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Collecting stamps is a hobby
which can be enjoyed by people from all walks of life. You don’t
require to be talented or specially skilled to collect stamps. The act
of buying and selling stamps or merely exchanging them is not only
educational, but also fun. Depending on your area of interest, you
slowly acquire knowledge about the countries involved and start delving
deep into their cultures, their customs and their festivals. It is
indeed a wonderful way to learn about foreign countries. Slowly the
stamp collecting bug can bite other members of the family and before you
know it, the whole family is involved. A great past time which provided
opportunities for the family to visit stamp shows and exhibitions and
use vacations to travel around the country and sometimes even abroad.
Stamp collecting does not confine itself to the collecting of postage
stamps. First day covers often decorated with pictures or designs of the
subject (cachets) and first day covers which cancelled are also a part
of stamp collecting. Collecting stamps and philately are not the same.
Philately is the study of stamps, so a philatelist may, but need not
collect stamps (though he usually does). Similarly, a stamp collector
need not closely study the stamps he gets. However a good stamp
collector who spends a large amount of time on his collection would
require to have some philatelic knowledge.
If you want to start stamp collecting, the easiest way to do so would be
to ask friends and family members for the stamps they receive through
their mail. They would be ordinary stamps, but it would be a good
starting point. Purchasing of stamps through dealers or the internet
could add to your collection. As your area widens, you can decide where
your interests lie. Stamps with themes are all time favorites. Whether
it is paying tribute to great patriots like Nehru and Gandhi, or its
saints , poets ,writers and artists, Indian stamps have indelibly
acknowledged their accomplishments.
Many explorers, scientists and industrialists who have contributed to
India in the making have also been honored by the issue of stamps.
Series of stamps have been issued on Indian dance, animals, birds,
flowers, trees and wild life. Collecting these unlock the doors to a
treasure house of information. If you are looking for variety knock at
the doors of pre and post independent India, you will find stamps of all
kinds.
The post independence mint stamps and the Indian mint stamps
provide a lot of variety and evoke a lot of interest. Add to this, the
stamps issued by the 40 princely states between 1864 and 1950 and you
will have a wonderful collection. Such stamps bridge the gulf between
two generations by making the past more comprehensible to youngsters.
Indian stamps used abroad are also very collectible and can act as
forerunners to collecting stamps of that specific country.
Commemorative stamps issued on specific days like children’s day or
independence day are worth having in your collection. So you see, like
coin collecting, stamp collecting can be most absorbing. Once your
interest has been awakened, there can be no stopping. Traditional stamp
albums are worthwhile investments, but if you want to show off your
collection, get creative. Make a collage, hang it on the wall or put the
collection under a glass sheet and keep it in a place where no one can
miss it. It will be a topic for conversation when you don’t know how to
break the ice.
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Author Mini Swami. copyright
data 2007. Indianchild.com
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