Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Stamping Fun In 5 Easy Steps

By Heidi Arrowood


Stamping provides you with a good hobby thats cheap to enjoy. Since stamps are easy to find, and most being priced very cheaply, you can collect them easily. New Stamps are put out on the market on a definite pattern, allowing you to find new stamps on a regular basis. In this article i'll list 5 easy steps that makes collecting and using stamps fun.

1. Purchasing Stamps

Stamp collecting is very cheap. You only need a few bucks to start an impressive collection. You can also buy digital stamps online. Another way to collect stamps that are no longer being sold are thru stamp dealers. You can buy unique stamps and even expensive rare stamps that are very collectible.

2. Joining a Stamp Club

You can learn a lot about collecting digital stamp by joining a stamp club. Stamp clubs are available in many big cities and towns. Normally, Stamp clubs have regular meeting whereby information regarding stamps is shared. Moreover, these clubs regularly issue newsletters and magazines that have great information about stamps. Furthermore, these clubs hold Stamp contests and Exhibitions whereby club members can display their stamp collections. You can therefore frequently discover new ideas to improve your own stamp collection through listening to judges' comments about the collections displayed at these competitions.

3. Types of Stamps

There are 2 main types of stamps. The first type is one country collection, the second is thematic collection. With one country collection, you only collect stamps from one country most likely your own. With thematic collection, you collect all stamps with the same theme, like paintings, sports and so on. It's easier to start with just one type of stamp, either one country collection or thematic collection. The reason behind this is collecting all types of stamps can become difficult as each year around 5-8 thousand new stamps get printed.

4. Stamping Albums

There are many stamp albums you can purchase to carry out your stamp collecting as a professional. The most widely used stamp album is the stock sheet album. It has loose leaf folders that contain plastic pages with strips running from corner to corner. These strips have many pockets that allow you to put your stamp in them. The plastic they use is unique, shielding your stamps.

5. Stamp Preparing

You should always handle your stamps very carefully as they can be worth much cash. You should make sure not to cut the stamp when cutting parts off the envelop as cutting it can make it worthless. You should first soak gummed stamps before removing them from the envelope. After removing them, then dry them by placing them facing up on a dry and clean blotting paper. To remove self-adhesive stamps, soak them in heated water mixed with soft soap for about 4 minutes. Then, transfer the stamps in big basin of fresh water for about 10 minutes to remove the soap. You should avoid handling stamps with your hands as they can dirty due to the sweat and oil on your hands. Instead, use stamp tweezers to hold them. Use a good magnifying glass to study your stamp more carefully. Moreover, use a perforation gauge to measure the jagged edge of your stamp.




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