7 Basic Tools Needed to Start a Topical Stamp Collection

By Janice Dugas

Apart from the stamp themselves, the essential tools you need as a stamp collector are very simple and geared to maintain order and good care of your collection.

1. Album

You cannot always keep your stamps and envelopes with stamps on them in a shoe box! They deserve a better home and also, a better way of being displayed.

The first album printed specifically for stamps was published by Lallier of Paris in 1862 and since that time, many types of album became available. Nowadays, you can even choose to collect by country or by subjects, and find corresponding albums on your main topical choices.

Do keep in mind that you do not have to buy a "printed" album to store your collection, as you may, instead, acquire a three ring binder and keep your stamps on loose leaf stock sheets. Quite simple and unexpensive, this system gives you much more flexibility that a printed album as you can easily shuffle your album pages around while your collections grows.

2. Catalogues

Stamp catalogues are an essential guide. They provide an illustrated listing of the postage stamps issued by the postal administrations of the world along with their market value.

It is the tool by excellence to identify and store chronologically your stamps. They are updated on a regular basis to reflect the changes in the market value along with the addition of new issues

Pretty much every country has its own specialized catalogues. For example, Yvert & Tellier for France, Michel catalogue for Germany, Zumstein catalogue for Switzerland, Stanley Gibbons for Great Britain, to name just these few.

The Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue published by Scott Publishing Co. in the United States, contains the listing of all the stamps issued by all the countries of the world.

3. Tongs

Always use tongs to manipulate your stamps in order to avoid damaging them with your fingers or skin oil. As the condition of the stamp is directly related to its value on the market, you must take great care.

4. Magnifying Glass

Very handy when comes the time to check for varieties, errors, oddities and freaks, but also to decipher the cancellation on used stamps and difficult to read inscriptions.

5. Hinges

In the past, many postage stamps completely lost their value because they were affixed to album pages with glue or scotch tape! We owe much to the inventor of stamp hinges as these small, folded, transparent and rectangular pieces of paper coated with a mild gum are now safely used to affix used postage stamps onto the album pages.

6. Perforation gauge

It is not uncommon to find two stamps with identical design and colors but not having the same perforations. It is now easy to measure such perforations with the gauge and properly identify the stamps. The first perforated stamps appeared in Great Britain in 1854. Before that date, stamps were issued imperforate.

7. Transparent Glassines

They can hold unsorted or unidentified stamps until you have time to work on them or can be used to display your collection in this format as well.

You now know the basic tools you need to start your stamp collection.

Happy stamping!

Janice Dugas is a professional stamp collector and has been actively involved in the stamp collecting community for more than 16 years. She joyfully shares her knowledge about the most fascinating hobby in the world. If you are passionate of topical stamp collecting, you must visit her blog at http://www.secretstostampcollecting.com/members

Article Source: 7 Basic Tools Needed to Start a Topical Stamp Collection