I just got a medium ziploc bag full of postage stamps...?

Question

I have never collected before but had the opportunity to have these (inheritance) and took it up. How do I get started organizing them and finding out how much they are worth, potentially, as some are really really old???

Answer 1

1. First and foremost, DO NOT handle the stamps with your hands. The oils in your hands can damage the stamps.

2. If the stamps are still on the envelope paper, DO NOT try to peel the stamps off or cut them off. You can normally get the stamps off the paper by soaking them in water. If the stamps are on colored paper, do each of them separately. The dyes in the envelopes can bleed onto the stamps and damage them. For this reason, it is best to watch them carefully and get them away from the paper as soon as they loosen--but again don't try to peel them off. Once they are free of the paper, dry them face down on blotters or paper towels. (Face down is needed because there is often some residual glue on the stamp that could stick to the blotter.)

3. Some old stamps are very valuable and others, even ones in good condition, are worth very little. To get an estimate of value, you can check the Scott's Postage Stamp catalogs. Current ones are usually available in libraries, but cannot usually be checked out. However, older catalogs should work for your stamps--older stamps do not usually change in value much from one year to the next, and you may be able to check out older versions of the books. Many of the older stamps look alike but have different perforations, water marks, etc. A guide to stamp collecting book should help explain these variations and how to check for them. If the stamps are not all from the U.S. or your country, you may need to get a stamp finder booklet, which can help you determine the country of origin.

4. If after checking a decent number of the stamps, you should be able to have an idea if the stamps are valuable or not. If they are, you should take them to a reputable dealer in your area to get a professional appraisal.

5. If there is a philatelic association in your area, attend a meeting to get help. People there could probably recommend a reputable dealer. If you decide that you want to start collecting stamps, the philatelic group members should be able to recommend a good starter album and show you how to put them in the album with stamp hinges--DO NOT use tape or anything other than philatelic mounts or stamp hinges--anything else ruins the stamps.

Answer 2

You can organize in various ways and the choice is yours — go with what gives you pleasure. Some people organize colllections for a single country or a number of countries; a few still collect from anywhere in the world, and put stamps in albums organized by countrie.

Other people collect and organize according to tyupes of stamps (e.g. airmail, or pictorial commemoratives, or regular issues). Some collect by topics — art, aviation, arctic scenes , horses, dogs, animals in general or the like. I have a collection that is mainly various countries, 6 albums full, from the 19th century (as early as the 1850s and 1860s, stamps I inherited from a grandfather) to 1965 and a scattering of more recent stammps (I don't search them out, but keep them if I get them) but I do look for 1965 and earlier stamps. My main collecting is Swiss stamps. But in the last year I've started two grandchildren on collecting and so far they like to do the topical organizations — the dogs and cagts, spacecraft, and so on (things that reflect their interest).

Go to the library and talk to a reference librarian about finding a book that gives advice on collecting. It should have detail on different tyupes of collections. Get a Scott's catalog (U.S. prices) or a Gibbons (British), which should be available in the library, to check out the basic price of the older stamps you're interested in. But don't jump to conclusions — the condition of the stamp will also affect the stamp and some stamps look the same to people who are unfamiliar with the details of collecting, but may have features that mean they were printed at different times, or with different shades of color. For this and other help, try to connect with some older collectors who could guide ou to enjoy your hobby. They're friendly folk and mainly are happy to give some help to somebody getting started.

Have fun.

Answer 3

I think I would go to the local public library and see what kinds of books they have for you to check out. Also you might want to google it too.
Check your phone book to see if there are any stamp collecting clubs in your area. Also you might want to call the US Postal Service to se if they can give you any leads.