Beginner’s Guide to Stamp Collecting

Organize Your Stamps and Choose an Album

Most stamp collectors not only accumulate stamps, but also enjoy arranging them in an attractive, organized way for easy viewing. By doing this, you’ll have a collection to be proud of and protect your stamps from damage. You can organize your stamps any way you want. Many collectors organize by country (US, Spain), region (Europe, … Read more

Stamp Collecting Thoughts From Don Sundman

When the world’s first adhesive postage stamp was issued in Great Britain on May 1, 1840, it quickly became a collector’s item and the hobby of stamp collecting was born. The “Penny Black” showed a beautifully engraved portrait of Queen Victoria at 15. It was the only portrait of her used on British postage stamps … Read more

Learn Why You Should Collect First Day Covers

A First Day Cover is a very special collectible, created when a postage stamp is first issued. First, a newly issued stamp is affixed to an envelope or “cover.” This envelope often features a special design, or “cachet,” related to the topic of the stamp. Older First Day Covers often have no cachet. Now here’s … Read more

About Foreign Stamps

Collecting Brings Geography and History to Life Collecting foreign stamps offers you a great way to learn about our world – effortlessly and from the comfort of your easy chair. Foreign stamps provide an insider’s view of each nation’s history, culture, people, and events. Foreign stamps may be purchased individually, in packets, or in year … Read more

Eleven Major Categories of U.S. Stamps

Definitive The stamp known as the “workhorse” of the postal system is the definitive, or regular-issue stamp. Paying postage on everyday mail, it’s issued in a wide variety of denominations. A single issue is used for long periods of time. Definitives are interesting to collect. Since their extended use means they are reprinted from time … Read more

Stories of World Famous Stamps

Explore Stories of World Famous Stamps: British Guiana’s rare 1¢ Magenta, Jenny Invert’s 24¢ tale, and the CIA’s Candleholder Invert. Philatelic treasures woven with history, mystery, and value.

The Seven Best Reasons to Collect Stamps

Stamps Are Fun… One of the very best reasons to collect stamps is for the pure fun of it. Stamp collecting is fun because it’s personal – you collect the kinds of stamps you want, the way you want to collect them, whenever and wherever you want to. There’s no right way or wrong way. … Read more

Philatelic Glossary

A glossary of terms to help you understand the Stamp Collecting world.

Long-Term Stamp Storage

Whether at home or in a storage unit, stamps and covers should be kept where humidity and temperature are at safe and fairly consistent levels.