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Collecting Stamps

By: Fiona Whealer

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.

When you first decide to start collecting stamps you may find that you have nothing to start with. If this is the case you can buy a pack of stamps from a hobby shop or a stamp collector to get you started. For a small price, usually around $6.00, you'll get an assortment of stamps from different countries. This is a great way to determine what types of stamps appeal to you and what area you might like to focus on.

The Internet is another great source for finding stamps. Places such as eBay have many stamp sets where you can buy for relatively low prices. Again, you should try to get as wide a variety of stamps as possible, so you can find out what stamps interest you and allow you to get plants from some other countries. Once you have a batch of stamps you'll need to organize your collection so you can make some decisions about what direction you want to pursue in your collecting.

When you buy or get stamps from an original source most of the stamps will still be on the paper on which they were mailed. Once the paper backing is removed, the stamp becomes fragile and can easily be damaged. Hence it is important to be careful in the way that you move around the stamps. Therefore it is important to sort out your stamps that you purchased according to country before taking off the paper backing.

Taking the paper off stamps can be tedious so make sure that you take your time and don't do any damage to the stamps. Don't just attempt to pull the stamp off the paper since this can result in the ripping of the stamp. Use a pair of small scissors to trim the paper as close to the stamp as you possibly can.

To take off the paper backing from the nicely trimmed stamp take clean water in a bowl. Place the stamp with the paper backing into the water and let it soak for some time. Take care that the stamp side is facing up. You can now try to carefully remove the paper backing from the stamp.

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.

Once the stamps have had an opportunity to dry out, flatten them by putting them between the pages of a large book, or use a special drying book (you can find these books at hobby or stamp collecting stores). After the stamps have been dried and flattened, you can begin the process of sorting and storing them in your stamp collecting books.

Article Source: http://www.article-voip.com

Fiona Whealer is the owner of FW Stamps, the #1 source on the internet for information about stamps, For questions or comments about this article why not visit: www.fwstamps.com/article

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