The only way to secure the maximum pleasure from any activity is to understand what you are doing. This is especially true of stamp collecting. Let us begin with the history of stamps.

Stamps have been used since 1680. William Dockwra set up a letter post in London. On the letters and parcels carried by his services he stamped a small triangular mark inscribed “PENNY POST PAID”. This was the first time prepayment of letters had been insisted on and had been indicated on mail. However due to the Royal Monopoly, Dockwra's post was closed down

Next Rowland Hill, a school teacher agitated for a nationwide postal rate for letters weighing in excess of ˝ ounce. Hill argued that a general prepayment rate would encourage more people to use the post office and avoid a vast amount of clerical work therefore making it easier to handle the increased mail. Hill succeeded in his campaign. The success of Britains first two stamps encouraged other countries to follow suit.

Brazil came next with stamps in 1843. Some of the Swiss Cantons also began issuing stamps that year and New York had local stamps in 1845. Mauritius followed suit in 1847 and Belgium and France in 1849. During the next 20 years postage with prepaid stamps had a widespread growth and by 1860 the hobby of stamp collecting was established as people got interested in saving these colourful scraps of paper with the almost magical power of franking a letter for its journey across the world.

There are three main sources of supply open to stamp collectors, namely by way of gift, by swapping with other collectors and by purchase . Duplicates provide material for swapping with other collectors. Their main object is to acquire in exchange denominations missing from sets which have been built up from gift sources. A well planned collection is worth more than just an accumulation of stamps.

METHOD OF COLLECTION :

The methods of collecting stamps are almost as numerous as the collectors who collect them. The different methods are :

1) Whole World Collection.
2) British Commonwealth Collection
3) One Country Collection- This is the most simplified method.
4) One country collection with varieties.
5) Thematic collection- This means to assemble stamps of the similar design together. For example keeping stamps of animals together. Keeping stamps of birds together etc.
6) Omnibus issues- This branch is to collect stamps issued on a particular event by different countries.
7) Stamps on cover- These include used postage stamps which are retained on envelopes.

GENERAL ADVICE :

Damaged or heavily postmarked stamps should not be included in any collection. They detract from appearance of the collection. Mint stamps should not be placed near excessive heat or they curl. Mint stamps mean unused stamps, as printed with full gum. Thus, Philately a branch of stamp collecting can become a very important branch on which if sufficient research is done it can be improved. Stamp collecting is not a mere hobby but an expansion of the knowledge that we possess of various countries. It also gives light on various cultures of various countries. It is the best hobby that one can pursue.

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