Learning More About Old Postage Stamps
I have been researching lots of information in the past 6 months on old postage stamps. The reason for that is because my Granddad had a collection and it is now my responsibility to maintain. I was surprised by the amount of knowledge that you must have to look after them properly.
I really enjoyed going through the collection and marking everything off. I went throught the entire collection and recorded each stamp, it took me and my girlfriend a very long time. I think it is best to have your collection recorded properly. It also helps for insurance purposes.
I was very keen to take them home and as a result I stored the old postage stamps incorrectly (for a short time). I had them in a flat position on the floor. This can damage the stamps. You want them in an upright position. You also want them to be left in a dark place that is cool and dry. You don’t want any humidity if you can help it.
Once I had the album at home I wanted to buy some stamps for it. I was keen to ’stamp’ my personality on it. I started buying any stamps that I liked but I don’t think that did the collection much good. I decided it would be better to do a theme and therefore make it a little more structured.
These days you can buy old postage stamps all over the place. I found that the post office has a useful website for information. There you can buy them at face value although they aren’t presented very well. I have found buying them over the internet to be ok. Ebay is great for being able to pick up a bargain. You also can go to a specialised stamp dealer or have the excitement of an auction.
I am happy with my journey of collecting old postage stamps. I think I know a lot more and still want to learn in the future. I will then pass the collection onto the next generation.
