I apologize in advance for the million questions I'm going to annoy you with.
I've been a member for a few days and this is, by far, the nicest set of stamp collectors I've met. For the most part, when you ask a question in a Facebook group they tell you to buy a Scott catalog and dismiss you. While it's on my wishlist, it's not in my budget.
I'm Michelle. I'm 42. Married 18 years. My girls are 22 and 16 and are also interested in the hobby. We're in Salem County, NJ, USA.
I've collected recipes, recipe boxes, cookbooks, and personalized recipe binders for about five years. Realizing that stamps also have a very rich history, I'm hooked.
As to purchasing a set of catalogs, older editions can generally be found cheaply if one is patient enough. You can also check your local public library. Many will have a set of Scott catalogs in the reference section and may also have a set that can be checked out.
What types of stamps are you interested in? If U.S., you could request a current copy of Mystic’s catalog which includes many images and has information useful to a beginner.
I collect worldwide and use a 2016 set of the Scott catalog. I also recently picked up a 2017 copy of the Scott Classic Specialized which covers the world to 1940 (British Commonwealth to 1952).
Welcome to StampoRama. I hope you enjoy your visits here; you’ll find that many members are eager to help you with any questions you have.
You aren’t wrong about the historical value of stamps, but if that’s true of stamps, it’s doubly (triply? quadruply?) true of postally used covers (envelopes). One of my web pages, Mail to Silver City from Vancouver’s Chinatown leads to murder, concerns a cover posted in 1941 from Vancouver, where I live now, to my hometown in New Mexico. As you’ll see, the cover isn’t just a used envelope. It’s an information-rich artifact that with a bit of study reveals much about its provenance, including information about the Chinese diaspora, racism, mail routes, and aviation history.
One key aspect about collecting worldwide is identifying the issuing country if you want to know it. There are websites that help with the cryptic stamp inscriptions. The second aspect even with a catalog and knowing the country is that most general catalogs are not 100% illustrated and there are many look a like stamps. So, locating some stamps can be difficult if you are not familiar with the country.
I use stampworld.com since it is well illustrated. They require an email address to view the catalog and I have never seen any spam, etc. from them. You can scroll year ranges.
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"Stamp Collecting is a many splendored thing"
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