Antiques and Collectables – The Collectors Blog

No, I'm not talking about Sports on Stamps topicals. I'm talking about teamwork. It's basketball season so let's talk basketball. The NBA is gearing up for the playoffs and we're knee deep in March Madness. Contrary to what commercials and media hype would have us believe, championship teams are built from a group...not just a single marquis player. Sure, marquis players get all the hype. But alone, they do not win championships.

The same goes for your stamp collection. Unless the goal is to simply keep up with the Jonses, build your collection as a whole and for yourself. Some scoff at postage stamps from certain countries or certain topics. But this is not a hobby restricted to those who believe their tastes are elite.

Don't get me wrong. Championship teams have stars and so should your collection. But if you have only a handful of prize stamp issues, this won't be much of a hobby. Feel free to explore countries you've never heard of and cannot pronounce. Also, building a championship pro team requires being budget minded. Don't be afraid to buy a few bargain packets.

-- James the Web guy

Is it even possible to find rare postage stamps these days? One of the things that I feel makes this hobby so exciting is the possibility of finding a true treasure. Think about it. Unlike most other collectibles, postage stamps--while on a letter--were often tucked safely away. While many collectibles are stored away safely, letters of significance were and are often protected for later review whether the owner collected stamps or not. Non collectors generally disregard the stamp entirely. This means that while the entire letter or postcard may be preserved, the owner would have no idea what stamp was on it.

Ever hear of the story of the woman who placed an ad to accumulate used stamps for wallpaper? This was soon after the first stamps were issued in England. Most of the big headline type stamps were preserved as known collectibles. Imagine what's still out there, perhaps in a relative's attic, that remains unaccounted for.

I remember when metal detectors were all the rage. Unless something was discovered relatively quickly, most metal detectors collected dust for the rest of their lives. But when searching for stamps on old mail, even when the search produces few real treasures, you still enjoy the trip back through history.

-- James the Web guy

When I was a young boy I recall my grandfather saving coins in a little bank in the form of a globe. One of my favorite things to do when I visited my grandparents in the summer was to ask to open "the world" -- my word for the globe shaped bank. Actually, it was sort of an apt name since there were foriegn coins in there including early Mexican coins. I could see the sigh in my grandfather's eyes when I asked "how much"?

Undoubtedly, part of what went through his mind was a wish that I could see the value in holding something from another land, from another time. The truth is that I believe I did have momentary thoughts of the coins passage through many hands and many years. When he taught me to focus on the date rather than the denomination, something happened in the analytical part of my mind that still exists. I still can't touch a coin without looking at the date. After asking about one date, I remember my grandfather saying that coin was being spent while he was fighting in the war.

Today there's still something fascinating about holding something that was issued and used so many years ago. In fact, I am surprised that some stamps and coins 50 to 100 years old can be aquired so cheaply. While prestigious auctions may drive the market, the heart of the hobby is in the history and the fascination of rebuilding it piece by piece.

-- James the Web guy