Stamp collecting began almost immediately after the issue
of the first adhesive postage stamp. Great Britain issued the first
postage stamp on May 6, 1840. It is referred to by philatelists as the
Penny Black (see scan below). Many people purchased the 1 Penny stamp
on the first day of issue, not for the purpose of using it on letters,
but for the purpose of saving them as historical mementos.
From the 1860's the hobby really caught on, especially
among children and teenagers. Many of these young enthusiasts went on
to write books about their philatelic studies, and are among the
"giants" of philatelic history that we recognize today. The first stamp albums appeared in the 1860's, when Worldwide collecting was still a very small endeavor.
This
hobby can be enjoyed by everyone, though many collectors have also been
kings, queens, and presidents. This hobby can be as inexpensive or as expensive as one desires. The costs can range from a few dollars to the millions of dollars required for complete collections of some countries!
Queen Victoria's grandson, as a youth,
began to save the stamps that came into Buckingham Palace on official
mail. He went on to become King George V, and he was an avid collector
throughout his life, even participating in many philatelic auctions
during the time that he was king. King George V even submitted an auction bid for the unique British Guiana 1 Penny Magenta, but he was outbid and didn't win the auction lot. In the United States, President
Roosevelt was also an avid collector.
The
purpose of this section is to define and to present a broad overview of
the hobby. Detailed articles on the general aspects of the hobby are
presented at the right. Please click on the links to review each of
these articles. Detailed information on stamp specialties will be
featured in "collecting" categories of this site, and they can be accessed though this
page's navigation bar.
A new Frequently Asked Questions page has recently been added, so visitors can submit general questions about basic stamp collecting subjects. Some of the other collecting categories will also contain Frequently Asked Question pages, for those with more advanced philatelic questions.
If you would like to share an interesting story about your experiences with this hobby or comments about this page, please submit your article by clicking on the following link. It is very easy, and you will have your own page on this website to share with other visitors.
CLICK HERE to submit your story or to view pages that other visitors have submitted.
Return to Home Page from Stamp Collecting
Definition of Philately
The First Postage Stamps
Why Collect Stamps
Why
Collect Stamps? The usual reasons are personal enjoyment, personal
gratification, and a sense of accomplishment. Through collecting, one
can gain greater knowledge in history, geography, cultures, beliefs, and
possibly a greater understanding of other languages. The first article
below is my philatelic autobiography - a story of my life's journey with
stamp collecting. Similar contributions from visitors would be
welcomed, and they will be published here.
Why Collect Stamps -
A Philatelic Autobiography
by: David H. Aeschliman
Visitor Contributions
Stamp Collecting for Kids
Collecting Self-Adhesive Stamps
Collecting Modern Postage Stamps
Cinderella Stamps - A Tale of a Blue Horse