Hobby: Stamp Collecting

I was just a kid when I started collecting stamps. I was in our house’s stockroom when I found a bunch of old mails piled in a divider. Most were from 1980’s addressed to my aunt from our relatives living in the US.  The very first thing I noticed was those stickers on the back of the mails. There were animals, plants, flowers, planes, valentines, insects,some faces of people I don’t know, and many more. I thought they were very nice so I took all the mail envelopes and left all the letters (my bad). And so I gathered all the envelopes and cut all the stamps and pasted them in a notebook (shame on me).  Yes I never told anyone about it because I knew I was being weird.

But of course I was just 13 back then and I have never thought such a hobby exists. Now that I’m 23, I have about 2,600 postage stamps in my collection (yes I counted them piece by piece), 20 first day covers, and at least 50 assorted postcards from different countries. These numbers might be very few for big time stamp collectors and I know I still have a long way to go. 

For those who wanted to get into stamp collecting and those who have just got started, I have 2 tips for you:

•  Know what you want. There are too many stamps out there and you just can’t have them all. Trying to collect every single postage stamp in this planet might just upset you. Instead, try to focus on themes that you like most; plants, animals, cartoons, movies, presidents, kings and queens, vintage stamps, butterflies, etc. You’ll find your album packed with interesting stamps in no time.

• Make connections.  You can’t enjoy a hobby without sharing it with those who have same interest with yours. Visit your local post office and ask for philatelic groups or clubs present in your community. You may also find stamp collectors in social networking sites like Facebook and Yahoo Groups. It is easier to collect, exchange, and purchase stamps when you know you’re flying with those of the same feathers.

These were the 2 things I did when I started with my hobby and I know it will work fine on you too. I hope you find my story interesting and my tips helpful. You can also add me in facebook if you want. See you there! Adios amigos!

 *All stamp images are owned by Christian Martin Siclot.