamps have been issued in the world; they were and are issued by absolutely all countries, as well as by many temporary postal administrations of military and revolutionary times, and private postal services. The pleasure of “embracing the immensity” can only be afforded by people with broad financial capabilities and big amount free time, as well as “state collectors” such as the President of the United States and the Queen of Great Britain (it’s nice to be in such company, isn’t it?). At the start, you need to set limits on your strengths and interests. And don’t be afraid to start small; expanding the scope of your collection is always easier than narrowing it after realizing that the task at hand is overwhelming. There are two main types of stamp collections: chronology (a collection of stamps from a particular country) and thematic (a collection of stamps different countries on one topic or another). In our country, the most popular are domestic brands (Russia, USSR, Russian Empire), as well as brands from countries historically and culturally associated with us (all republics of the former Soviet Union, neighboring countries). The most popular philately topics are nature (flora and fauna), space, transport, art, sports, outstanding people, history.

Second: choose the sources of stamps in the collection and the place for consultations. Happy is the philatelist who has the opportunity to regularly replenish his collection by visiting several reliable stores in his city. If you live in a big city, visit stamp shops, the local Philatelic Society, talk to sellers and specialists. Feel where you were most comfortable, where you were served in the best way and were offered not only the most complete range of brands, but also consulting services (answers to questions, expertise, library, etc.). If there are no collection stores in your city, it doesn’t matter; high-quality service from a reputable online store today almost completely replaces real communication. And, of course, pay attention to the range of collectibles and literature offered to you (primarily brand catalogs), which you will focus on when forming your collection.

Third: decide on the format for exhibiting and storing the collection. As long as your collection consists of several dozen stamps, all you need is a philatelist's initial set: a bookkeeper (album for stamps), tweezers and a magnifying glass. As your hobby develops, acquires interesting and expensive exhibits, and expands your collection to include other philatelic collectibles in addition to stamps (postcards, envelopes, etc.), you will need universal albums. Today the question of “where to buy or order the desired album” is easily resolved, much more more important question“which album to choose.” Talk about this in a store you like, look at samples, take your time choosing one or another system for storing and displaying the collection (stamps placed in an inappropriate album can then be rearranged, but not everyone enjoys this process).

IN Soviet time It was fashionable and popular to collect rare and valuable stamps. After all, there were about twenty factories in the country that regularly produced not only a variety of stamps, but also medals, orders, coins and other cultural property. In this regard, you can now find a large number of valuable items from that era.

But what is “philately”? Philately is a hobby for versatile people who always strive for something new and unusual. As a rule, philatelists collect rare postage stamps because it is profitable and interesting.

True connoisseurs will always be able to appreciate Soviet stamps, since in those years a large number of different and rare copies were produced. Creating the design and image on a stamp requires the use of miniature graphics skills. And this is not as easy to do as it seems. Today, many people around the world are interested in philately and appreciate the history of postal services. Postage stamps from different countries provide an opportunity to learn about world civilization as a whole. Philately catalog of stamps prices are available online for each user.

People have been collecting stamps for over 170 years. For many philatelists, this hobby has become the real meaning of life. Each stamp has its own design, decor, inscription - all elements serve as confirmation of payment for postal services. If the products are rare or rare, then you can get a huge amount of money for them on the market. There is an opportunity and philately catalog of stamps and prices to sell.

Reasons to become a professional philatelist

Collecting interesting and colorful stamps attracts many people and here's why:

1. Collecting stamps is an interesting pastime.
2. Stamps by their appearance tell about the achievements or historical aspects of certain states. They expand their range of interests.
3. A variety of products will never let you get bored. The images on the stamps represent the history, culture, traditions and customs of the peoples of the world.
4. Your own stamp collection is a profitable investment. There are examples when people became millionaires overnight by collecting a complete collection of stamps.
5. Business skills are developing.
6. Collecting fills ordinary life with new and vivid emotions.
7. Brands can reflect a person's deep inner world.
8. Today, over 200 million people are engaged in this business.
9. A unique collection of stamps can provide an opportunity to become a member of the Philatelist Society.
10. You can always find new and rare specimens.
11. Today, anyone can collect stamps, since the cost of USSR products does not exceed 100 rubles. But valuable exhibits cost much more. For example, philately, a catalog of stamps, prices, and space can be classified as this type.

Successful collecting

To achieve excellence in stamp collecting, you need to understand the intricacies. The stamps are divided into topics and time periods:

1. Postage stamps are defined by time and country. Knowing all the information about brands, you can sell the collection at auction for a lot of money. For example, there are stamps that are dedicated to certain themes: “Space”, “Third Reich”, “Fauna” and much more.
2. Of course, preference should be given to those brands that are more valued by collectors.
3. The rarest brands should be included in a separate group.
4. By parting with rare specimens, the possibilities for collecting expand.
5. Collecting must be thorough in all aspects.
6. To find out the real cost, you should always use the philately catalog of stamps of the USSR. The publication demonstrates all brands with photographs and information about them.
7. It is not recommended to sell counterfeit brands at auctions or in stores, otherwise you can instantly lose authority and trust.

The cost of stamps depends on the following factors:

1. Rarity, rarity, small circulation.
2. Year of issue.
3. Typos, manufacturing defects, shifts, omissions and other errors.
4. Current trends.

For now, the value of stamps is also determined by the curiosity and passion of collectors. As long as there is a high demand for stamps, copies will be in price. It is worth noting that prestigious brands were previously produced in Europe and the USA. So there are a lot of unique brands.

Sales of brands

As a rule, brands are assessed by an expert who can give a detailed and high-quality answer on a particular product. In most cases, the assessment is carried out free of charge, but when a specialist visits the site, you will need to pay for his time. This need arises when the assessment concerns a huge collection of cultural property.

But now modern technologies allow assessments to be carried out remotely or remotely. In this case, the appraiser should be interested in a qualitative analysis of brands.

1. Additionally, it is worth conducting an alternative assessment so as not to find yourself in a difficult situation.
2. You definitely need to use a specialized catalog.
3. The assessment must be carried out by an expert.

In order to profitably sell a collection of rare stamps, you need to know how to bargain. During the transaction, you must keep in front of you the philately catalog of stamps, prices of the cube to sell. It is worth determining in advance which brands are most interesting to customers. And this is the only way to implement instances correctly.

Don’t be disappointed if experts give a very low price for stamps. You can always keep them as a souvenir or give them to your family. Many people collect stamps not for sale or profit, but for their own satisfaction.

But if you decide to buy or sell philately, stamp catalog prices, you need to carefully prepare for the transaction. Now there are a large number of different forums where professional philatelists advise novice collectors. You can also find out from them a list of the best online stores that have already established themselves in the brand market. In any case, each collector of valuables decides for himself what to do with stamps and how much to sell them for at auctions.

Philately -

collecting postage stamps.

Sometimes a postage stamp is bought not to stick on a letter or postcard and send by mail, but simply because they liked it. This is how all stamp collections begin.

You must understand that each stamp from any collection in itself has no value - it is just a very small colored piece of paper. A brand has value only because someone else wants it and is willing to pay money for it. Therefore, stamp prices depend on changes in the economy, fashion, people's moods, and so on.

There are catalogs to determine the value of stamps. Prices in catalogs are calculated by specialists after analyzing the market and this is an approximate price, no more than which it is recommended to buy a brand.

There are also convenient online catalogs.

Much depends on the quality of the brand and its condition. If the stamp is uncanceled (without a stamp), and has never been pasted (the glue on the reverse side is completely preserved), it has the correct geometric shape, all the teeth are in place, without scratches or wrinkles, then the cost of such a stamp is determined by the catalogue.

As a rule, uncanceled stamps are more expensive than canceled ones, that is, those that have a postmark.

Each defect of a brand significantly reduces its value. A stamp with a lot of defects is garbage for a collector! Although, if there is no duplicate, then it makes sense to leave it in the album until a better example is found, this is called a space filler.

The most expensive brands in the world- defective brands.These are “upside-down” stamps, in which the picture is located “upside down” in relation to the inscriptions, and stamps with a different typographical defect. Such stamps went on sale only in the first edition, then someone noticed a defect, the matrix was redone and the next editions were already “normal”. Therefore, only a few defective brands have survived to this day - and they are so expensive!

But collecting stamps is the lot of “millionaires”.rich philatelists. The Queen of Great Britain has interesting stamps, "Blue Mauritius", for example...

In fact, stamps are a very bad investment. It’s easy to buy stamps, but selling them quickly at least at the same price is almost impossible. Therefore, the main principle for stamp collectors should always be the principle of interest and pleasure.

Remember: if you spend a lot of money on buying stamps, you need to be aware that this is a hobby. And don’t dream that when you grow up, you’ll exchange your collection for an apartment!

Thematic collecting.

Very few collectors collect stamps from only one country or one historical period into specialized albums.

Most people like to collect stamps that depict an item that interests them.
Children start with simple themed collections - cats, dogs, flowers, cars, planes, art on stamps.
Then the children grow up and their collections, although they do not change the theme, become more sophisticated: from fauna only birds or insects remain, from history - the conquest of space, from artists - only old masters.

Stamps are often collected on the theme of professional activities. This is how an actor collects everything about the theater, a scientist - about the achievements of science... Often only one stamp out of several thousand issued by a particular country will be of interest to such a collector.

Instructions

First of all, you need to understand that a brand itself has no value. It's just a small piece of paper with a picture of something on it. What makes it valuable is only the desire and desire of another person to purchase this specimen for their collection, paying a certain amount of money. Obviously, the value of brands is not related to the economy and global trends.

To determine the value of stamps in their circles, philatelists created catalogs. The most current ones are the Scott catalogs (), the Michaels catalog (very detailed,). You can also find Russian catalogs in specialized stores, but they have not received such fame.

Prices in catalogs appear after a thorough study of the postage stamp market. They are advisory in nature and do not serve as a guarantee that the brand will actually be purchased at such a high price, for example. The cheapest brands, mostly multi-circulation ones, are sold by the kilogram or pound.

Stamps in perfect condition, in the truest sense of the word, are most valued. They must be uncanceled (not have a postal stamp), with intact teeth, with fully preserved glue on the back side, without scratches or wrinkles. Cancelled stamps have value only if they were issued in small quantities and were almost never used for postal purposes. The date stamp is important here, and it’s best to even keep the envelope.

The cost of stamps depends on general trends in the world of philately. For example, now stamps of the USSR, the Vatican, and Africa are sold at prices much lower than those indicated in catalogs, since these countries are not yet “in fashion.” However, everything can change at any moment.

Other ways to determine the value of stamps include auction houses and some online resources. However, when turning to such sources, it is necessary to first make inquiries about their reputation in order to avoid unpleasant situations in the future.

Stamp collecting can be not only fun, but also financially rewarding. If you own a stamp collection, you may one day find yourself sitting on the “golden mound.” If you decide to sell a brand or an entire collection, study the prices on the market and learn how to negotiate.

Instructions

Check yours carefully to find out which brands you have. Collect detailed information about brands - this will help to establish their approximate value. The corresponding brand catalogs can be of great help. You should do an analysis before you decide to look for a potential buyer for this exotic product.

Consult with a specialist in the field to determine the most accurate price and check copies. Today you can find professional experts and appraisers on some websites. Contacting a specialist will help you make an informed decision about selling your brand. Keep in mind that the cost of a particular specimen is largely determined by its safety. Crumpled or damaged, it is inferior in price to other copies.

Having established a circle of potential buyers, analyze, if possible, their past purchases, find out their tastes and preferences. Pay attention to average price, which they paid for their past purchases. This information is usually found on auction sites that have profile pages for potential buyers. It is possible that these people will be interested in exactly the brands that you are ready to put up for sale.

The stage of negotiations with a potential buyer begins. In negotiations, use the information that you were able to glean from open sources about your brands and the buyer. Refer to expert assessment. Be prepared to have to bargain. If a buyer offers a obviously unacceptable price for your product, do not be afraid to refuse him. Often, when faced with your refusal, a true connoisseur of stamps will still prefer to make a concession and accept the terms you offer.

Sources:

• How to Sell Your Antique Postage Stamps
• where to sell postage stamps

People began collecting stamps back in the 19th century. Modern philatelists collect thematic and chronological collections and hunt for canceled and uncanceled stamps. Stamp collecting can be called a way of life rather than just a hobby.

Instructions

When starting to build your own collection, you need to decide on a few things. Firstly - will you be collecting canceled or uncanceled stamps? Several decades ago, canceled stamps were very popular among philatelists. Uncanceled stamps were not recognized at all. Indeed, every brand that has made a long journey from the sender of a letter to the recipient has its own unique story. There is a story according to which on December 12, 1912, all post offices in France were filled with philatelists who wanted to receive a postmark with the cancellation date “12/12/1912”. Modern collectors also collect uncanceled stamps - they can also be unique in their own way.